Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-06-08
CURRENT TOPICS
TAKING THE CENSUS.

The object of the federal census now
being taken are of three kinds: To
furnish basis for the apportion-
ment of representatives in the lower
house of congress; to ascertain the
growth of the United States In num-
bers, wealth and industry, and to in
vestigate the social organizations and
institutions which determine the
growth of population and wealth. The
first is a constitutional necessity. the
second study of facts, and the third
a study of causes.
Probably no social institution is so
intimately connected with the growth
OF population as that OF marriage
Investigating material conditions the
law requires about each person d
statement whether he or she is single,
married. widowed or divorced; IL
married. how many years the mar
rage has lasted; if mother. how many
children she has had. and how many
of these children are now living.
From the answers TO the questions
II is possible to determine the birth
rate. the prevalence of marriage. the
proportion of women and children to
the whole population. the duration
and fruitfulness of marriage. So far
as the power and Importance of ma
bn ciz nf
the population. TO that extent is the
accurate determination of these ques
tons a matter of public necessity.
In the United States there would
seem to be little danger of a decline
IN the population. But even when
we are sure that the population is
growing. it IS still necessary to know
how it is growing The millions OF
India are increasing. but it is by pro-
cess of many births and many deaths.
In good years millions are born; in
times Of famine millions die, the pop
ulation increasing because few more
are born than die 1t is growth, but
savage growth There IS a more ex-
ceIlent kind of progress. that resulting
from the com bination of a moderate
birth rate and a small death rate.
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 a way by ascertaining
the proportion OF people between %
and Ga years Of age who have never
been married Census statistics show
that the proportion of unmarried fe-
males between these ages is greatest
in the East. in North Carolina. Rhode
Island and Massachusetts. for in
stance. while the proportion is small
est in the West. South Dakota. Utah
and Oklahoma bringing up the rear
IN the order named.
Men. on the contrary, are FAR moro
likely to remain single in the West
than in the East. The proportion OF
is lowest in the Southern states, e. g.,
Arkansas. Alabama and Georgia. and
greatest in the block of Western
states west of the Mississippi. In
Nevada 49, per cent of the males be-
tween 50 and 81 have never been mar
ried Idaho coming next with 32.4 per
cent. Montana next with 29.5 per cent,
etc.
That marriage IS still pre-eminently
the sphere of women seems to be in
Dictated by the fact that more women
marry than men. and they marry at
earlier ages. Thus, only 81 per cent
of females - years OF age and over
are unmarried while among males Of
the same ages the proportion is Il
per cent Taking girls and boys be-
tween the ages of ID and 30 years of
age. it is found that one out of every
ten girls is married while among the
boys the proportion falls TO one in
two hundred These were the pro-
portions in 1890 Whether these con-
ditions have changed since then is
question that can only be answered
BY the census of 1900
FRANCE SENDS Us GREETINGS.
Vendome, France, unveiled statue
of Rochambeau Monday and the peo
pie of that municipality through Am
bassador Porter, sent fraternal greet
ings to the American people. Lafay-
cite, Rochambeau and De Grasse are
names equally cherished by the great
republic of the new world 1t was
Count de Grasses fleet of twenty
eight ships of the line with 1000 in
fantry on board that blockaded Corn
wallis by sea at Yorktown and thus
made his capture possible. 1t is pos
sible that of recent years America has
been somewhat too forgetful of the
great aid France rendered 1t a hun
dred years ago.