Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-02-19
HERE SLEEPS
FREDRIkA BREMER.
Comparative Decrease of Children
ny NATHAN ALLEN, NJ. ID.

The attention of the public has of late
been called in different ways, to u com
paratiye decrease of children of purely
| American parentage. Some statistics
were published last year in the Congre-
gationalist with reference TO the diminu-
ton of scholars in New Hampshire
schools, and quite recently the school re-
turns of Maine exhibit some striking facts
! upon the same subject. The figures, rs
presented by w. Johnson, the Supcrin-
tendcnt for the State, are as follows: In
! 1860, the number of children attending
the public schools between the ages of 4
and 2l, was pa, ,920, and in 1866, there
were between the same ages, 225, 200,
making in these eight years, decrease
of 1920 scholars Mr.. Johnson does
not account for this decrease. He says:
Have we ceased d be producing
people? formerly large families were
common. Have habits Of living, diet,
want of ventilation, increased family ex-
pcpses, fashion, tight lacing, intemper-
ance, or lewdncss influenced 10 this re-
suit? Are the vital forces expended in
brain labor, and lost to physical repro
duction? Are the modern fashionable
criminalities of inlaniicide and ieticide
creeping into our State community
Hon. John a. Poor, Of Portland. at
tempts to account for this decrease on
the ground tina; the town officers, for va
rious reasons, have not been 50 careful as
formerly to make full return of all the
children. But writer in the kennebec
Journal says:
The cause of this falling of in school
returns is not on account of carelcssness
or mistake in the return of the number Of
children. but that the children are be-
coming less in number yearly, except III
manufacturing towns, or where there -
an influx OF foreign population. This
diminution NAV be accounted for from
the fact that the births in many towns do
not, at the present day. exceed the
deaths. Pride, fashion, and folly, have
had great deal to do in this matter"
According to the L. S. Census Of 1860.
there were in Maine, 81 453 persons, rep
resented as born in Foreign Countries,
and. if we add to these, their descend
ants born in Maine, but classcd with the
American, it will very much increase, and
perhaps double the number of foreign or
igin. Now as it is an established fact
that for the same number of iamlii cs,
there are two or three times more births
in the foreign than in the American, it
follows conclusiyely that this decrease Of
scholars in Maine, arises almost wholly
from the American portion, and il the
two classes were separated in the school
returns, the falling off in American
children would relatively appear still
greater than it now does. This change
going on in the population of Maine, is
the more surprising inasmuch as the
larger portion of its inhabitants are en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits-living in
rural districts, and occupying portions of
country comparatively newly settled
which are regarded as much more favor
able to human increase than thickly set
tied places, or large cities. But, in re-
port carefully prepared and recently
published by a committee chosen by the
Maine Conference OF Congregational
churches, we find statement which ex-
plains this anomalous state Of things.
This committee, to "whom was assigned
the alleged prevalence of pre-infanticide
for investigation" say, after having con-
suited the highest medical authorities:
"Our Investigation has brought us to
the belief that after all proper deductions,
full one third of the natural population
fails by the hand of violence ; that in no
one year of the late war have SO many
lost life in camp or battle, rs have failed
of life by this horrid home crime. We
shudder to view the horrors of intemper
ance, of slavery, and of war; but those
who best know the facts and bearings of
this crime, declare it to be greater evil,
more demoralizing and destructive than
either intemperance. slavery. or war it
self"
This is strong language, and will un-
doubtedly appear to many an exaggera-
ton of the evil, as well as an over-esti-
mate of its effect upon population; but
no one can form any adequate concep-
ton of the terrible effects of this crime
except those (and especially medical
men) who have carefully investigated