Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-03-13
The Recent Census.

MY mlHu mas Decu SITaHgcly uIAWH Ol
late to the subject Of statistics. l sup
pose the recent census has had something
to do with it. There are certain friends
of mine who take singular delight in
that census. They pore over it as child
pores over Gulliver or books Of African
travel They come away from its pages
with a glow in their eyes and flush upon
their cheeks and wonderful story upon
their lips. According to the recent
census, it appears that in Rhode Island
alone the number of adult males, of Por-
tuguese descent, who died from spinal
meningitis during the first half of the
last decade, was just twice the number Of
Cashmere goats imported during the sue
ceeding five years by the entire State of
New York. They moi, only say it, but
(if am in hurry to go anywhere) they
prove it by figures, and they write COM
munications to the newspapers, consist
ing mainly of tables and maps, in order
to promulgate ideas like that.
While / acknowledge that there is a
sphere in which statistics are useful as
well as entertaining, am sure 1t would
be well for the world If their limitations
were better understood. The number OF
periodicals that have been started on
statistics in the United States, and have
miserably perished Of them is lamenta-
ble A corrected list would make an in
teresting chapter in our next census. A
young friend of nay own started one Of
these papers. He took a sheet of fools
cap and two or three lead pencils, and
the then recent census, and began in this
fashion: Here is community with q
population of so many thousands; may
calculate, ON general principles, that at
least twenty persons in every thousand
will take the paper the first year-which
gives handsome paying circulation to
begin with. Then so many columns of
advertisements will come to SO much per
week, and pretty nearly all of this may
be put down to account Of profits. So
the second year will open with an in
crease of say-to be moderate-one third
in circulation and the same in advertise.
mentS.
tried to wean him away from his pop
ulations and his COMPOUNDED sums in
arithmetic. But it was of no use. he
in hectic condition with his pockets full
of lead pencils, and little note books con-
tanning all sorts Of deceitful calculations
based on the recent census. At the end
of that time the Morning Aagniter made
its appearance. I caught occasional
glimpses of the editors haggard counte
nance as he fitted home for his nights
repose at eight o'clock in the morning.
But why pTolsng tho melancholy tales
Enough TO say that my young friend has
long since gone West.
And then have another friend who
believed in the doctrine of the annihi-
lation of the souls of the wicked. In fact /,
he was generally acknowledged to be the
foremost expounder Of that doctrine in
the country Well, what does he do but
write novel of sOciety-with little or
nothing in it concerning his pet doctrine.
That is not SO pathetic as the fact that
he too became slave to statistical delu-
sions. He had taken some sort OF pri-
vate census Of his own, by which he had
determined that there were in the United
States forget how many millions OF peo-
pie, who believed with himself as to the
matter of annihilation. There were the
avowed believers-s0 many millions; and
there were the believers who dared not
avuw-a great many millions more; and
he was the celebrated Expounder- and SO
many thousands out Of every million lit
was quite low estimate, / thougbt)
would buy the novel, of course. my self
was fresh in the faith OF statistics in those
days, and remember how envied that
man his copyright-till six months after
the date OF publication the publishers sent
in their bill for stereotype plates. Sc 1Ae
Old Cabinet. Soyt0n<r's for MavcA.