THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



gration, but remarkably demonstrated by th
detail of facts established by our census re
turns from the individual States.  For exam
ple, in Massachusetts. one of the oldest of th.
original States, the number of females wa
found to be, in 1860, 37,000 less than the num
ber of males; while in Michigan there wa
an excess of 40.000 males, in Wisconsin o
43,000, and in Illinois of 92,000. In the stil
newer States, and in some of the territories
chiefly settled by enterprising pioneer youni
men who are not yet ready to marry, and bj
adventurous married men whose families are
temporarily left beh,*(I in the older States
the disparity is still more surprising: as iD
Colorado. where the proportion of males t(
females is as tweny to one.
   If, then, there >ns an absolute excess oi
males at the beginning of the war to the num.
ber of 700.000, it must be a very bloody and
very protracted war that will overcome even
this excess.
  2. But there are causes aud influences at
work whose tendency is at once to counteract
the unequalizing tendencies of the war. The
most important of these is the constant influx
of population from the Old World, inasmuch
as a very large proportion of all who come to
our shores-and more particularly is this the
case now, during the progress of the war-
are men, in the prime and vigor of manhood.
  3. And then, there are correcting causes in
operation whose effects, though more remote
in time, are yet more certain. In time of war
a majority of children born are males.  It is
philosophical that it should be so, and observ-
ation confirms it as a fact.
  Just the nature of these causes and their
modu. operandi it is, perhaps, quite difficult to
determine, since the relations between the
psychological and the physiological forces are,
as yet, imperfectly understood.  There is no
principle of psychological science more firmly
established, however, than that mental causes
have a mighty influence in determining phys-
iological conditions. Especially is this true



in its application to the offspring in the first
stage of development, as at the time ef con-
ception and during the earlier period of ges-
tation.  And, if bodily form, cerebral con-
formation, and even extraordinary physical
marks are determined, as we know they often
are, by mental conditions of father or mother,
or both, either at the moment of fecundation,
or during the period of fbetal development,
why may not powerful impressions begotten
of masculine thoughts, emotions and desires,
have something to do in determining the sex
of the offspring'!
  Whether the sex be decided at the moment
of conception, as is the popular notion, or
whether afterwards, as is taught by Siebold,
Ploss, Martegoute, Duepetiaux, Le Play and
others, is not important to this theory, since
the cause referred to, if it be a cause, would
operate alike in either case. The times are
heroic, demanding, as never before, an unfail-
ing supply of masculine force. This feeling
is shared by the whole people, without dis-
tinction of sex, and the sturdy, manly quali-
ties needed for the present struggle with ram-
pant and powerful treason are craved by all,
whether men or women. We believe that these
psychological forces, taken in connection with
possibly increased physiological impressibili-
ty, are of themselves sufficient to account for
the important fact of an excess of male births
at the present time, as stated above.  But
whether accounted for upon this hypothesis
or another, the fact stands prominently forth,
Lnd it is that with which we have more espe-
cially to deal at this time.
May we not, in view of all the facts herein
referred to, re-assure ourselves of these two
ruths:-first, that there is really no ground
'or apprehending a serious disturbance of the
quilibrium of the sexes in this country on
.ccount of the war; and secondly, that all the
;reat laws of nature are so characterized by
rise adaptations and just compensations that
v e may always confide in them most implic-
tly?



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