Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-02-26
THE CENTER Of POPULATION
Halt Expected in Heretofore
Steady Westward Movement
Attraction OF BiR Eastern Cities In
tcpsiRed by the Wsr-EducRt,onnl
Advantages and Opportunities
for Enjoyment Appeal
tBy Frederic j. Ha skim


the United States seems to have shifted
it's course. Ono of the duties of the Cen
sus Bureau is to determine the center OF
population This year the chief gcogra-
phcr OF the bureau believes that tho CEN
ter may be found to have moved East
instead of travelling. as usual to the
West.
IT has come to be n tradition in tho TINT
ted states to combine progress and the
West. The primal lure Of the West has
worn off, but there is still far more room
there than in the crowded East. II the
war had not interviewed since our nation
al counting of heads, or bad the war been
fought in Asia instead OF Europe, our
center Of population would doubtless have
continued its journey West in big leap.
AS 1t was, the war attracted the people
to the eastern business and Industrial CEN
tors, and the people thus gathered to the
cities seem loath to return to the farms.
From the beginning of the republic. the
census was taken, and each 10 years the
center OF population had moved west
ward In stretches Of of IA to 30 miles. show
ing that the people were taking possession
Of moro and more of their domain. At the
first census in 1890 the 40oo, 900 population
Of the United States ran north and south
along tho Atlantic coast with the center
q miles east of Baltimore
BY 1900 the center was Is miles west
OF Baltimore, and from then OF it con-
tinued west. passing near Washington.
Woodstock. Va: Moorefcld. w. Va;
Clarksburg, W. Va: Chillicothe, Ohio:
east of Cincinnati: then west of Cincin-
natn: east of Columbus; southwest of Col
umbus; and at tho last census at Bloom
ington, Ind
The census of 1910 was the first time
that the center ever happened to be in a
town or city, and Bloomington. being a
college town, celebrated in college fash
ion. Several professors located the ex-
act spot by astronomical observation. 1t
happened to he under a lumber pile in the
yard OF a furniture factory, but the stu
dents made short work of removing the
big logs, and proceeded TO place a stone
on the exact spot and conduct appropri-
ate and tuneful services.
The furniture manufacturer was SO
proud of the position of his factory. that
he had his stationery engraved with the
heading Located at the center of popu-
| lation." After this year, he will doubtless
have to preface his assertion with ''once."
| The exact pull of the eastern cities on
ton will be known positively only when
\ the census figures are all collected and
| tabulated. In the meantime, G. s. Sloan
chief geographer of the Census Bureau
is Of the private opinion that the point will
be somewhat east of Bloomington, prob
ably still in Indiana
| For the past two decades our cities have
been growing in size and number much
| more rapidly than our rural districts
! Anything over $500 population is now
| termed city in census parlance. which
| rather broad construction makes tho
growth of city population, seem less ex.
| traordinary. In 1890 the city claimed over
one-third Of the population. In 1900 i. had
| about 40 per cent. and by 1910 1t had 1853
| This year the advance may be ever
greater, for the attraction of the cities
was intensified during the war Every
other girl in the United States wanted t.
be war worker and go to Washington
and apparently most Of them got what
they wanted. Many of these girls. coun
try-bred, have found city life with it's the
aters. restaurants, libraries, and clubs
too fascinating TO be easily given up Sc
they stay on when they are no Longer
needed by the government. or wander tc
New York or some other city, in search
bright lights.
Take the case of Mamie, a young schoo
teacher who came from the country to dC
war work with her head buzzing from
hectic magazine acquaintance with high
life in the city. Rouge, a lip stick, ant
q swagger walk, added TO natural pretti
ness. got her a string of followers, an(
Mamie became so enamored of city lii,
that when her war job ended she wa,
fully city broke and just couldn't 20 home
l. She answered an advertisement fer
soda fountain clerk, and prefers the cit.
with its chances FOR amusement to ne
country home, the little red school house
and her farmer boy steady"
This is not, perhaps, typical p'ctur
of the var worker from the country. bu
It is Il faithful likeness of many of tn
ex-war workers VINO are represented b,
tho long columns of unskil!ed position
wanted in the daily papers.
Besides the opportunities for eajoymen
offered by the large cities, there are IN
educational advantages ana the uonvcu
fences. These attract large numbers O
families with growing children. Indoo
plumbing. electricity. and automobiles
added TO the MODERN "OGntry home, nav
done as much to neep the farmer an
ventions IN farm machinery. Put farm
eIs vino cannot afford these Improvement
and Injuries do not seem % desire Their
so much. as shey want better educatio
for their children. When the teachers i
country schools are paid enough so tina
rural education can be at least rs eff
J cient and progressive as that in the city
we shall! fiEd fewer farmers selling thci
land and moving TO the city 10 CIV
ADVANTAGES to Harry and Sarah Ann.
! II is our biggest cities that seem iros
: alluring New York IS tho Mecca of nine
. tcnths OF the nation Some people hav
; been known to declare that they 'wouldn
. live in New York for anything with a
the noise, and that awful subway" 7
, the majority Of Americans. however, Ne
York is the place where fortunes al
2 made, fashions are started and plays al
] opened.
Added to the thousands who come
: New York to find excitement or some pa
, ticular ideal. have been those other thol
$ sands of immigrants who were dumped
g New York via Ellis Island, and who Sc
+ tied down In the cty's immigrant qua
r tiers as the easiest thing to do, In II
years preceding the war approximate
$ a million immigrants came to our shor'
0 every year. OF these. New York invar
n ably got more than it's share. .
Four years cessation in the immigral
stream has given the country in gener
a breathing spell. but New York has be.
= more crowded than ever, due to the hord
G who collected there from all parts of Il
It country to transact the business of wa
}, We recall that at the time of the la