Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1900-06-02
CENSUS QUESTIONS.
All information Asked for fs Con.
sfdered Essential.

the present census have been dis
tributed by the Census Office to the
enumerators, who began their work
on the morning of June l. The
schedules contain questions which
some persons may think prying,
purposeless, or excessive in number.
But their number and character have
been determined by Congress, not
by the Census Office, and all of them
have been asked in previous GEN.
suses. The only important change
since 1890 is that some questions
have been abandoned.
The objects of the Federal Census
are Of three kinds: To furnish a
basis for the apportionment Of Rep
resentatives in the lower house OF
Congress-; to ascertain the growth of
the United States in numbers, wealth,
and industry; and to investigate the
social organizations and institutions
which determine the growth of pop
ulation and wealth. The first is a
constitutional necessity, the second a
study Of facts, and the third study
of causes.
People are often offended at the
question, How old are you?" and
are apt to wonder what use the Gov
ernment can make of their replies.
Taken as a whole the replies are as
important as any class of informa-
tion the Census Office collects. Age
returns penetrate and elucidate every
other branch Of statistical knowl-
edge. They show where child labor
is prevalent, and where the propor-
tion OF persons able to support them
selves is large or small. They reveal
the great number of colored chill
dren and the short life of the negroes
under present conditions. They
make it possible to ascertain wheth-
er the average length of life is in.
creasing or decreasing, how many
men the nation contains who are
capable of voting or of bearing arms,
aud whether the relative number Of
children is increasing or decreasing.
The belief is widespread that TAX
ing the world in general there are
more females alive at any given
time than males, and that if it were
not for immigration there would be
more females in the United States
than males. But census statistics
show that we can not explain the
great excess of males lover one and
a half million) in the United States
by immigration alone. for when the
foreign born are left out of account,
there are still above 100000 more
males tnau females.
The marital statistics collected by
the census are in many respects very
interesting. Thus. the extent and
power OF the anti-marital forces can
be estimated in q way by ascertain
ing the proportion OF people between
80 and GA years of age who have
never been married. Census statis-
tics show that the proportion OF un-
married females between these ages
is greatest in the East, in North Car
olina. Rhode Island and Massachu-
setts, for instance, while the proper
tion is smallest in the West, South
Dakota, Utah, and Oklahoma bring
ing up the rear in the order named.
Men, on the contrary, are far more
likely to remain single in the West
than in the East. The proportion of
unmarried men between the ages OF
55 and GA years is lowest in the
Southern States. particularly Arkan-
sas, Alabama, and Georgia, and
greatest in the block of Western
States west of the Mississippi. In
Nevada 1872 per cent of the males
between 30 and GA have never been
married, Idaho coming next with
32.4 per cent, Montana next with
29.5 per cent, etc.
Provision is made for counting
people away from home during June,
and in order that every community
may get full credit for its inhabit-
ants, those who may be absent dur
ing the month in which the census
is being taken should leave the nec-
essary information with a neighbor
or friend. or a written memorandum
may be left for the enumerator. The
Census Office requests that all Ne
vada absentees communicate with
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