Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/628

 506 UNITED STATES : — NEW HAMPSHIRE

Governor.— S&mnel D. Felker, 1913-15 (3,000 dollars.)

Secretary of State. —

New Hampshire is represented in the Federal Congress by 2 Senators and 2 Representatives. The State is divided into 10 counties. The State Capital is Concord.

Area, Population,. Instruction.— Area 8,315 square miles, of which

275 square miles is water. In 1910 the total population was 430,572 (216,290 males and 214,282 females), of whom 564 were coloured. People of English descent are still predominant. The Irish stood second for a long time, but lately have given place to the French Canadian, There are also considerable numbers of Germans, Italians, Scotch, Finns, Greeks, Russian Jews, Swedes, Norwegians, Poles, &c.

The death-rate in 1906 was 18 '1 per 1,000 of population in cities, and 16*8 per 1,000 in rural districts. Divorce is granted for many causes, including unfaithfulness, cruelty, felony, drunkenness, separation of wife outside the State for 10 years, or absence of husband from the United States for 3 years with the purpose of acquiring citizenship in another country.

The largest city of the State is Manchester, with a population of 70,063 m 1910. Other cities are Nashua, 26,005 ; Concord (capital), 21,497 ; Dover, 13,247; Portsmouth, 11,269; Berlin; 11,780; Keene, 10,068; Rochester, 8,868 ; Laconia, 10,183.

The prevailing form of religion is the Roman Catholic, which has 63 per cent, of the Church membership ; other bodies are Congregational, Baptist, Methodist, and Protestant Episcopal. Religious instruction is not given in the public schools. The Roman Catholics maintain parochial schools in all the cities and some of the large towns.

The State law requires that at least 20 weeks of schooling must be pro- vided in every town annually School attendance is compulsory for children from 8 to 14 years of age during the whole school term ; and for children who cannot read and write English the school age extends to 16. In 1910 the public elementary schools of the State had 2,972 teachers, 64,036 enrolled pupils ; 59 public high schools had 246 teachers and 5,319 pupils. The normal school had 10 teachers and 172 students in 1910. The principal colleges within the State are Dartmouth College, at Hanover, founded in 1769, and the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, at Durham, founded in 1867. They are non-sectarian. Dartmouth has 85 instructors and 1,233 students ; the State College 3^ instructors and 231 students. St. Anselm's College at Manchester (R.C.) had 23 instructors and 141 students in 1909.

Charity. — Within the State there are (besides almshouses, &c.) 50 benevolent institutions, comprising 19 hospitals (one public), 15 orphanages and 16 homes chiefly for adults (one public). Overseers of the poor in towns maintain the -settled poor and temporarily relieve non-resident poor. Settlement is gained by 7 consecutive years' residence and pay- ment of taxes ; or by 4 consecutive years' payment of taxes on property of prescribed amount ; but settlement must have been gained within 10 years of the date of application for relief. Parents, grand -parents, children and grand -children are liable for support of a pau])er. Counties support their poor in almshouses ; town overseers may establish town alms- houses, bind out paupers, and apprentice children. Town paupers (not veterans) are kept on county poor farms. To bring a pauper into a town or county is punishable by fine or imprisonment. The State board of charities