Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/263

Rh shows the steady expansion of the contributions of the government. In this census the government not only sought all that had been sought in the previous census, but made finer subdivisions as to ages and as to foreigners not naturalized.

The contributions to social science under the enumeration of 1830 were practically repetitions of those under previous censuses, the chief elaboration being a still finer subdivision of ages, specifying by sex, and whether slaves, free colored persons, or free white persons. But this census stepped into a new field for government inquiry, for the white persons included in the enumeration were to be designated as to their capacity of speech, whether deaf and dumb, with the ages of the deaf and dumb classified, but crudely, however—that is, under 14 years of age, 14 and under 25 years, and 25 years of age and upward—and the distinctions as to the deaf and dumb were made to apply to slaves and colored persons as well as to whites. The number of blind in these classes was also required.

At the census of 1840 the manufactures schedule was again used. Still the results were not of any substantial value, but the schedule relating to the people was expanded in a most satisfactory way. All the features of previous schedules were retained, not only as to ages—a better classification being incorporated—but as to the deaf and dumb. Beyond these features comprehended in the enumeration of 1830, that of 1840 ascertained the number of persons employed in mining, agriculture, commerce, manufactures and trade, navigation of the ocean, navigation of canals, lakes and rivers, and in learned professions and engineering. Here was a departure in exact conformity in this respect to the appeals of the memorialists of 1800, and in further compliance with the terms or principles of such appeals Congress called for the number of universities and colleges, the number of students therein, the number of academies and grammar schools and their pupils, the number of primary and common schools, and the whole number of scholars at public charge; but going still deeper into the character of the population. Congress asked the number of white persons over 20 years of age who could not