The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-21
NN CENSUS TERMS
Fine Distinction Between
Average" and "Median."
CENTRE OF POPULATION
And How Determined Stats
tics by Machinery.

|
follow the Interpretation of its results
That word is ''median." 1t ought to dis
place average" and centre" for th'
greater number Of ordinary uses, since
the notion of average which most PEG
pie have is really expressed by ''median,
while average" means quite another
thing. There is room in our terminologI
for both words, Just as We Distinguish
between plurality and majority L
good advantage in discussing election re
turns. The average of the population d
the United States, for example, is TWEEN
ty-fve years: the median age is tweney'
one. The latter means the point at which
there are as many people above as be
low; an eighty-year- old man wouli the-
have no more influence in pulling up the
medium age of his community than q
fCrty-year-old man, so long as both were
above the average The octogenariar
wCuId however, have a great iniluen &c
on the average age of a community, as
will appear from the formula by which
that result is obtained. If there are ISL
persons one year old, 113 persons two
|
the 157 would be multiplied by one, the
113 by two, the 80 by three, as fas as the
ages go, and then the grand total would
| be divided by the whole number of per-
| sons. The Quotient would be the number
of pears of life which has been enjoyed
by the average person, or the average"
age. For statistical purposes ''median"
age is just as valuable, and the establish
ment of the distinction is important, as
numberless errors arise from the confu-
sion of the two.
| What will probably surprise more peo-
pie, however, Is that centre of popua-
tom OF the United States is not that
point of which just as many people are
south as north, and just as many east as
west. That would be the "medan" point
Of population. By the census of 1880 the
centre of population was twenty miles
east of Columbus, Ind, while the median
point was about seventy miles northeast
of 1t, in Darke county, Ohio, near the
western boundary of the state. 1t is hard
to define the centre Of population in a
way that the verage reader would I'M
derstand Technically, it is the centre of
gravity of the population, or 1.-The point
at which equilibrium would be reached
were the country taken as plane sur
face, itself without weight, but capable
of sustaining weight and loaded with its
! inhabitants, in number and position as
| they are found at the period under con-
| sideration, each individual being assumed
to be of the same gravity as every other,
and consequently to exert pressure on the
pivotal point directly proportioned to his
distance therefrom'
The reason the centre" gravitates west
of the 'median point is that the Pacific
| Coast population is on the long arm of
/ the lever, and influences results as the
octogenarian does the average age. Just
think where our centre of populat ton
would be, according to this theory, with
the Philippine Islands regarded as a part
of the United States. The Eastern sea
board might well say, 1--WE have no IN
fuence here
In series Of critical essays on the fe-
deral census published by the American
| Economic Association, this distinction is
| fully discussed. Prof. Walter F. Wilcox
of Cornell University says that ito as
sumo that the influence of each (person)
in determining the situation of the CEN
ire of population increases with his dis
lance from the centre involves very CUES
tonable postulates. Statistical arguments
greatly exaggerate the resembIances be-
tween physical and social phenomena. In
fixing the centre of gravity of a physical
mass unit gains power by remoteness
but in forming the public opinion of a
social group a unit loses power by the
same fact. The median point of popu-
lation, the point such that half the popu-
Iation Of the country lies east and halt
west of its meridian, half north and halt
south of its parallel offers the further
practical advantage OF being easier to To-
cate than the centre, and also, I believe
the advantage of being nearer the aver
age mans Interpretation of the term"
For the first time in the history Of the
country a school for the Interpretation OF
census results has been established. In
all past censuses, while Americans have
excelled other nations in the mechanical
appliances for tabulating facts, they have
been behind some others in the scholar
| " Interpretation of them. This has been
because the men who have had the CEN
sus in charge were weighed down with
administrative details. and in such a
great hurry to get their work out tia,
they have been unable TO give the neces-
sary time and energy TO the Htertry edit
ing. This time new division Of the cen
sus Office has been established. that OF
Methods and Results" When the census
law was passed II provided for four lines
OF inquiry-population vital statistics
agriculture. and manufacturing. These
| were the four subjects concerning which
the enumerators viii make inquiries
Other subjects. laid aside for the present
can be investigated by correspondence. By
special agents. or by means other than
the enumerators. This four-hesded cen
sus law went on to require the appoint
ment Of Eve chief staticisns- Obviously
one was 70 be given charge OF each % ms
four main lines Of inquiry. leaving the
fifth place TO be determined by the wish
Is of the Office Il was decided 10 utilize
the fifth chief and his division in the IL
rection ef interpreting the tables after
they have been prepared 20 ascertain
what Is essential and significant = than
and how they relate 70 the corresponding
figures OF other countries or 70 past per
io6s IN this country.
During the past ten years great a5-
vance has b4en made n tae feachl1g q
statistics II the leading American Cnls-e-,
stiles. most Of which Tow have courses
IN that subject The census ctsice zecor5
faxiy decided that IRIS weakness ia -
past ceasuses might Be avoided = tns al
&C suoh universities was sought 20 NJ
Wilcox. professor q statistics ard eco
rouIcs. was asked 70 take the 9Th place
A circular letter was 1hen ssnt 5y Dlrec-
tor Merriam . twenty e ths seasllnz ess
legs 1hs selection being base1 On "a