The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-08-13
THE LATE GERA4N CENSUS.
IN. r. SUM-

. The last census of the German Empire
taken December l, 1875, was conducted
after new method. The tabulated repor
which has now been published presents thu
results or that experiment, as well rs othe
impressive features of social and politica
significance.
This is the first time that the italian pro
cess OF recension, by which descriptive
caro- Ia allotted to each individual, instead
of to each house or family, has been ap
piled throughout the German Empire
| The advantages of this plan were com.
pleteiy demonstrated. Although for 10
fants and illiterate persons the minutes OF
the census taker must still be furnished by
tnlrd persons, it is found that inquirers
are upon the whole more fully and accu-
| rately answered. But the chief merit of
| the new system is the wonderful despatch
and facility secured to the labor of tabu!a-
ton. Instead of each specific detail being
transcribed by hand, entailing, of course.
computation, particular fact, as for in
stance the number of factory hands in a
given district, is instantly determined by
weight, all the cards relating to the sub
ject being thrown upon nicely adjusted
scales. The ratio of error, too, by this pro-
cess is less than under the old scheme of
enumeration. We need not point out that
the usefulness of recensions is in direct
proportions to their frequency, and that
the italian method, by reducing expenses
to minimum, may pave the way to an an
nual census.
Snch lessons, however, as may be gath
cred from statistics are easily deduced for
Germany, where q census has thrice been
taken, at regular intervals, within ten years.
During the first quadrennium, which began
with the returns for Dec. 10, 1867, the coun-
try was still suffering from the conse-
quences of the war with Austria, and had
subsequently, in the Franco Prussian con-
test, to sustain the temporary deduction
from her productive capacity of a million
able bodied men, besides the permanent
loss, through death, of ninety thousand
AS might have been expected, the census
of Dec. l, 1871, showed trivial rate of in
crease for the preceding period, amoant-
ing to more than 952 900 or about half |
OF one per cent year. AT that time the |
total population OF the States composing |
the German Empire was forty one millions |
snd some sixty thousand.
As those four years were darkened by |
war, SO the term which has just closed with |
the statistics for December 1875, has been
an era of financial crisis and protracted
commercial depression. After an unpar-
alleled expansion of speculation during
The first two years of the latter period, the
panic of 1878 put summary stop to every
species of enterprise, deprived man ufac
ures of capital and workmen of employ
nent. According to the organs of the
3erlin Stock Exchange, the German people
lad been reduced to unheard of straits,
md the most untoward exhibit, WAS pre-
,Icted from tire new census. The rerurns,
However, show nothing of the kind, bus
uite the contrary. TIE population OF the
German empire has been augmented since
December le7l, By one million seven HIM
red and fifty thousand, which is eQuiva-
emit to mean annual gain of rather more
han one per cent. 1t is doubtless true that
his remarkable increase Is partly due 70 the
asst shrinkage of emigration, and 1t is also
robab!e that failure CT resources has ,
ccasivned "a falling CIT in the mum Der OF
marriages, the effect OF which will first be
isble in the next period. In spite, how
yer, of these qualifications, we must con- |
hide, in view of tie statistics cited, that
he severity Of the commercial crisis IN
iermany has been grossly exaggerated.
This inference is confirmed by glance :
t the figures, which announce the progress ;
t particular States and provinces. thus
he departments of Prussia, where the gain ,
D population is most sigoal, as ia West
haiia, the Rhine provinces, and Brandon {
urg, which includes Berlin, are precisely |
bose most conspicuous for the develop s
nent of manufacturing aud com mercial {
nterprise. Al apparent exception TO this .
ule IN Bavaria, where the district - hich .
ontains the capital has advanced more
epidly than the Palatinate, notWithstaud
ng the lutteT's pre- eIpinence a produc.
i've centre, is explained not only by the
reat lLnQS TO MUNICH from sli parts OF
ue Kingdom, but By a curious circem-
lance in the history of the last named +
roviuco. Il appears that suce William +
'cnn settled colony from the Palstinate :
n the Delaware, the relations of the mo
her land with her otfshoot have been SO ,
lose, and the custom Of sending forth num-
eTs of her young men TO join their kins- s
Dix in Pennsy lvania has grown to be 80 i
1veterate, that the arrest of immigration
0 decisive elsewhere throughout Germany :
} here scarcely perceptible.
The assertion of John Stuart Mill that
he means of supporting the burdens of
fe must diminish for the laboriDg class
nth the subdivision Of the soil and the
1crease in the number of inhabitants, is s
OF fully vindicated by the reeults of the i
iernan census. We are rather impelled h
D formulate the conclusion that the pro- '
ress of population is not directly proper I
oned to its density, which would be sufn- ]
iently subversive of Mills theory, but I
H., -