The Cairo bulletin., 1905-08-17
Number of Children 10 1000 Wo.
men OF Child-bearing Age
Has Fallen from ga TO
474
CITIES CHIEF SINNERS
NORTH CENTRAL AND WESTERN
STATES SHOW UP WORST.
WHILE THE SOUTHERN
SECTION is NOT so
GUILTY.

Washington, Aug. 16.-That there
has been a persistent decline of the t
birth rate in the United States since
1860" is the conclusion reached in
bulletin issued by the census bureau
The bulletin was prepared by Prof |
Walter F. Wilcox, OF Cornell Univer-
sity and it is explained that although |
an analysis male offers many suggess
tions as to probable tendencies in the /
birth rate of the United States, Il is |
primarily not a study in birth rates, !
but study in the proportion of chill /
dren to the total population or to the !
number Of women Of childbearng /
age.
A Big Falling Of.
The result Of the study shows that
at the beginning Of the Nineteenth Cen
tury the children under 10 years Of
age constituted one-third and at the end
less than one-fourth Of the total pop.
uiation. The decrease In this proper.
tion began as early as the decade 1910
to 1920, and CONTINUED uninterrupted.
", though at varying rates, in each
successive decade.
Between 1850 and 1860, The proper,
| tlon OF children to women between II Is
and 49 years the child-bearing age,
| increased but since 1860 III has CON
stantly decreased. II Is stated that the
I TanraaGn buu Iaats wapxy 4,naasIal e,.sx,44
decade TO decade, but that II the com
putatien Ii mae upon the basis of
twenty year periods IL has been regslss
larly. In 1860 the number iii children
under five years OF age to 900 women
15 to 40 years Of age, was GA: In 1900
Iit was only 474. The proportion Of
children to potential mothers In 1900
was only three-fourths as large as III
/ 1860
Cause Of the Falling or.
| NO attempt II made by the author
OF the bulletin to determine the prob
able causes Of this decline, An extend.
ed argument by Gen Francis Al Walk.
er Is given suggesting that 1t is large.
ly due to the influence of foreigners
and the resultant shock to the popula
tion instinct Of the natives. But Prof
Wilcox does not express a definite Oh
inion claiming that the vital statistics
III the United States are nor sufficient.
y developed to affoEl d sound basis
OF Judgment. He notes, however, that
there has been similar marked de,
. n "a hfs4th ~ f48.
where there has been no such torrent
Of immigration
Mostly In North and West.
Considered sectionally II Ia found
that in the north and west there has
been a more or less regular decline.
while in the south the change has been
less regular and the decline less mark.
ed. In 1850 the proportion Of children
TO 1000 women in the north and west
was fiye-sixths of what ii was iii the
south; IN 1900 1t was less than three
fourths. In 1900 the smallest proper.
tion Of children was in the district Of
Columbia, where the number of chill,
dren under five was hardly more than
one fourth the number Of women Of
child-bearing age The next smallest
proportion was In Massachusetts,
where 1t was slightly more than one
third The largest proportion was In
North Dakota and Indian Territory, in
each Of which II was two-thirds.
Illinois Bad Record.
! In the general decrease between
I 1890 and 1900 not single state OF the
! North Atlantic division took part. II
Y seven other states, also there was nj
, decrease. In only six states. Maryland
7 Michigan, Ohio, illinois, Kentnck,
7 and Indiana, did the proportion do
: crease In each Of the five decades
!. and In only Delaware, District OF Col
umbia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa
Oregon and Colorado, did II follow tn,
tendency for the country as a whole
y that is, increase from 1850 to 1860
and decrease In the four succeeding
y decades.
! Country Districts Not Guilty.
In 1900 for the United States as |
= whole, the proportion Of children wal
7 only two.thinls as great in cities as Ii
!, the country districts In the Nortl
Atlantic division, however. II was al
most as great in the cities as Ia th'
country. In the southern divisions /
Is hardly more than half as large II
q the cities as in the country while IL
' the far west the difference Is interme
4 diate In amount.
n This" It is explained, is probabl,
d due In large measure to the fact tha
II the Immigrant population who have
, been swarming into the northern citiei
|. OF recent years, especially into the Cit
a les Of the north Atlantic states, have
q been multiplying by numerous births
" with much rapidlty, while the CORE
spending laboring class which has I'M