Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-21
THE URBAN POPULATION.
No Cause for Alarm on Account Of Il,
Extensive Growth.

From the Atlanta Constitution.
Inc growth OF the urban population Of the
world, and especially Of the United States, has
oeen one OF the most important features Of the
present century. 1t has made more work for
the sanitary engineers, has taxed the wisdom
OF those responsible for the good government
OF these masses of humanity, and expanded
and strengthened the police power until 1t
amounts almost to local despotlsm. The
statistics, when taken in connection with out
breaks in growing cities with new and incon-
gruous populations, where the congestion of
humanity had come about too suddenly for the
authorities TO realize and provide for the new
order OF things, and when the laboring masses
were wrought up over the first rude attempts
TO solve deep and abiding social problems,
caused anxiety among thoughtful people and
filled the pessimists with the widest alarm.
NO CAUSE FOR A PANIC.
The fact that the city population Of this
country had increased from 4 per cent of the
whole in 1900 to 12511 per cent in 1850 and 2211
per cent in 1880 was made the basis for gloomy
prophecies Of disease, poverty, and anarchy.
Some discontented foreign elements in our
cities have been pointed out as illustrations of
their more worthy industrious, and thrifty
countrymen. Nothing can be intelligently con-
sidered with the mind in a state of panic, and
the fact that the public discussion of every
question has an increasing tendency to remove
difficulties and to make revolutions peaceful
ough ito enable us to consider these social Diff
;ulties calmly, with the confident assurance
that as the world has heretofore been able to
solve Its problems as they came up, we may
hope that with the increasing intelligence of the
masses, and the moral influences at work, the
future will bring no difficulty that it will not
solve.
IMPROVED sarrrXpy coNnrrrors IN crrrrs
The bad effects Of overcrowding upon the
health and morals of people are generally
known, and the efforts of sanitary engineers
and economists have been directed to remedy
the difficulty. 1t appears that they have been
somewhat successful. Though the death-rate
is four or five more to the thousand in cities
than in the country, the marked difference
between the rates in different cities indicates
that improved plumbing and other sanitary
precautions have modified the evils of over
crowding. The highest death-rate among
white people in this country is 1856 per thou
sand in New York, where there are 1851 people
to a dwelling. At Newark N. J., with 1926
people to the dwelling. the mortality Is 1919.
This suggests the effects of over-crowding as
cause of mortality, but the fact that the
neighboring town of Camden, N j., with only
sos to the dwelling has q mortality of 17.1
shows that other causes are at work. Indian
apolis. with only 5.47 to the dwelling and
-i.Z0
the cause of its high mortality Chicago, with
S.24 to the dwelling and a mortality of 1912,
has probably followed sanitary rules more
closely than indianapolis. Philadelphia, the
best housed OF the great cities, and one of the
cleanest, has only $40 people to the dwelling,
have something to do with mortality. San
Francisco for instance, with G. Sc to the dwell
ing, is hardly as well kept as Philadelphia. and
yet the mortality is l7.02-about 10 per cent
less than that of Philadelphia. But after all
the sanitary engineers have done, the average
mortality of the cities is 25 per cent greater
than that of the country.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE.
As rule the southern and western cities
have less mortality than those in the east and
it is probable that the climate has a great deal
to do with this. In cities in the same region
with the same general conditions the rule
seems to be that the mortality is least where
there are fewest people to the dwelling. Phil
adelphia leads all the great cities in this par
ticular. With two-thirds the population Of
New York she has twice as many dwellings, and
there are only $40 people to her average DWELL
ing, while there are 1887 to that of New York
The fact that Philadelphia is the home Of the
building and loan associations probably ex-
plains her advantage. and it may have been the
same thing that gave Atlanta dwelling for
every $40 people. In protecting the urban
population the sanitary engineer has a great
mission, but the building and loan association
has greater one.
There are other devices that have relieved
the congestion of the cities since the census
year. Dummy lines and cable roads with quick
and cheap transportation are building up SUBJ
urban towns all around the great cities and in
this way men Of moderate means are enabled
to get cheap homes and pure air. In addition
to this the interstate commerce law is having
the effect to stimulate the growth of small
towns. Altogether, the outlook for the cities
is not SO bad as it was painted