230 PROBLEMS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION 



that sums up all the others. We must take a year some way back, 

 and comparing it with some recent year, see how much smaller a 

 percentage of the persons born are eliminated now than at the 

 earlier date. First, I must recall what has already been said, that 

 when we are considering physical evolution we may reckon all 

 who die unmarried as having been eliminated. Now in 1896 the 

 mean age of marriage was 25-83 (for bachelors 26-59, ^ or spinsters 

 25-08), and according to the tables for that year 48*2 per cent, of 

 the population die under 25. 1 But some forty years ago, if we 

 judge by the returns for 1859, the percentage was no less 

 than 57* I. 2 If, then, the mean age of marriage was the same 

 then, nearly 9 per cent, more were eliminated then than now. 

 Unfortunately the ages of bride and bridegroom at that date 

 were so often unrecorded, that it is impossible to discover 

 exactly the mean age of marriage. Ever since 1885 (by which 

 date no more than 7-1 omitted to state their ages) there has 

 been a slowly growing tendency to marry later in life. But the 

 figures available do not go to show that the tendency had set 

 in before 1885. Even then it is very slight, though definite 

 25-38 the mean age in 1885, 25-83 in 1896. In 1859, ^ we 

 take the 64-6 per cent, who stated their years as representative 

 of all, the mean age was 25*54. ^ doubt we are making an 

 assumption that may introduce error, but the correction of the 

 error could hardly reduce the figure below 25. We are not, 

 therefore, guilty of over-statement when we say that 8 per cent, 

 less of the population are eliminated now than forty years ago. 



It is clear that the change is due to the softening of the 

 conditions of life, not to an absolute increase of vigour. The 

 infant mortality has been much reduced, so that many now 

 grow up, who formerly would not have completed their first 

 five years. In spite of the survival of the weakly, the reduction 

 in the average death-rate continues even among those who have 

 passed the age of 40. We have side by side, then, a reduction 

 of strength and an increase of longevity. Men live longer 

 because their environment is less trying. 



1 Seethe Registrar-General's Report for 1896, p. 118. 



2 Report for 1859, p. 98. 



