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Show KassAcursErrfl marbiages. Marriage and birth statistics make a Bhowing Bomewbat threatening to the population of Massachusetts, and especially disboartening to the ep'm-etara ep'm-etara of iho Old Commonwealth, ay tho women are already in the majority in tho state, and men show less and leas an inclination to take to themselves them-selves wives. During the year 1877 only one out of every 136 persona in Massachusetts ventured into matrimony, matri-mony, that is, the num. bar of mj.r; riages was only 12,758. Ti-.ii ia a smaller proportion of marriages to population than was notid during any year of tho war, when the stato sustained a heavy drain upon i's male population, and t!io:nt men who remained re-mained at home had aomethioe else to think of than matrimony. The tailing off is tho more remarkable I when compared with tbe statistics of I other years. For instance, in 1853, with a population of les than a million, the number ot marriages waa 12,838, or eighty more than last year with a population of 1,736,820. There are other facts that tell of an unhealthy state of society in Maesa cbusetta. Tbe number oi births in 1853, the year noted above, was 30,-920, 30,-920, while in 1877 the number wiia 41,850. Thua with fewer marriages there were more births. It is Bhown that the number of births to a marriage mar-riage is no groaler now than it waa then, hence the increase indicates a frightful ratio .of illegitimacy. The marriage and birth rates are both loner than in England, Wales, France, Uusaia and other countries, and a very largo percentage of the births are of foreign parentage. The old nativo stock, the sturdy and intel lectual people of Massachusetts who have made the Old Bay state famous tbe world over for the refinement, intelligence, education and eterliog qualities of its citizens, scema to be gradually dying out, aud at a rate that should be alarming. |