New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-09
nay STATE CENSUS INDICATIONS

The drift Of population toward the cities as
,ve have recently stated Is to BE- observed In al
n,rts OF the country 1t might naturally be sup
nosed TO be greatest in the East, but STATISTICS
show that It prevails In the great agricultural
States of the Central West in a marked degree.
perbaps II is even greater there than In some
of the Eastern States. An Illustration OF WHIT
Il amounts TO here IL furnished in Massach'l-
sets. the returns Of whose fifth decennlal census
have lust been published. The figures show, as
compared with those Of 1880, gratifying III
crease of population, comparable with that OF
some younger and supposedly more progressive
states. The total Is reckoned at 2,4oo,3lo. mat
Il an increase Of 5J3204 or Of 2s.4S per cent,
over the total Of ten years ago.
When we come to analyze the returns, how
ever. II becomes evident that this gain Is chiefly
dine TO the growth Of the cities. Indeed, 1t has
been effected in spite Of actual decrease Of pop
ulation in many rural districts, the Increase in
the cities having been proportionately much
greater than that in the State AZ "A whole. Barn
stable. which Ii an almost entirely agricultural
and maritime county, shows slight decrease
BERKSHIRE chiefly rural, shows I'm Increase less
than two-thlrds as great as that Of the whole
State. Bristol County has Increased by ~ per
cent But It's actual figures Of Increase are
393iO while Two Of It's cities Fall River anu
New-H Bedford have Increased respectively by
n 80 and II ,SGl, or much more than the whole
county so that there must have been consd
cradle falling of In other parts Of II. In Dukes
there was Il slight Increase. In Essex there
WIS a large increase, nearly equalling In ratio
that Of the State ~ Il whole. But about one-thlrd
of this is credited to the two cities Of Lawrence
and Haverh and doubtless Lynn, Salem ana
other industrial centres fully make up the bal
ance. leaving the country districts stationary or
actually declining. In rural Franklin there Is an
insignificant increase More than one-third OF
Hampden's increase Is credited to the city Of
Springfield and Hampshire, which has fewer
important centres Of population, shows smaller
Increase Middlesex has the greatest gain of all.
1t is the only county whose gain Is IN greater
ratio than that of the whole State, amounting
here To nearly ~ per cent. But Middlesex con
tains many large cities and towns and comprises
a large share Of the suburbs VI Boston. so that
its growth is to be reckoned as distinctly urban.
In Nantucket there Is noted slight decrease.
In Norfolk the Increase is considerable, and that
county is adjacent and tributary to Boston.
More than two-hrds Of Plymouhs increase is
is nearly equal in ratio to that OF the whole State
1t amounts to ll6O20, Of which 1O3,sl2 is in the
city Of Boston. Doubtless 1t would have been
much larger but for the fact that Boston and
Suffolk County itself are already oyercrowded,
and their increase Is thus diverted to the contig
uous parts Of other counties Finally Worcester
County shows handsome increase about half
Of which Is credited to the city OF Worcester
or the fourteen counties, therefore, two show
small decrease Of population One shows Il
very large increase much greater than that Of
the State as whole. The others show gains
ranging from merely nominal up almost 10 the
ratio Of the State the smaller being In rural ana
the burger in industrial and urban regions. More
over. while the increase for the whole State Is "A
little more than - per cent that OF the cities OF
Boston. Worcester Springfield, Fall River Low
ell. IIaverhlil. Lawrence, New-Bedford anu
Brockton. taken together, II more than ~ per
cent. Those nine cities contain about 80 per
cent Of the total population OF the State and are
credited with more than 40 per cent Of the total
Increase. Fuller returns will doubtless show an
extension Of the same rule throughout the State,
the cities and towns gaining and the agricultural
districts being nearly stationary at best and
often actually losing. This, perhaps, Is only
what was to be expected In such State as
! Massachusetts, where cities and industrial cen
| tres are numerous. and where two centuries Of
working have largely exhausted the farm lands.
| Ii may even be wondered that the cityward
| movement has not been greater in comparison
with what it is in the newer and less thckly
! settled States of the West. Yet 1t remains an
| open and most interesting question whether
| the one circumstance ought not TO counterbal-
| ance the other The clustering and crowded
| cities should on the one hand give to the farms
| a volume of sewage and other refuse sufficient
fully 10 restore their old fertility. and on the
| other hand should afford profitable home mar
ket for all the produce of the fields The State Is
| bound to be thickly dotted with cities, contain
| ing the bulk Of its population. But the country
| between them should be garden rather than a
| desert, and its population, though perhaps not
| rapidly increasing should at least be stable and
! eminently prosperous.
| DTSNTSSJDN OE SJrTCJnE