The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-03-06
CuriN'.< Facts ~ latis'r to the
Top ui;atiOn OF New York.

| TT census of the state OF New Ymk
for 1865 di~clos'S some curious fac s
The ethod of taking this census WAS
different from all others in this respect
that it was taken by ftmihics. Tile
census reported in 1868 a total of $50 ,93l
tamilics-lo6, ,SO2 families living with,
out children, 14S,20S with only one cIil''
l40,572 with two, and iO7,342 with
three children. II, re is almost one forth
of all the families in the state in which not
a single child was found and in 592, 1924
families-more than three-tourths-,Lete
was, on an average. only small fraction
over one child to each family. In an
swer to the inquiry put to every woman
who was or had been married lin all,
s42,5G2,) how many children she had
had, whether present or absent, living Or
dead, there were 115,252 women who
responded that they never had had a
child, l24,3l7 only one child, 123,3l9
two, and 1OS,324 three children. Here
We find lis, ,252 women who We're or had
been married-almost one-seventh of all
who never bore single child, and
l,772-more than one-half of all
who will average less than one child and
and seven-tenths to each women. These
figures include both the foreign and
American classes, but a large proportion
applies to the strictly American. If the
law settled by mortuary statistics, that
two-ti.ths of all children born die before
reaching adult life, be applied to the
above facts, it will appear that on an
average only about one child to each
woman ever reaches mature age-that
is. only one-half of the original stock is
supplied as far as these women (47l,772)
are concerned.
The whole population of the state of
New York is composed, in its, descent, OF
such mixed races that it is impossible to
draw the exact line between what may
be considered American, and what
foreign; but the compiler of the census
DR. Franklin B. Hough-becamed con-
vinced that there is the present time no
natural increase in population among the
families descended from the early settlers
of the state. From an examination of
the tables in the Census Report this
general fact is very evident throughout
the state, namely, that the married
of foreign origin have much the
largest families For instance, in the
County of New York, reporting almost
one-half of its population as foreign, We
ind this statement: while nine hundred
and s;xty-fve American, women
each ten children and upward, there
we're twenty-eight hundred and fifty
oreign women having each ten children
md upward, making three times as
many.
There are not only agencies in society
powerful influence in this
natter, but there are great changes and
ixed laws in the human system itself
Which have still more powerful effect.
n discussing the changes of population
hese causes have not always been pro-
erly considered. The conditions of the
atural, healthy increase of people are
o numerous and complicated that it is
ifficult to give each one its proper place;
ut those pertaining directly to the body {
7ould seem to be most important and
Good health is one of I
nese. 1t is we'll known that within +
fly years, and even within half that ,
me, there has D.yn . great decline in the !
ealth of American women,-Nuthan ,
LHen, in Harpcr,s Magast. s