The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-06-04
ARE THE FIGURES CORRECT?
If So, Where Are Our School Children
Drifting7
What the Returns of the School
Census Marshals Show-Facts
For Reflection.

The following figures returned by the
School Census Marshals are puzzling the
brains of the members of the Board of
Education. They cannot understand how
it is that there is a smaller number of
school children in the city than there
were last year, in view of the fact that
increased facilities have been necessary to
| accommodate the pupils. The census
was taken by r. B. Harmon First Dis
trict), j. G. Medley Second DISTRICT,
James S. Carroll Third DISTRICT, L. G..
Nixon Fourth District), and J. j. Trar-
bach (Fifth DISTRICT. The returns by
districts are:
First District-Between 5 and IL years
OF age, 1,l9l; under years, 436.
Second District-Between and II years,
1,O33; under years, $50.
Third Distriet-Between and II years,
l, l63; under 5 years, 454.
Fourth Observation-Disclosures and II wears.
93S; under 5 years, 374.
Fifth District-Between and IL years,
765; under 8 years, 279.
The total number between and II
years the school agel is 5000, and under
. years, l,925.
| The number of children between and
IL years of age who have attended the
public schools at any time during the
year is 3,60G, showing that ], 4S4 have not
attended
| The number between 5 and IL years of
age who are reported as having attended
only private schools is l25, showing that
there are 1859 children of school age who
have not attended any school.
The native-b0rn children in the city
! under II years of age is 6,S27, and of
foreign born lSS, making total of 1918
Last year l690) the number of children
reported of school age was 5,35T, or 247
more than the marshals have returned
for this year The number under years
OF age was LAB, us against ,925 this year,
an excess OF 1S2 III favor of this year.
In 1889 there were reported 4,949 chill
dren between the ages of and II years,
only 141 less than this year, but 40S less
| than last year. In that year 1850 the
total number of children under II years
was q, 5G5, or 4j4 less than this year.
! The returns fer 1891, as compared
! with those of 1889, show satisfactory
! increase, but how to account for the an
! parent falling off in the number of chill
dren between and II years since last
| year is what puzzles the members of the
| School Board. 1t is possible the mar
shals have overlooked q few hundred.
AT all events, it would be well for parents
who have not been called on by the
( 'c@hSAo ~ 1SICAb " IliG I>Ddftt Ol
Education the number of school chill
dren in their families.
Some of the School Directors say they
are in favor of having the work done
over again-at least in localities where
the falling off is most marked.
But there is another mystery involved
in these figures. What becomes of the
l,059 children who do not attend any
school, public or private? And what
| sort Of parents have they, or at least the
majority of them? Surely the number
Ut any that are to poor to send their
children to school must be very small.
The solution seems to lie in the fact that
| there are parents who feel no concern
| whatever about their ehildren's welfare.
and the latter must be growing up in
the streets" without moral restraint or
parental care.
| 1t is to be hoped, however, that there
are mistakes i'll the figures returned, for
! it would be painful to be forced to believe
that in community like this there are
upward of one thousand children of
school age who do not know what a
school is.