The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-12-28
POPULATION GROWTH
FIGURES OF THE LATEST GEN.
sus ON BIRTH RATE.
Some Striking Particulars of the
Canvass as Brought Out in
the Official Bureau
Bulletin.

|
Some curious and interesting facts
In regard to the birth rate in the
Unit ed States and its probable tenden-
cies are brought out In a recent bull
letin issued by the bureau of the CEN
sus, entitled Proportion of Children
In the United States" prepared by
Walter F. Wilcox and published in
"The National Geographic Magazine"
While at the beginning of the last
century the proportion OF children un-
der ten years of age was about one
third of the entire population of the
country, 1t has now fallen to less than
one-fourth. Beginning as early as the
decade from 1910 to 1920, the decrease
has continued uninterruptedly through
each successive decade, though at
varying rates, down to the present
time. This may, in itself. indca e
either a declining birth rate or an IN
crease in the average duration of life
resulting in the survival of a larg er
numLcr of adults. II is necessary y,
therefore, in order to get a satisfac-
tory index of the movement OF the
birth rate, to take the proportion of
children to women OF child-beariDg
age.
The decade from 1850 to 1860 showed
slight increase in the proportion uf
children to women between the ages uf
Is and 40, but since that time the de-
crea Sc has been continuous, although
unequal. In comparing the year 1850
with the year 1900. the decrease in
children under five years OF age to
each 1000 women between the ages
mentioned is from GA in 1000 to AL,
or nearly one-fourth. II this falling
off should continue for any great
length of time the followers of Malthus
would have little cause for fear OF the
eventful overpopulation Of the civilized
world 49,.
In map which accompanies the re-
port II is shown that in only one STATE
New Jersey, has there been an increase
In the number of children to each
1000 women between the ages of IS
and 80, while a majority of the states
made no change in their status in ten
years before 1900. Iiaho and North
Dakota, the only states which showed
q proportion of more than 700 children
to each 1000 potential mothers in
1890, had by 1900 fallen into the next
class-that is, between 500 and 700.
All the New England states, with New
York and California. arc shown by
both the 1900 and the 1880 census as
being in the less than 400 class, and
at the later date Ohio had fallen to
the same level
Gen. Francis A. Walker. the econ
omlst, in commenting upon the prob
able cause of the decline, suggested
foreigners and consequent shock to
the population instincts OF the natives
| This theory Is to n certain extent
borne out by the fact that the greatest
decreases have been noted in the dee
ades OF greatest immigration, yet in
this connection II rust be borne in
mind that large proportion Of immi-
grants are persons between the ages
Of Is and 40, and this would naturally
tend to increase the ratio of this class
-of persons in the country, and, with
out any dimlnution IN the native birth
rate, decrease the proportion of chill.
dren TO each 1000 potential mothers
While in the census reports Indians
and Mongolians, as well as negroes
are included among "colored," on ac.
count OF the predominance OF the lat
ter race 1t Is possible to arrive al a
fairly correct conclusion in regard to
the conditions among negroes. al
though, owing to the status of the ne
gro race prior TO the civil war, IL
would be useless to so back more than
40 years In order TO make such an esti-
mate. Although the decline in the
proportion of negro children is shown
to have been especially rapid, the pro-
portion of children among negroes was
greater than that among whites at
every census except that of 1870.
Perhaps the most striking compari.
son 10 that which shows the proper
tion of children born OF native moth
ers to 1000 native women of child
bearing age and the proportion of chill
dren born of foreign-born mothers TO
900 foreign-born women Of the same
class. In 1900 the former proportion
was 462 and the latter 40, the differ
ence indicating the greater fecundity
of roreign-born women. These figures
show less than two children to Amer
ican-born mothers as against three to
forelsn-born.
Mean Thing,