Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-12-02
SMALL FAMILIES.
BY NATHAN ALLEN, NJ. II.

By NATHAN ALLEN, NJ. II.
A Apopuar auctonocr of real estate in
! Boston, while dvertising recently house
( tor sale, and, after describing It's conycn-
/ icucc, size, number OF rooms, &c, con
cludes by stating that ''it is just right for
modern sizei' family" This term.
qualifying the kind OF family, was not
moderate nor small. but modern. implying
that the ancient-Sized family was some
what different. 1t is presumed that this
auctioneer intended to describe family
consisting OF three or four persons
probably one or two children with their
parents This simple fact illustrates n
great change taking place in the present
state of society as to tho size OF the family
compared with former periods. This
change presents an aspect Of the times,
having both n retrospective and pro-
spec.ive view. full OF meaning. The pre-
sentation OF a few facts upon this subject
will suggest somo considerations worthy
of serious reflection.
New Engaud, in its early history, was
distinguished for its rapid increase ofpop'
ulation aud this increase was made up,
not by emigration from other States or
from foreign nations, but by It's own native
inhabitants from the great number OF
births. Most of the places in Massa-
chusctts have been settled from one hun
drcd anl lily to two hundred years, and,
their history is made up OF five, six and
seven generations. 1t is well known that
in all the parishes and towns OF the state.
it has bocn customary from their c1rlicst
settlement 10 keep an exact record OF ali
children born, thus preserving lamlly his
tories. Some individual WAS always APP
pointcd-(gencrally \ good pcnmaD, rs
clerk o the parish or town, 10 keep these
rc orls. which have been preserved and
continued TO the present day. These re-
cord, have been carefully examined in a
large number of eases, with reference 10
the number of births, Is compared with
the number of families. Ii IS surprising
how many. and what large families the
records ot somc ol these old towns pres
cnt.
For the sake of bringing the compari'
SON down 10 the present time. an average
OF al the children ia each generation has
been made TO every family. 1t was found
that the first generation had an average
to each family from eight to ten childtcn;
the second and third from sevon 10 eight
the llurth and fifth from five To seven
and the sixth. or the present generation.
only about three children 10 each family.
In the first hundred years, or with the
first three generations, the decline ia
children was small, but, with the last
two. the falling of was more rapid. This
decrease was ne or taking place so rapid
IL as at tins very time. In the town OF
Bilerica (scitlcI in 1000, may be found
on its records, these remarkable facts
There are recorded the names OF twenty
six families having ~ children each
twenty haying | each; twenty l"ur hay
ing II each; thirteen having Is each; ike
| having fourteen each one family having
| u. and one having u, making in all,
one thousand and iUrty.threc children 10
ninety families. And from 4 careful cx-
! animation of its records the inst hundred
wears, when the latter part OF this period,
the town had Il population oi over one
thousand persons, moi single married
couple could bc found in this whole
period, but what reported children! There
is no reason why the records OF many
other towns in the Stale should not
present similar statistics. If the reader
has never had his attention TUNED in this
direction, he will bo surprised is he
rcckons up in the circle of his acquaint-
iuCtS lllc VI pS' o''7 'i''
! ing no children or only one or two, whcth-
er it be in the city or in the country.
The proportion ofsuch families have been
surely and steadily increasing in every
and every generation year. Now il all
married people have on an average, say
three children each and only three. iilths
of all childrcd born ever reach adult life,
can any stretch Df arithmetic prove that
such people will incl case in population?
Suppose the number of young men pre-
ferring to lead single life, should con-
tinuc to increase in the future as it has in
the past, what is to be The effect ulti
mately on our population? In the pres
ent state of society. SO largo are the ex-
penscs of supporting family. that null
titudes of young men now refrain from
assuming this responsibility. We can
count scores and scores Of men from
twenty to forty, many oi whom we know,
allcge this matter of expense as the prin'
cipal cause of their living single lives as
they do. Then many persons postpone
such change till the parties arc FROM
thirty to forty years of age, for the sake