Evening star., 1931-12-27
CHILDREN UNDER J
DECREASE IN j. S.
Trend to Small EnroI|ments
In First Grade Indicated
by Census Analysis.
Uncle Sans family is growing up

Uncle Sans family is growing up
etatistically
Profound changes in the composition
of the American population during the
last 10 years are found from analysis
of the 1880 census returns by Emery
NJ. Foster, chief Statistician of the
Office of Education of the Interior De-
partment.
Although there are 17064, ,426 more
persons in the country than 10 years
age there are 128,840 fewer children
under years of age and 66,464 under
year. Those under are only 93 per
cent of the 1880 population, while the
were l0,9 per cent in 1880.
This decrease, Mr.. Foster says, is
not large enough numerically to make
an appreciable difference in enroll
ments in elementary schools in the
next five years but indicate that the
turning point from larger to smaller
f1rst-grade enrollments every year has
arrived. Unless this trend stops first
grade enrollmentS may show appreci-
able decreases in the next 10 years.
Wave Appears Over Crest.
Starting about 1890, he points out,
there was wave of increase of chill
dren under years of age This accom-
panied the growing decrease of child
mortality which had not been balanced
by declining birthrate. The wave
appears to have gone over it's crest
and may go down as far as it arose
Says Mr.. Foster: The age group that
Is in kindergarten and elementary
schools now, to IA years, while it is
2,573,264 greater numerically than the
same age group in 1920, forms only
20.1 per cent of the population, as
oivoct oF In
ulation. Part of the increase in school
costs is due to this 100000 more chill
dren. most of whom are in school,
The age group Is to 19 years, which
roughly covers the high school pupils,
shows both a numerical increase Of
2,121 $50 persons and a percentage in
crease from 80 to "a When we con-
slider that this is a more than % per
cent increase numerically, that larger
proportion of these children are in
school now than five years ago. and
that high school costs are about two
and-a-half times greater than ele-
mentary school costs, We see why there
has been such an increase in high
school expenditures in the past 10
years. This is the group that will be
entering our colleges in the next five
years and under normal economic con-
dltionS should mean increased high
school enrOlLmeQJS.
May Cut Educational Costs.
There are also a larger number of
persons and greater percentage of the
population in the group from 20 to "a
years, part of which is now in college
and part finding its place in the eco
nomic world. With 1,593,357 more
persons than in 1920 this group con-
Sututes SO instead of 8.8 of the total.
1t is interesting to note that the
school group from to 19 years old. in
proportion of the population as the
group from 25 to A years, 298 per
cent in 1920 and 29.5 in 1890"
The school population has the ratio
Of 25 to "a to the Wealth-producing
population, he points out. There was in
1880 about IL per cent more persons
to pay for the education of 03 per cent
fewer children. If this trend continues
it may materially reduce the burden of
educational costs
Group Faces Added Burden.
"Of older people. IS years and over"
MI. Foster continues, there were
2144082 more in 1880 than in 1920.
They were per cent of the population,
instead of 81 per cent, as in 1920. This
increase in proportion, unless these
O4Qef people are economically SeE-Sup-
porting, means an added burden to be
carried by the group from 25 to "a
which will partially counteract their
ability to give better support to the de-
creasing percentage of children.
What will the increasing proportion
of older people mean with respect to
the age-long struggle between the
young, liberal open mind and the old,
conservative closed mind? Unless adult
education can keep the old minds open
to new ideas, the conflict may be inten-
sifed, especially if changes take place
in the economic structure as rapidly in
the next so years as they have in the
past"