The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-07
CENSUS TAKERS TRICKS.
QUEER PEOPLE THE ENUMRRA-
TORS MEET WITH.

TORS MEET WITH.
The Ways They Have of Obtaining
Information and the Difficulties They
Sometimes Experience-TheC Chinese
Colony Doesn't Want to go Into
the Census"-The Enumerstors' Side
ofthe colored Population-TheC Count
Progressing Satisfactorily to the
Census Authorities. ftlDe
The census enumeratorsd DO not find their
lines cast in altogether pleasant places, and
many are the rebuffs and queer experiences
they undergo. Among the more intelligent
classes the work is comparatively easy and
not altogether unpleasant, but the reverse
Ii true in occasional instances where the
enumerators reasonably expect to have the
better class Of citizens facilitate the work.
One enumerator said last night that he
called on a professional man in his sub
division 70 find that the gentleman had an
tlcipated his coming and had carefully
written out answers TO all the questions. If
all were as thoughtful and painstaking it
would not require two weeks to complete
the enumeration, but this is an exceptional
case.
One lady when asked her age declined to
give IT, and said she was a southern woman
and did not propose 10 answer the question
TO satisfy yankee curiosity, but the emu
merator was more persistent than gallant,
and after third visit the lady yielded and
gave the information desired.
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES MET WITH.
In many instances there is no one at
home when the snumerator calls. Often he
Is met by the lady of the house. or the
servant, and is told to call again, and this
Is repeated often. In some instances the
entire family lie out Of town, and in that
case the enumerator must make up his
enumerations as far as possible from such
information as can be obtained from a
| neighbor, and from his own knowledge of
| the out-of-town absentees
a. MORNING NEWS reporter was anxious
70 Know how enumerators would be en-
hghtened by the Chinese population, and
attempted some questions in that liue.
What is your christian nameg" one Of
the Ting-a-ling Sing family was asked.
"Iickee." replied the almond-eyed child
of the Orient
81 haven't any ticket" replied the re-
porter. II want to know your name"
mo glet tickee, no glet washee. Cholly
Lee he catchee clishtun.h
w hats your namep
"Namel What, you wantee to know hing
WANT to put it in big book. The gov
eminent is going to print list showing
how many people live in this country
what for want to know that? Don't
want puttee my name in"
Don't they come around and get all the
names in Chinar
mo catchee him all. Too many China
mems. What you want? Want washee9
| No? Glot no time talkee;" and the son of
Confucius abruptly closed the interview and
the door in the face Of the reporter.
AMONG THE ooLoRED POPULATION.
To judge from the stories going around
| there must be some funny experiences in the
| colored quarters. Some of the older and
more laxative ones insist on giving an ex-
tended history of their lives, and the emu
rnerator with versatile pen could write an
amusing book.
Many of the colored people are not only
| willing to answer all the questions pertain
ing to their physical condition, but to
elaborate and tell how they "cotch de rheu-
matiz," or how they have been "hoodooed."
| One old woman said her "leg done swole up
ebber sens some niggah plant de black cat
| undah de stoop, and no medcin gwine to
cuah me tel moves outen heah.p
| Some of the colored people look with sus-
picion on the enumerator but an enumer-
ator has hit upon happy way of making
| them voluble.
He goes to the stoop, portfolio in hand,
and knocks at the door, which at this season
of the year is almost invariably open.
| "Who's darT' asks the woman of the
house.
AN ENUMERAToR's TRICK.
81 am the enumerator. President Harri-
son has sent me around to see you and get
some information about your family, aud
he is going to publish it in book form"
| "Foh shuahl'
"Yes'm. He furnished me with a lot of
questions. He takes great interest In the
colored people,
| Come right in"
The enumerator has no trouble. except It
| be that he is not able to curb the DISPOSE
| ton of the enumerated to tell him enough
to fill book, and delay him in getting out
Few complaints have been lodged so far
In some cases enumerators have marked
Refused to answer" some of the questions
referring to age and physical condition.
| The enumerators do not in every instance
| go into the details in asking questions
| Color and sex are determined by them from
visual knowledge, and they use their judg-
ment in many instances and do not ask If
| the enumerated can read and write The
| physical defect schedule they dispose of in
| by far the greater number OF cases by ask
| ing the question, Are you in good healthY ~
the answer generally being in the affirma-
| tive.
LITTLE TROUBLE GENERALLY.
The enumerators in most subdivisions do
not find the people, as a rule. at all disposed
| to embarrass them in the work, and one of
them said that many of the stories going
the rounds of the press, to judge from his
experience, must be largely imaginative,
although there are some amusing Incidents
met with occasionally.
One enumerator said last night that the
only trouble he had met with thus far is the
attack upon him by vicious watch dog.
He called at a house, and it was a long
time before he could arouse the family, as
he was not inclined to venture in the yard
as long as the dog barred his entrance
After waiting some time the door was
opened, the dogwas informed that he must
not bite one of Uncle SANS agents. and the
enumeration was taken. AS the enumera-
tor started to go the dog pursued him, and
only parting kick saved him from being
bitten.
GETTING ALONG PRETTY WELL.
Supervisor Beckett says that the work is
going on satisfactorily. The enumerators
average all the way from thirty to two
hundred names day. In the country dis
tricts the enumeration Us nece sarily very
slow. Only few enumerators have re-
ported 200 names a day. The average in
the city " about $50 names day. In some
instances, the supervisor saws the euumer-