The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-25
Of THE Jews
Increase Of Hebraic Population in
the United States in the :
Decade.
The Birth Rate as Affected by
Wealth and Geographical
"a. Location.
Jewish Infants arc Tenacious OF Life
Average Life of the Male jew
O3.51 Years.

A average lIiIe Oh TIC M&l0 OGW sM.
G3.E1 Years.
Ono OF the best executed portions OF the
last census was that III vital statistics,
made under the direction of DR.. j. y. Bill
ings, of the United States army. Itpointed
out the errors and mistakes OF the popula-
ton enumeration. in particular those Of
the census of 1870, and 1T explained the
census thoroughly. Fortunately, DR.. Bill
ings has again been chosen to prepare thu
vital statistics of the censu just made.
His report will, in every probability, lay
bare the Inconsistencies and absurdities Of
Porter's faulty and fraudulent count.
The first bulletin OF his report has Just
been published on the interesting topic,
1.-THE Vital Statistics Of the Jews in the
United States''-a matter about which we
have hitherto known very little. We know
that the Jewish population OF this country
has greatly increased during the past de-
cade-more so than during any previous
decade. Mr.. Billings' report furnishes M
with the latest information on the subject
as to the condition Of our Jewish fellow
citizens, so far, at least, as vital statistics
can show.
OF the adult Jews in this country, accord
ing to DIR. Biliings' report, 21.2 per cent. are
natives of the United States, FL per cent.
of England. 55 per cent. OF Germany, 1915
per cent. of Russia and Poland, ~ per
cent. of Hungary, 3 per cent OF Bohemia
and 2.6 per cent. of other countries, show
ing the wide distribution Of the race.
Coming to trades. the marked tendency
of the Jews to take to commercial pursuits
becomes at once noticeable. or the total,
90. per cent. are engaged in commercial
business, IS merchants, bankers, brokers.
ETC., and 1873 per cent. as drun..ners, retail
dealers, hucIsters and peddlesrns: max
cent in retail or wholesale selling; 14.5 per
cent work at trades as %tailors. jewellers,
ciearn,akers, etc; AZ per cent belong to the
learned professions, doctors, lawyers, etc.;
81 per cent are engaged in agriculture.
stock raising and kindred industries "a
phenomenallv small number, when it ia con-
sidered that a large majority of the people
of this country are agriculturists), and
only | per cent in the other trades, trans
portation, hotel keeping, as policemen,
soldiers, laborers n servants. Considera-
bly, more than four-ffths of the Jews in
this country are engaged IN
pursuits"
Coming to the vital statistics proper, W.
are able to compare the sanitary condition
Of the Jews with that of other races.
1t will surprise many to learn that the
birth rate among the Jews Is very small.
Among the women of child bearing age
there were 1887 born to the Jewesses, where
as the average to women of other races is
1928 in Massachusetts and 86 in Rhode ISL
and-in both of which states tine birth rate
is exceptionally low. DIR. Billings lays
down the following proposition on the sub
ject.
.'The birth rate among Jews is, therefore,
HnOiHadly lower than II ~ among the aver
age population. In those Jewish families
which kept no servant, and which, there
fore, may be presumed to have belonged to
the poorer classes, the birth rate was "
than it was among those in more easy cir
cumstances, being 66.92 per LOCO women
between Is and so years of age. as against
67.14 for those families keeping one servant,
1884 for those families keeping two SER
wants, and 1919 for those families having
three or more servants. III birth rate Is
highest for those families living in the
southern states, being 9l.5 80 per 1000 women
to 1l2. % per 1,O0O for those families in this
epion keeping three or more servants"
Nav not this low. birth rate largely ac-
count for the fact that the Jewish race
numbers about the same, some 100000,
and has shown but a small increase during
the century? The average number of liv-
ing children to a Jewish mother, in this
country, Is only 3.92. DR.. Billings points
out, and to American Jewesses only 3.12.
At this rate the Jewish population will in
crease but little naturally, but must depend
for accretion principally. by immigration.
Coming, however, to the duration of life,
we are at once struck with the great vitality
and wonderful longevity OF the dew. The
life insurance companies have long since
declared the Jew is a good risk, and DIR.
Billings statistics show he ia exceptionally
SO, far better than has hitherto beer ir-
--.-A1 u .-fy "a rNn nrvuN bA vvxynr
Humphreys approximate English life tables
and the Massachusetts tables.
OF 100000 English males and females
| born there will be living at ten years of age
~, 707 and 70,099 Massachusetts, children;
whereas out of 100, 900 Jewish children 81
oOl will survive. That Is, more than eight
out of ten Jewish children will survive the
years of infancy and childhood, and only
seven out of ten Christians. OF these 100,-
900 Jews, 81. 201 will reach their majority.
against 1884 English boys and girls, and
| t6,373 in Massachusetts. At 10 years, g.
57S of the 100000 Jews will be surviving.
or more than half, whereas the English will
number only X. 1884 and the New England
ers 81 1929. At seventy-fiye, the Jews will
| be uuadruple the Christians in numbers, no
less than 70, 1876. or ~one-fourth OF them sur
viying, while out of the same number Of
English men and w.men, there will be but
4, 80 and 6,901 New Englanders. The supe-
rior longevity of the Jews is we'll shown by
| the fact that the male Jew lives on the aver
age 63. 81 wears, the Englishman 41.92 and
the New Highlander 4I.64-the average Jew
has nearly twenty-five years more of life
than the people OF other races.
There is nothing to indicate that the Jews
are less subject to sickness than other peo-
pie; indeed, the sanitary reports for Massa-
chusetts show to the contrary, that the sick
rate there is slightly higher among them,
but they SEEM to take better care of their
sick, for the mortality among them is very
low, as these life tables show.
These figures give us q great insight into
the condition of the Jews in this country
DIR. Billings' statistics further show that
the Jews are rapidly conforming to the
methods of life prevailing here, and are
being affected by them in many ways, CO.
pecially in a decreased birth rate and in
creased death rate.
What " Cinch" Means.
Some persons who do not wait for the
dictum of. the dictionaries are using the
word ''cinch'' in the sense OF "a sure thing"
"a close grip" A correspondent Of tbs
MinneanoIia ,JournaI save that tina word