The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-23
CENSUS TAKERS, QUESTIONS.
The Reasons for Many That People
Do Not Like to Answer.

Do Not Like to Answer.
The blank schedules to be used in the
next census are now being distributed by
the census Office to the enumerators, who
will start to work on June l. The sched-
ules contain questions which some per
sons may think prying, purposeless, OF ex-
cessive ia number But their number ana
character have been determined by Con-
gress. not by the census Office, and all Of
them have been asked in previous census
es. The only important change since 1880
is that some questions have been aban-
doned.
People are often offended at the ques-
ton. How old are your and are apt 10
wonder what use The government can
make Of their replies. Taken as a who-e
the replies are as important as any class
of information the census Office collects.
Age returns penetrate and elucidate every
other braGch Of statistical KIN 5Wledge Ihey
show where child labor is prevalent, ana
where the proportion Of persons able 70
support themselves is large or small. They
reveal the great number Of colored dill
dren and the short life of the negroes I'M
der present conditions. They make il pos
sible TO ascertain whether the average
length of life is increasing or decreasing
how many men the nation contains who
and whether the relative number OF cnH-
dren is increasing or decreasing.
In Mohammedan or semi-civilized coun-
tries like India householdeTs are often
unwilling to answer the question regard
ing the sex of persons in the house, but
in civilized countries where the sexes are
regarded as on an equality, such unwill-
ingness does not appear. The answers
to the questions show that in nearly all
cities the females outnumber the males
and that the same is true Of most of the
states along the Atlantic coast The be-
lief is widespread that taking the world
in general there are more females alive
az any given time than males, and that IL
1t were not for immigration there would
be more females in the United States
than males. But census statistics show
that the great excess Of males lover one
and half million) in the United States
by immigradon>alone, cannot be explain
ed for when the foreign-born are left
out of account, there are sin above &c.
900 more males than females.
Few would dispute the necessity for
asking questions regarding race. All ar
gumenis regarding the future of any
particular race in ehis country, like the
Indian, the negro, or the Chinaman, must
hinge upon the returns in the census.
Some mothers may shrink from stating
the number of children they have had
and the number who are living. But
from the answers to these questions, the
country will learn whether the native
American population is holding its own,
or whether, as some have claimed il is
being gradually supplanted and displaced
by the children of recent immigrants.
In the light of such explanations, and
only a few of the most important ques-
lions have been touched upon, it may
perhaps be clear 10 the public that no
question has been ordered by Congress,
or has been asked by the census Office
which, II properly and correctly answer
ed, will not lead to suggestive differences
regarding the American people and their
work