The morning call., 1893-12-12
A STRANGE CENSUS.

London is by far the largest city in the
world. and is credited with being the
richest, in localities the poorest Perhaps
Peking excels it in the abiect miseries of
life. But our notions of its ffluence are
curiously upset by systematic investiga-
tiOn which has been set on foot upon the
basis OF the census or 1891 as to how its
population lives and works. The presi-
dent Of the Royal Statistical Society, Mr.
Charles Booth, has prepared paper deal
ing with these aspects Of the modern Bs by
lon. He applies an original test to the
position Of families-that of distinguishing
those who keep servants and those who do
not, and when worked out 1t indicates a
good deal. He divided the population in to
a the lower class, occupying less than five
rooms; (2) the central class, with less than
one person to each room, OF families occu-
pying more than FIVE rooms without ser
want, and (3) The upper middle class,
employing domestic servants. 1t is found
that in classes j and there are 3,371, ,789
persons who live in rooms. houses rented
nr in their own possession, none of whom
can be considered in sffluent circum-
stances, while masses literally must live
from hand to mouth day by day, dependent
upon constant occupation for existence
The third class, termed upper. is in a
position to employ domestic servants, but
it is comparatively small one. The total
is only 476, ,325, or 11.3 per cent of the whole
population. But when analyzed this class
shows that the comforts II life are very
unequally distributed. There are actually
227,S32 who have only one servant to
four or more persons, and 144.115 who
have two servants to four or more. or
one servant to three or less. In one divi-
sion OF 13. 358 the servants are about equal
to the persons served. In the cases of
1895 there are four servants for one or two
persons. 3026 have five servants for one or
two persons and 1914 have six servants
for one or TWO persons. Making some addi-
tions from other divisions of this well-to-
do class, there are not more than $4,000 in
London out Of total population of 4.211.-
743, or less than l per cent, who can be
considered by any extreme Of comparison
positively rich, and it is estimated that the
very rich are under 0000. that Is to say,
those who can afford to keep carriages and
numbers OF servants, and have perhaps
country estates as well as town mansions.
Perhaps $4,000 families are fairly we'll off,
but much of this is mere Inference, be-
cause there are numbers of people pro-
Tossing TO live in affluence who have not q
shilling to spare and in reality spend all
their income. The people who enjoy CON-
fort In some shape. including wage-earners
who are not in debt and have enough of
clio thing and food. may be comprehen-
| siVely numbered as 20 per cent and 80 per
cent are in chronic condition of struggle.
poverty and destitution. This world in a
great city in reality is far from showing
the riches that the imagination conceIves.
The inquiry brings out very interesting
fact about the rate of increase in the popu-
lation. The increase is proved to be least
at the extremes of poverty and wealth.
| The high death rate among the very DOOR
est classes counterbalances the greater
birth rate, and the net increase Is low.
Among the rich the rate is also low, and
the net percentage is highest where the
middle and artisan classes living in
tolerable comfort form the body of resi-
| deDts. II the central classes fall to 40 per
cent the rate OF increase descends to about
10 per cent. As it were. natural selection
is operating to preserve the average classes
and to eliminate the upper and the very
unfortunate portions of the community.