146 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



22 to 24 years, and 25 to 34 years, the percentage married, wid- 

 owed or divorced was greater in 1910 than in 1900 and in the case 

 of the first two groups it was also greater in 1900 than in 1890." 

 A larger proportion of the population are marrying in the earlier 

 ages than was the case ten or twenty years ago. The falling off 

 in the natural rate of increase of population in this country would 

 not seem to be due therefore to the postponement of marriage. 



In England and Wales the marriage rate has remained fairly 

 constant for nearly a century, although exhibiting, as Ogle has 

 shown, a considerable fluctuation due to war and especially to 

 changes in economic conditions, the curve rising and falling 

 concomitantly with the rising and falling of the curve representing 

 the value of exports. The decline in the birth rate has progressed 

 quite steadily without much apparent relation to fluctuations in 

 the rate of marriage. The relatively small changes in the mar- 

 riage rate in England and Wales are shown in the following table : 



Marriage Rates in England and Wales 



In Germany the marriage rate has remained fairly constant, 

 rising in some provinces and falling in others. In the cities of 

 Prussia the marriage rates were 1880: 84.5; 1890, 93.5; 1900, 

 96.5; while for these three dates in the country they were 73, 

 75.5, and 78.5. Since the marriage rate has risen during the 

 period in which the birth rate has fallen, we cannot attribute 

 much of the fall in the birth rate to variations in the frequency 

 of marriage. 



