Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-09
CENSUSES IN GENERAL.

formed by the high officer called censor
having received the name census. II
modern acceptation it is Gan officia
generally, with such facts as tend to show
their moral, social, physical, and indust
rial condition" In the Penteteuch the
enumeration of the people is enjoined
and the most ancient statistical record Of
the kind is that of Moses in the wilder
ness. There is record of a Chinese cen
sus made by command Of the Emperor
Fee, 2042 B. c., and of one in Japan rn
der Mikado Sujun in the last century be-
fore Christ. Under the constitution So
Ion the citizens of Athens were divided
and registered in four classes, according
to the amount of their taxable property
or income
The Roman census originated under
Servius Tullius, the sixth King of Rome,
in the distribution of citizens into classes,
in most solemn manner on the Campus
Martius, where every citizen had to ap-
pear, and to declare, upon oath, his name
and dwelling, the number and age of his
| children, and the value of his property,
under penalty of having his goods confis-
Gated, and of being scourged and sold for
slave The whole population was di-
vided into six classes, based upon proper
ty qualifications; improvements were
made under Augustus
| In the sixteenth century came into
vogue the practice of keeping church re-
gisters of births, marriages, and deaths
out of which grew the modern systems of
recording the movements Of the popula-
ton. Peter the Great, 1719, had CEN
sus taken of the male population for pur-
| poses of conscription, additions being
made until 1902, when a Central Bu-
reau of Statistics was organized, which
was reOrganized in 1852. From 1858 to
1867 the Russian census grew to include
| legal population, information with refer
| ence to sexes, number of houses in towns,
churches, chapels, institutions, manufac-
turing establishments, etc.
In Prussia, census-taking dates back to
| Frederick William |, and was improved
| under Frederick Ii. The enumeration
embraces mechanics, medicine, religion,
| ETC., and is made by civil officers on one
day in December. The new German
pIIG, VII DcC. L, 1Cf L, bOOh a OCIISuo
| for the first time. The German States,
| for the most part, take census triennial-
| ly. Austria's census was first taken in
1874, and until 1857 was used entirely for
military purposes. 1t is taken every
! three years.
The science of statistics has been more
cultivated in Sweden than in any other
country. The practice dates back to
| 1926, and has been carried to high
state of perfection In Turkey the cen
sus is taken for conscri ption. The first
taken in France was in 100; it is now
taken at quinquennial periods, Denmark
being the only other country that takes
its census every five years. The United
States, Great Britain and Ireland, Hol-
land, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal,
Sweden, and Norway, on the other hand
do the work every ten years.
1t has been remarked by eminent au-
thority on this subject that in Ireland
the greatest progress has been made.
| The first census was taken in 1911, but
was not considered trustworthy. An
English report says: 'Prior to 1911 the
Irish enumerators were persons taken
from the general community. In the
years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 the census
was taken by the constabulary and police,
under the control of the officers of these
forces; their knowledge rendered them
particularly suited for this undertaking,
and their position throughout has afford
ed us sufficient staff deficient enumer-
ators, over whom the government CONT
nues to exercise control. They are, we have
reason to believe, personally acquainted
| with every house in their respective dis
tricts. Five thousand and ninety-six
men belonging to the constabulary, ff
teen coast guards, and 173 Of the Dublin
metropolitan police were employed as
enumerators." DR.. Jarvis, who is consi-
dered the highest authority on the sub
ject, says that the Irish census of 1841,
81, 81, taken by the constabulary police
is among the best in the world.
The origin of the American census may
be traced to the colonial period, when
the British Board of Trade caused enum
erations to be made for commercial pur
poses. The census of the United States
presents the unusual fact of being ordain-
ed by the Constitution of the government
and really at the very birth of the gov
ernment itself in 1890. It was then de.
cided to take census every ten years al
a political necessity. General flames A.
Garfield presented in 1870 bill to take
| from the control of marshals the collect
ing of census returns, and provisions were
made to meet the requirements of science
but the bill was defeated by the Senate
/ The ninth census was then taken. under
supervised by sixty-one marshals of t[lt the
United States Courts, at cost of $3, $780,.
884. General Walker is considered te
have made it the most complete in detail
and accuracy that has ever been accomp
lished.
Humming- birds are very skillful and
secretive in their st-building. A Geor.
| Go r,oro~ fhro boo ono &c A. -: