History of the New York Census. 



117 



married, might be derived, although no separate tabula- 

 tion has hitherto been made. The cost of this reduction, 

 is a subject of accurate estimate, like most other deduc- 

 tions of the census, arid the results are within our reach. 



6th. Age of each person. This is entered in the ex- 

 act year, and has hitherto been classified in groups of five 

 years to 50, .and of 10 years above that year. In the com- 

 ing census, it is proposed to adopt the quinquennial ar- 

 rangement throughout, thus affording a uniform series 

 for the whole period of life. For a special comparison, 

 the ages, from 15 to 18, and from 18 to 20, will be sepa- 

 rately classified. The data are sufficiently definite, to 

 allow the arrangement by single years, but there would 

 appear the inevitable tendency to the returns of ages by 

 the nearest round number. The 30's — 35's and 40's, 

 would much exceed the 29's — 34's and 39's, or the 31's 

 — 36's and 41' s. The only way of avoiding this, is to in- 

 culcate additional care upon the enumerators, but even 

 then how difficult to get the exact age ! It is so difficult 

 to confess advancing years with certain persons, that the 

 precision of the census is gravely impaired by this fashion- 

 able perversion of truth. 



Another question of vital statistics, here occurs, which 

 fortunately is within easy reach, and which without an 

 extra column in the schedules, and but a word in the 

 illustrations, will enable us to secure the materials for a 

 highly interesting deduction. In 1855, the ages of child- 

 ren if under 1 year were reported fractionably by months, 

 thus T 3 2 — T 7 2 , &c, which enabled us to know the number of 

 births by months for the preceding year. 



During the last four years, our country has been in- 

 volved in the active scenes of a great national crisis, 

 which has withdrawn several hundred thousand men 

 from our state. "What has been the effect of this extraor- 

 dinary commotion upon the natural increase of our popu- 



[Trans. v.~\ 28 



