The record-union., 1898-12-04
THE NATIVE AMERICAN.

The New York world" has been
delving into the records Of vital stat
istics and it has made some discoveries.
For instance in twenty-seven represen-
tative cities Of the country it finds that
the birth rate on the whole has great
ly declined in the last few years In
Des Moines, Ia, the decrease has been
90 per cent. in ten years. In Milwau-
kee in the last year the birth rate was
but one in thirty-seven Of the popula-
ton. In 1896 it was one in thirty
three.
In Cleveland in one year to Novem-
Der 1st the rate has dropped to one in
forty-four. 1t was one in thirty-five
in 1898. Similar decline is reported
from San Francisco, Omaha, Spring
field, ILL.,, Richmond, Va, and many
cities in the West and South. In New
York City the birth rate in 1897 was
ore to every thirty-six OF the popula-
ton while n 1888 it was one to every
forty-three. Here then there was
gain, but it does not, says the World" /"
offset the decline in other quarters. So,
toe, in Fall River, Mass, there was
gain, and in Rutland, VT, there was q
rise Of 62 per cent in ten years and
in Lowell a per cent. Indeed increase
Is the rule in New England, but this
is attributed to the influx of the pro-
life French Canadians into that sec
tion. Fag.lEwy 8lERrrH
In the South and West few cities show
much Increase, some are at stand
stilb the figures neither increasing nor
diminishing, but on the whole the rule
is a decline. The figures the World
has gathered show that the highest
birth rate is in intellectual Boston, thus
giving the lie to the oft asserted state
ment that there is birth decline with ad-
vance in culture and intellectually.
But the conclusion the world" draws
from its research. is that the native
population is dying out and that the
new population is to be more largely
of foreign tracing, and in largest part
OF parentage originally foreign in birth.
There may be something in all this, but
not nearly SO much as the World
claims. That journal is given to at
tacks OF nerves, and cares for no news
that has not a twinge in it. First and
foremost its statistics are too limited
for just conclusions to be formed. To
be of high value they should cover not
only cities but country communities. In
the next place it is known that birth
reports are not fully made. There is
no item in vital statistics so hard to
get. To this we bring the testimony
OF our own Board of Health, which de-
clares that it is apparently impossible
to get all physicians and midwives to
make reports of births. There is a
law requiring such reports to be fled,
but notoriousIy it is ignored.
Then, also, to base sound reason, we
must have reports not generally from
the South, West and East but from all
over the land, and covering such a large
percentage OF the total population as
to justify the conclusion that the rule
developed prevails over the whole coun-
ty. Such a comprehensive view the
Worlds" figures do not give.
AS to the question, rs the native
American dying out?" we answer by
asking in turn, What is a native
Americana" Nearly three-fourths of
the present generation can easily trace
their descent to a foreign source, and
not a very ancient one at that. The
only native American is the aboriginal
American. At one time the entire
population was of foreign birth or
parentage and at best all of US are
removed not more than three or four
generations, at most five, from direct
foreign sources. Then, too, let US re-
fleet that the grandchildren and great
grandchildren of those who come into
the United States as immigrants be-
come quite as enthusiastic Americans
as any. of US who trace our lineage
back to the founders of the thirteen
colonies.
The proudest of American families
trace their descent in New York
Maryland and Virginia directly very
shortly to the Hollandese and the
British, while in the far South tbs