Evening star., 1941-02-16
By Morgan NJ. Beatty,

Associated Press Feature Service Writer.
PLYMOUTH, Ind.-Meet the man
you've heard about all your life
The Average American!
You haven't met him before un-
less you've met Ralph c. Suter OF
Plymouth, Ind, a garage helper.
His is the average American
family. He's the one fellow who
can fill the United States Census
Bureaus prescription for the sta
tistical shadow of us all, based on
1910 census figures, just released.
I travelled from Washington to
Plymouth to see Ralph Suter and
his family IN real life.
Ralph Suter is feet 10. A frank,
open face. Chiseled features like a
soldiers, until he grins. Then the
lines soften and he's like an over
grown boy fond of fishing.
Erma Suter is slim, straight, not
too tall. She has dancing blue eyes,
f1utters when she's in hurry. AL
ways practical. especially when it
comes to raising daughter, Carol, 6,
and son, Ralph, jr.. g. Ralph, jr.,
is the real boss of the family, like
the youngest in many another
American home.
we think it's nice to carry the
family name on" says Erma, "espe-
cially the boys"
Ralph. sr.. was surprised when the
South Bend Tribune man told him
he was Mr. Average American. He'd
never thought of himself that way.
But. arms folded, and work-cap in
hand. he offered to tell all about
himself.
Il think ought to-" he said.
Statistically, Ralph is the COM
posite of 13l ,669.275 American cit
liens just counted in the 1910 CEN
suS.
Lives in Median Town.
First, he's resident of Plymouth.
That's the median town nearest the
population density center of the
Nation.
The population of Plymouth Is
5,5O9-Wel within the median range
of 5.000-7000. There are just about
as many towns in the country
smaller than Plymouth as there are
larger.
Second, Ralph is a native white
American
Third, the average American must
be a male. Male citizens are still
in the majority-by the skin of
their teeth.
Fourth, Ralph is a semiskilled
wage earner-the largest common
denominator of most Americans
over IA.
Fifth. he earns S1,15929 a year
--S22 a week That puts him in the
great median wage slot-S1,000 to
$3.50. Half of us earn more than
that, half of us less.
He is % years old. That's the me-
dian age line.
And finally, Ralph has a wife and
two youngsters. A family of four
is about the American average. The
exact figure is 38 persons, but try
to find family like that!
Needle in a Haystack.
Looking for the average American
IS like looking for a needle in a hay
stack
So the South Bend, Ind, Tribune
discovered when it sent Howard
Robinson to pick the average Amer
lean.
The jobs cinch," said Robinson,
manager of the Tribune's Plymouth
circulation bureau. He knows about
everybody in town.
Robinson glanced over the United
States Census Bureau specifications:
Residence, Plymouth, Ind. (av-
erage-sized town near the popula-
ton density CENTER. 2-Native white
American. 3-Male. 4-Semiskilled
wage Garner. 5-Income, 1000 to
$3.50 annually. Gage, %. 7
Married, two children.
The confident hunter set out,
whiStling.
BY the time Robinson had made
the rounds of Plymouth's factories,
stores and plants, he was whistling
out of the other side Of his mouth.
There Was One Man.
But there was one fellow on the
list who was cut to the statistical
pattern-Ralph c. Suter, the me-
chanic's helper in the garage of
SchloSser Bros, Inc, Plymouth's big
dairy distributors.
What especially fit Ralph Suter
for the role was his occupation. His