Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/87

Rh to suppose that the expanded schedule under the Federal system could be filled under the English method. This has been tried, and in a State where the population has been taught to consider the value of statistics—the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1875 the English method was adopted; the schedules, comprehending all the inquiries at that time called for by-law, were left with the heads of families, with clearly defined instructions, sample sheets, etc., all in accordance with the recognized English method; and from that community, which, it is reasonable to suppose, could fill the census schedules if any community could do it, but thirty-seven per cent of the returns were in a condition for use. The balance had to be corrected or made entirely by the enumerators. That method was therefore abandoned in subsequent censuses for the State of Massachusetts. With the sparsely settled population of the United States, and with the broad schedule of the Federal census, covering as it does twenty-four inquiries, it would be absurd to attempt to take the census under the English system.

In Germany the labor of enumeration is performed by persons who, in consideration of the public utility of the work, do it without compensation. It has been thought that this feature could be embodied in the United States census to a certain extent, or at least supplemented by the employment of school-teachers in the enumeration. The German method involves, of course, the creation of exceedingly small enumeration districts, after the English method, a block in a city or a portion of a street in a town or village being allotted to some patriotic citizen who would without compensation see to it that the schedules were properly filled. It is doubtful if this method could be made useful in the United States. Our people are too busy—at least those competent to take charge of such work—to induce them to enlist. The great difficulty even now is to secure men for a week or a month's service under the Census Office.

The third method of enumeration is that practiced in the State of Massachusetts, and certainly the scientific results of the censuses of that State would indicate the value of the method employed. Since 1845 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has taken a census regularly, on the mean year of the Federal censuses. It started its census work in 1837 by an account of its manufactures, etc.; but its first enumeration on any broad scale was in 1845, through the assessors of cities and towns. In 1875 the field work was done by enumerators appointed by the census authorities and paid by the day, and they were instructed to secure