New-York tribune., 1890-06-04
CENSUS TAKING IS NOI FUN.
WOES AND TRIALS OF THE ENOMhhAiO"'
PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
-roRFIGyEKs ARE SUSPICIOUS

PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO ANS"hN
FOREIGNERS ARE SUSPICIOUS
III. ,,.o.. ., Collecting census returns in New
vi, r.o,, an emoothlv vcsterday-that Is 10 say III
tbe most humdrum manner imasiha'ie' iI s
spirit of opposition To the eh"'icra'o =. ,r,
n,Ydcted by some people nld "o. u"
nroct,hlo extent manifest itself "heh any
@ do,nee 10 answer the questions "'"'"
horo becn called objectionable, the e'"''0'
Aoes NOT press them. in accordance WIN '
structons he simply jots down heiuseu oPp -,
me nouries TO which he can get no rePN anu "
nrives the most bellgcrent citizen OF an opporou"'t
90 assert his rights The enlnerat0rs are oNpo y,
=. make a daily report of progress 10 'harNs ~
NIurrav the supervisor of the census ioe IL
no,ts are sent in postal CARDS ior thc ''No Va 0
venience Mr. Murray received large hui'e' VI
them Yesterday morning. and IL Is cdloud''' ''''
{. vitte statistics" Mrs. Malaprop "oulu say VI
10000 residents of Newlork we're ooilec'eu VII
Monday. . 1dc-
some young men became census ehi'iera'O'S ''..
the impression that they would nave "haU INC e",
minded call "a snap and the vulgar d puo","
rbov are finding out that they were in error. 1t i
no inlc 70 plod from door 10 door even III INC n'O
,7od and intelligent districts of the city, out II Is
an o> neriencc worthy of the martyrs crown, ana ho'
of the enumerator's paw TO wreSte "'i t'e ieo Al.
and the tough" and 10 toll up the long sta"s a'
down the long stairs in the tenement quarters run
cnrmcrators resigned yesterday on excuses that were
,, daro M, Mr. Murray has not a Yet had 10 ara"
aroeIy on his force of reserves, but even al .'c ~
of four a day designations would cause ooh''ue'"U "Uo %
Inconvenience. However is hoped that lIo
enumerators who are cnumerathg ui'uei ~ ,
cutes will become accustomed to thei "oiA
and fertile in resources a. the Gays ~ O'
several of them yesterday wisely provided
with interpreters and hope with this skilied asSiS''
4o cone successfully with linguistic d1hculleS'
In one Of the boarding houses visited the cnumera'
tor found Russian woman ana her udutn'o'
misunderstood hi, Grand and advised him. IN 'i
erabIv diomatic English, to clear Out "0
plained that he wanted to know wha' was '''i'
nationality among other things. I'VE are Don 'os-
sacks said the mother. All, spanish, presume
said the enumeratOr. ~
.Whats vour age?@ he added, addressing the
daughter a young woman of thirty years OF more.
"Oh." she exclaimed, are you looklls lor -'''''
plot here what"
The arrival of diplomatic and polyslot landladS
nDevented further international complications
An old gentleman, named Phlhp van ShS .he' WIZ
has lived in a fashionable uptown boarding house III
Forty vdfthst for several years, and VINO during 'e
whole of that time has been enigma to his ahoddH'
strenuousy obeced TO the census enume!ator pu''"s
him in that lady's family Yesterday. According +"
thc law all boaricrs in house are regarded IL mem
bers Of the tenants family. and Mr. Sm!tle' ""o
loves mystery much as Balzac, ana VINO oeNs"O
TO pique the curiosity of his nelghbors a. TO she so
. income ana his dntcccdcltN, SiC" "''''' 49,
the mild hammered specttced young man who lNiS'ed
upon receiving sort OF answer as 10 MS oOOup"
non and the birthplace of his parents. All INC
eligible young in Mrs McNuIIay bodFu"s
house had foudly surni-ed that Mr. emythea gray
locks were due the of state or the response
bilities Of a huge estate and Mr. smythe justly gre"
Indignant when he told the census cnumerdtor that
the bald statement that he lawyers clerk would
entail the loss Of thousand little comforting atten-
tons 10 which he has grown accustomed
The women who are engaged in the taking OF the
census-about twenty of them IN a-are having great
success with the sildcd youth" uptown. but whch
they refer their experiences with the elderly citizens
of their look of pcrpleXed wonder creep'
into their faces which is depressing to all but Inc
utterly heauless. They have made no com
plants against any one, and not one OF 'hch
has offered her resignation one thme inc
girls do complain Of among themselves Is the suN
picon with which they received by matr"ns WIN
maIriageble sons, especially in some of the downtown
districts, where the Inhabitants are imbued with
European ideas Of mairimOny.
In the Italian quarter, between One hundred and
tenth-st and One-hundred- and siNtecnthst on the
East side. the appearance OF census enuneIator Is
the signal for the rapid formation Of a crowd There
is prevailing notion among these good people that
a census cnumcrator has some connection with the
Police Department or an Insurance office. \ good
many of the Italians whose lives are insured think
that the enumcrator i, spy in the employ Of the
get them 10 make damaging statements in regard 10
their axe, and then report and have their premiums
raised. The diverse character Of the different Italian
dialects also make, II hdid WORK Tor even the most
accOn, pl>ncd lugulst 10 make them understand the
proper nature OF his mission.
1hc tuumcTdtOr frequently cannot find single
person in tenement IN the day time who is competent
answer his lnterIp-tuOn>, or whom he make
comprehend his pdclnc purpose, ana even after u
OclOch when the IdbOrcr, return home, his troubles
have only Just began. ptOWn, although the major
potion of the people downtown engaged IN their
business the cuUmcrdtOr> drc making rapid
progress with their WORK bccalsa the people inte
gent enough give prompt and satisfactory answers,
and refuse such Information they deem supcrfluOus
or i'm ertncnt. The amount of walking done by the
cen,u, enumerdOr> IN the poorer dwelling house dis
tricts would fatigue even marching regiment tD
imagine.
The percentage of those who would consent re
veal their physical and financial condition to the
enumeratOr, small. but ntell gent
enough under stand that the Government or its
agents have desire 10 make this information public
and that IL viii only be locked up in the Census De
partmeut AT Wa, hngtOn.
A large amount of work done by the 37j
enumerators in Brooklyn Monday, and one
handed in 29O names. The average less than
half of this. There seventeen enumcrdtOrS who
resigned and one who discharged for getting
drunk. Their Pisces filed by supervisor Scdg
wick. He made public the names Of the enumeratorS
for the various wards and county towns yesterday