CHAPTER XI. 



PERILS.— THE CITY. 



The city is the nerve center of our civilization. It is 

 also the storm center. The fact, therefore, that it is 

 growing much more rapidly than the whole population 

 is full of significance. In 1790 one-thirtieth of the popu- 

 lation of the United States lived in cities of 8,000 inhabi- 

 tants and over; in 1800, one twenty-fifth; in 1810, and 

 also in 1820, one-twentieth; in 1830, one-sixteenth; in 

 1810, one-twelfth ; in 1850, one-eighth ; in 1860, one-sixth ; 

 in 1870, a little over one-fifth ; and in 1880, 22. 5 per cent. , 

 or nearly one-fourth. ^ From 1790 to 1880 the whole popu- 

 lation increased twelve fold, the urban population eighty- 

 six fold. From 1830 to 1880 the whole population in- 

 creased a little less than four fold, the urban popidation 

 thirteen fold. From 1870 to 1880 the whole population 

 increased thirty per cent., the urban population forty 

 per cent. 2 During the half century preceding 1880, 

 population in the city increased more than four times as 

 rapidly as that of the village and country. In 1800 there 

 were only six cities in the United States which had a 

 population of 8,000 or more. In 1880 there were 286, and 

 in 1890, 437.3 



1 Compendium of the Tenth Census, Part 1, pp. xxx and 8. The Elev- 

 enth Census has not yet given us the urban population in 1890. 



2 Mr. William S. Springer in The Forum, December 1890. estimates from 

 reports and semi-official data that the increase of rural population from 1880 

 to 1890 was only eight per cent., while that of the urban population was more 

 than 57 per cent. 



3 The first official count. The final official count will douotless make some 

 change in this number. 



