Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-09-24
Not And In This

| with states Ol llle OtlloLl III ''i'' VI
that reckoning. But they can't say
the State is so far down as that IN
It's population growth during the past
decade. The gain for the nation as
| 4 whole was only seven per cent,
! whereas North Cardinals count was
up l2.4 percent for the ten-year
period.
The national gain was the smallest
percentage increase in any decade
of the nations history, and for that
there will be some explanation by
those who like 10 indulge III anlySeS.
For one thing. it indicates L grad
ual leveling off Of the country 5
growth. Indeed SociologiStS already
are predicting that by 1870, which is
thirty years hence. Il state of static
may be reached.
America is 4 young country as the
,ige OF nations is reck0ncd. 1t is but
l64 wears since the Declaration OF
Independence. but il was some three
hundred years earlier that this vast
empire OF virgin resources Was dis
covered. y great continent on which
the foot OF the white man had not
until then been set. il was natural
that growth should be rapid.
But Tor nearly half millennium
now what was once d traCkleSS will
dernesS. except for the Indians. has
been fairly we'll exploited Not that
VIC have gone the limit. not by any
means. by comparison with other
portions OF the globe. There is yet
an abundance here for the SuStenance
of lite 50 far in the dim distant flu
ture that there need be no worry
on that score by or for the Youngest
living creature on this soil Yet there
has beent a tremendous face-littlng
during these years. The men who
followed immediately after Column
bus. or even as late as the time OF
Washington. would not recognize il
today. if they could return. as the
land they saw and where they lived.
There has been talk OF gradual
setting in OF race Suicide--or in plain
er language. 4 declining birth rate
Such development has in other
times and in other regions of earth
heralded decay in 4 particular civili-
cation.
The recession in the past decade
might easily be due to the effects OF
the depression. in that married coup
les have SHE'D from the RESPONSE
biIitieS of rearing family. The
apartment and the flat as places OF
domcile quite likely can assume a
share of the blame for what has
happened. Taken as whole, the
country is not yet out of the depres-
sion. nor is there any indication Of Il
trend away from city congestion and
its deterrent influence upon home
lite. And what is more. the women
are rapidly going in for greater indie
peucience and for careers of their
OWN: and who would say that that
IS not also 4 factor in the trends re-
vealed by the new census?
Gains here and losses there, by
states. only reflect the shifting OF
populations. And this may be par
TALLY explained, too, by economic
conditions. as joblesS in hitherto most
congested areas have sought taste
of the grass in the other fellows
pasture. which has looked greencr.
This theory, incidentally, may be
one reason for the steady advance
in North Cardinals census totals.
In any event, life will go on. De-
clining birth rates, defamation by
war or by pestilence, and even by
trightful economic developments. will
not for hundreds, perhaps thousands,
Of years result in mans disappear
ance from the face of the earth. The
final contamination of creation may
be expected to head that off.
All of which is rather far afield
from the thought of Tar Heelia's
rank in the Union as to its popula-
ton. Whatever may be thought of
causes and effects, few hundred
thousand more people in d State so
large, and without congestion Of the
kind which plaques the really large
centerS, should help the status of
those who have the energy and the
brain power to look after themselves.