The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-10
The Final Report of the Eighth Census

The Final Report of the Eighth Census.
From the Times.
The progress of statistical science in this
country must be regarded as eminently satisfac
tory. To this result the Census Bureau has been
the chief contributor. The portly volume just
issued by that Bureau compares favorably with
any which has been produced by any Govern.
ment or individual, whether as respects its am
pltude of material or the care with which that
material has been arranged. The publication Is
also very dpropos to the present time, when not
only the POLITICAL but the social and CONNER
cial, relations OF America are being reorganzed
as rapidly as the mpedimentd raised by the war
can be cleared away.
1t was important that the actual condition of
property in 1860 should be recorded, and not
less so that the various circumstances affecting
human life and its duration should be investi-
gated. The enumeration of the people has
been, even from remote antiquity, q mark OF
their civilization. 1t marks the degree OF care
exercised by a nation towards those who dwell
within 1t. To note the birth of human being
is to say that life is a trust committed to the
care of society and to mark the causes by
which that lite was lost is a pledge that those
causes shall be removed so far as possible. An
investigation of the various interests and occu-
pations OF the people, and of what may tacili-
tate or impede them, presupposes paternal
feeling on the part OF the governing power.
And the iaithfuness with which those invesTi-
gallons are made are the test of how much real
humanity orders and executes the work.
The first point which strikes the reader who
opens this report is the vast amount of informa-
ton which 1t contains. The second is that there
is no index by which it can be readily used. We
would suggest that this deficiency be supplied,
and that copies of table of contents be distri-
buted as soon as practicable. We will endeavor
to give an idea OF what the contents are without
this useful accessory.
In the first place there is a well.digestel his
tory OF popular enumerations from the earliest
times. The portion devoted to the United States
Is especially valuable, and the more so that it
contains observations upon the influence of
various circumstances, of climate soil, indus
tries, ETC., upon the human tamily-in fact the
essay constitutes an historical and eclentifc
document OF considerable value. The mortality
OF the United States and its causes are, however,
perhaps, the chief in value OF the contents of
this report. The statistics on this topic were
gathered by 44l4 Ma1shals from the houses
OF families over the whole country. The
causes of death which are noted are
one hundred and thirty-eight in num-
Der, including thirty-eieht external or vio-
lent causes. 1t is to be remarked In this
connection that the local authorities in vari-
GUS States reported only such deaths as they
happened to hear of; but in this respect there
ls great Improvement since 1850. Sill the
actual rate of mortality in all localities and
from al causes Is yet to be ascertained. Pro-
bably this result will never be reached until
general registration act, similar to the English,
for instance Is passed. One of the most inte.
progress towards the simpl6catlon of the titles
OF diseases. In the original English returns
there were 1195 such tltles-now they are re-
duced to ia. With us there were collected in
1876 no less than l147 such, and these have been
reduced by scientific classification to uniform
nosology 1t is easy to see how medical science
Is rendered simple and popular by this process.
The area OF the United States has been divided
into nine districts, according to their climate
and climacteric character. This opens up a wide
field OF inquiry upon the influences which those
conditions exert upon health and longevity.
We lind very considerable differences in NOR
tallty among these districts; Tor instance, the
decade experienced 1867 deaths in 10000 per-
sons under five years of age In the first district,
and which includes the New England States;
and 4767 out OF the same number in the seventh
district, or South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
and Alabama. The causes of these deaths are
given under the tables apportioned to these DIS
tricts. 1t is impossible, within the space Of
single article, to pursue this topic further, and
we have only room to add that every clrcum-
stance by which it can be illustrated, sWch as
percentage, occupation, and educaton is fully
set iOrth.
The department allotted to miscellaneous
statistics covers very wide range-Banks and
Insurance; the Press; Railroads; Canals and
Rivers; Families and free population; Religion;
Education; Libraries; Schools; Colleges, etc.
The information upon the true value OF real
estate and personal property, aud its growth, is
OF great consequence. In 1850 and 1860 they
amounted respectively to $7l35, 7S0, 228 and
SIG, 1863, ,6l6,068 showing an increase in ten
years of $8,925,48l, or l26'45 per cent. OF the
States, New York stands first as regards this
increase, and Kansas last. But we must leave
this report for the present, tor the amount of
material which 1T offers for consideration is too
great for even far more extended notice than
we now can give to it.