Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-11-27
Uncle Sam to Grow impairment
in Quest Of Self-KnowIedge.
He HUMBLy BEGS THAT
YOU WILL CHAIN THE DOG
Has Half Hundred Questions to Ask
and Some Are Very Personal--He
viii Even Ask If You Are Married
or Single, Divorced, and the Like.

Washington, D. c.. Nov. 23.--"Are
you the head of the family, or is the
head out?"
/ That is one of the leading ques.
lions that win be put to whoever may
come to the door when the census
enumerator rings or knocks, next
April 1t Is important that the gov
eminent keep track of every family
head, and the answer, though 1t may
cause domestic wrangling afterward,
will be recorded from the one of whom
lit is asked. That is where the wom-
! en- OF the family will get the best OF
1t, as it is likely the men will be at
their work when the enumeration
| calls.
Are you married? Have you any
children? Is your motherin-law liv-
ing with your"
These are few of the multiplicity
of questions which. beginning with
April 1890, will be asked every
housewife in the United States and its
territories by Uncle Sans army of
Iinquisitors known as census enumera-
tors. From house to house all over
the country will these inquisitors GO
Sometimes II the records of census
gathering can be taken as evidence,
the enumerators will be welcomed
and sometimes they will not. That
they VII ask half a hundred sched-
uled questions and probably half a
hundred more which are not SEIZED
uled is to be expected. The work
of taking the next census 1t is hoped
by census officials, will be done bet
ter and more rapidly than past cen
sus.
! Time To Exercise Patience.
IT, when a clean-faced, well-dressed.
smooth-talking young or old man
jerks the door-bell almost out of it's
socket, or raps the skin off his knuck-
les. have patience with him. II when
you happen to be a housewife and
answer the summons of the door-bell
and four of your five children answer
it. too, do not scold the enumerator
man when he asks II you are married,
for he will be receiving, perhaps, some
lcf the very taxes you pay to do this,
and then it really is necessary to know
how big we are. Uncle Sam has not
counted noses all over the country
for 10 long years, and ii may be, as
some OF the pessi.nists say, the race
is lessening, and If it is so, the gov
eminent wants to know it in order
that ii can be determined just what
kind OF premiums to offer for Roose-
veltian families.
There is one request in particular
The government makes the people liv-
ing in small cities, towns and rural
districts, and that is to have all dogs
chained after April IA for at least six
months.
When the enumerator calls he will
begin by asking this question:
What street. road or avenue is
this? What is the NUMBER"
He will then say
What is your name? Are you the
htau vi AiAC AduAily Nndt 10 ABt
name II each person living here on
April Is, 1910? The surname. initial
of every person in the abode? How
many children, their names, ages,
places OF birth?"
II you are, not the head o the fam
lily you will be asked what you are
to the head. The enumerator will
then take description OF the occu-
pins. He VIII ask the sex color and
race, OF every person the age at last
pants. He will ask the sex, color and
birthday. Then ccme questions to
the women.
Are you married or single, or d.
vorced, or widowed?
If you have been divorced and re-
married, you win be asked the num-
Der of years Of present married life
How many children are you the
mother Of? How many children were
born, and how many are living?"
These questions will be asked In
the order named, so don't get inn
patient and fretfuI and think the
enumeration is asking questions which
seem personal and i7npertinent for
they are Tor the government.
After assuring you that it is quite
important that twice as many more
questions be asked, the enumerator
will ask your nationality. The gov
eminent is particularly anxious that
this question be answered truthfully
What state or territory, IL born in
the United States? What country, If
foreign born? The place of birth of
the person being Intercepted; the
place of birth of the father of this
person and the place Of birth OF the
mother.
| The question OF citizenship will be
thoroughly gone into.