Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-24
WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT.
The Average American according

The Average American according to
Henry GanEett in Everybody's Maya
zine is curious specimen. he says:
The average adult American is a sta
tstical octoroon. IL the blood in the
Veins of all our people, white and black,
were pooled and redistributed, each per-
son would have about seven parts white
and one part negro blood. The white
strain in him. however. is by no means
purely American. White strains of for
eign origin, derived from Germany,
Ireland, Scandinavia, Canada, Great
Britain and the countries of southern
Europe, are collectively more powerful
III his composition than is the negro
strain. With this Introduction of the
fgurative American. for ne is to be q
statistical creation, let us go on and
study him in his environment. In or
der to tell the story fully, it must be
explained that, while commonly the ay-
erage condition under which he exists
will be given, it will be found necessary
II; some matters to place him with the
majority, and, in a few cases, with .
plurality.
"The average American is man five
feet eight inches in height, with chest
girth of thirty-six inches. and a weight
OF 100 pounds. His family consists OF one
wife and three children, a fourth child
having died in infancy. His age is 81
years, ard he expects to live thirty years
longer. His wife is IS years of age, is
five feet four inches in height and
weighs 126 pounds. She will live to the
age of 6s years, as her expectation Of
life is slightly greater than that of her
husband. His home is near Columbus,
Ind, toward the southern part of the
state, at an altitude of 500 feet above the
sea At this place the mean annual
temperature is SO degrees, and the an
nual rainfall forty-one inches. Here he
owns farm of 1871 acres. eighty acres
of which are under cultivation. The
farm has an estimated value OF SS,500,
but carries mortgage of $500 on which
5 per cent annual interest is paid. 1t is
fairly we'll stocked, with three horses
and mules, three COVE, six beef cattle,
eight sheep and the same number of
hogs. The farm produced last year 100
bushels of wheat, 500 bushels Of corn, 200
bushels OF oats, forty-fve bushels of po-
tatoes and twelve tons OF hay, besides
minor crops. His farm brings him in
tributing largely to the support of his
family. Besides his farm, he has $3.50 in
railway stock and bonds, and, on de-
post in savings bank in Columbus, the
sum of $3.50. Elsewhere he possesses 9th
er property. including a house-lot In a
suburban subdivision. the value of
which at present 1t is not easy to esti-
mate, as 1t was purchased several years
ago, at inflated prices. His entire es-
tate has an estimated value of $4,000,
ard his annual income Is. on an aver
age, about $3.50. His property is as
sessed at about 40 per cent of Its true
value, and he pays taxes amounting to
S14.60, or 73 cents per 500 Of assessed
valuation.
"His family consume annually 1850
POUNDS OF wheat flour, and GOO pounds
of oat and corn meal, $50 pounds of
meat. or about two pounds per day: $50
pounds OF potatoes, 100 pounds of butt
ter and 900 pounds of sugar. He is the
greatest coffee drlnker on earth. one
round a weak being required for his
family's consumption. OF tea, however.
lie uses little, five pounds per year suf-
flcing for his needs. His table costs him
SIG per month. AS to his vices, he Is in
~ measure slave to tobacco. He con-
sumes twenty pounds OF the narcotic
weed a year. or one ounce per day. An
nually his family, which means in the
main himself, consumes seven and one
half gallons of spirits and wine, and not
less than seventy five gallons of beer.
He uses less spirits and more malt liq-
uors than did his immediate ancestors.
..Altho his house is kept almost too
warm, a temperature OF 10 degrees at
least being maintained in cold weather,
he consumes annually but three tons of
coal and fourteen cords OF wood, for
both heating and cooking. Since gas and
electric lights have not yet reached the
rural district, he is dependent upon oil Il
For lighting, and annually consumes
shout fifty gallons of coal oil. For cloth
ng, his family expends annually about
100. His clothing is ready-made, as are
The shoes of himself and other members
e his family His wife keeps no serv-
mt, but does the housework herself.
"FIis interest in the work Of the world
s shown by the fact that hc subscribes
% daily and weekly newspaper and
d