THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1912 PREPONDERANCE OF WOMEN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10710, 14 September 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1912 PREPONDERANCE OF WOMEN.

3ho revised figures as to population in England and Wales, just published by the Rogh'trar-Ceuera!, brings out among other important 'facts?, the decided preponderance of women. That they are in a majority is, of course, known—statisticians long ago discovered this lact; that they outnumber men by little ic-ss than one million two hundred thousand—that for 1000 men there are 1068 women—will have come as a surprise to many. The causes which bring about the excels of one pa'rt of liumanity are probably permanent; in the view of certain inquirers there is reason to think that some of them may be increasing in potency. The outlook is therefore a ftuure state of society in which the numerical inferiority, some might say the subjection, of man may bo even more distinct than tho present .figures show. The London Times says 'that among the many consequences tome of the most obvious are tho economical, and they are not all to,the good. In tho employments into Avhicli Avomen now enter the change Avill mean more competitors—more would-be typists, clerks, secretaries ; more persons ready to do the kind« of manual Avork now performed by Avomen. There Avill, too, be more crowding into other walks of life, Avith tho consequent production of more artiftts Avhose pictures will ! not sell, more singers who givo no pleasure, more reciters Avho are the terror of their friends, and more "writers Avho lower the remuneration of their sisters living bv their Avork, Avho are either failures or ach'ieve only a succes d'estime. There .must bo in many occupation? cutting of Avages and remuneration already in all .conscience loav enough. The non-econo-mical effects of this excess :ire harder to trace, but they are likely to be very distinct in "the middle and well-to-do classes. As to them this ponderance means in all probability ' the increase of that body of Avomen. already large, who, not marrying, and not dependant upon their labour for their subsistence, turn with more or less zeal to philanthropic Avork more or less real., or to amusements more or loss harmless. In any circum••stances. with such changes might be expected restlessness, symptoms of malaise, instability, strange social and curious insurrcc-

cions against conventions. But the fall effect is not appreciated if wo do | not take note of tho co-oxisteiic e of this numerical superiority with a low marriage-rate and a low birthrate; in other words, with a laig>withdrawal of women from the chief occupations and concerns of past generations'. , The disappearance of tlie baby is tho most striking fact as to certain clnsses. The pet dog ha.-, taken its place. The affection which the women <:-f one generation give to their children is centered by many nowadays in a poodle or a pug or the latest tiling in puppies. There arc;, strange mixtures of tho boudoir or drawing-room and the kennel. Toymakers say that the sale of dolls :« ! diminishing; the young imitate their elders. Not the most penetrating vision can discern all the consequences of this threefold fact—the numerical preponderance cf women, the docrease of tho marriage-rate, and the decline in tho birth-rate. But we may be sure that they will have far-reach-ing transforming consequences. One speculation as to this subject may be mentioned. Moralists tell us — Nietzsche is only one of a thousand who preach the doctrine' —that the tvorld is becoming in its virtues and | failings more and more feminine; that ! hi.seel. Each age has its standard of conduct ere being replaced bv others which ni !y be better, but which are very different; that the hard combative elements are being eliminated. We are more sympathetic, more pitiful, more pacific. The amenities of life multiply and are refined'. Douceur de vivre is better understood and pr3Cteised. Each age has its standard of virtues. At their summit no longer [stands courage. As Paulsen remarks, some of the older virtues have come to be classed as vices. Could an Englishimn of the seventeenth or eighteenth • century revisit 'his old .haunts he would be pretty sure ■so •say that his descendants had become 'more feminine in speech, habits, and thoughts. If he was candid he would admit that things had improved much and in mqny ways since lie departed'. He might be convinced 'that it waft possible to have strength : without brutality, and that life was I richer ■ by 1 tluv-iiofusior. of the ne\v eles meats." But he might still insist I that there was much whi?h was questionable and hazardous and of doubtful duration'.- He might urge that the success- of one kind in Europe [should as soon as possible be correctled by utilising the excess of an opposite kind in other countries, <?speciall ysome of our Colonies and the American States. He might assert that those who do the main part of tho work of the world, and those who have <so far done most for its progress, ought to exercise the most influence, and that a world in which that is not so is somewhat off its balance. Whether the impartial historian would support him—whether upon a fair retrospect ft would appear that in what might be called tho feminine ages and raccis things were betteror worse than in the more masculine—need not now be inquired. But cur hypothetic.il Englishman, dropping out of the seventeenth or eighteenth century, would have much to urge in favour of his opinion that curs'was a feminine age .as compared to his. Toll him the figures which we have 'quoted, shoT him the facts which point to an accentuation of the preponderance of women, and he* might not bp convinced that the outlook wns all for tli© host, or that in future struggles comtnunitiort in which these character;*-- ' tics w<M'e most prevalent would, be sur* '.'j hold their own.