599 
and, with the pressure of female labour in the market, women would 
have forced men out of occupation fitted for them long ago, if they 
were better suited for such particular occupations than men. Many 
weak arguments have been used in this good cause, but the whole 
question is more a fundamental one than is generally imagined. 
We must restore the balance of female life, and put woman, as far 
as possible, in her true place — as the helpmate of man, not as a com- 
petitor for toil and labour. 
“ Marriage is woman’s true mission, and it should be part of our 
great scheme of reformation to keep her in that position as much as 
possible. 
“ But how stands Scotland in respect to * marriage ?’ Lament- 
able is her case, indeed, as compared with England. The tables I 
have given for England and Scotland illustrate this fully ; and by 
reference to them you will find, that while in England the marriages 
in 1857 were as *824 to 100 inhabitants, the proportion in Scotland 
in 1859 was only *676 to the same number. Again, the marriages 
in Scotland were later in life, and therefore less favourable to that 
moral condition which early marriage creates, fosters, and perpetu- 
ates. The following are the figures : — 
Average Ages of Persons Marrying out of every 100 Married . 
England. 
1859. 
Scotland. 
1856. 
Males under 20 years of age, 
2-637 
3-086 
,, under 25 „ 
49-544 
40-790 
,, under 30 ,, 
75254 
70-166 
„ above 30 „ 
24-746 
30-834 
Females under 20 years of age, . 
13-224 
12-565 
„ under 25 „ 
62-631 
58-416 
,, under 30 ,, 
82-430 
82-708 
„ above 30 „ 
17-570 
17-292 
“ These results are for single years ; but, one year with another, 
the results will be found much the same. 
“ No doubt, where two countries approximate, or rather join each 
other, speaking the same language, and living under the same 
