The School Census

This year the enunierator givcs this city 37 less children of school age than he 1U1 last. Thnt is, lic conld not Bnd as niany in the district, into tliat inany, alth'ough lic tnakes affidavit to the fact tliat he made :i thorough search. This seenis ■ little strange when ourbest statisticians figure out that the popnlation of the city haa Increased by at least 500. The following table gives the school census tor the past four years, and the figures ghow a healtliy gain nu t i l this vcar. which may bc accounted for, a waf? Buggests, by the hard tini" ; ISWIKM INTIMI:; - _ Kirst Ward.. - - MS 586 804 B02 Second Ward-i- 608 850 8.3 671 Tüird Ward Fourth Wrtrd _ I (!) r. I I' Fifth Ward ._. -J 17 127 -K 219 sixth Ward S58 138 Ml 461 Total !-.'824 2029 807 i __ It will be noticed th.it during the past year the Gth ward has made ui increase of 20, the 5th ward 1, and the 4th ward ], whilethe lst ward shows a decrease oi 2, the 2d ward I, and the 3d ward 57. This lasl decrease ie a stonner, aa t m 3d ward school building is crowded thia year more than ever beiure, and there seems to be more childii the ward. it is probable that parenta have more geneally awakened to the necessity of compelling chüdren to attend school, and that is the canse of the Becming discrepancy. The census lias QOt been taken 80 that the while and colored cliildren can be euuinerated sepaartely, as is done iu many citiee, theonly object being to get as many of school age as possible, in order to secure school mouies. The following article, taken frona the Yjisilanti Sentinel, tells the story of the school census in that city, and is given ander the heading of LOSING OEOUND. Why is it? l'iir evo yeare, now, the school census has shown an unaccountable decreaee, while pvery indicatkm pointe to an ' irease in the general population of the ] ity. That. Ihis is the case, is enoiiiili to excite curiosity, it' nothing more. In 1802, when the censas showed a decrease of 89, tliere were exactly the ' same number of colored children of school age as in 1891, the falling oíf ! ing entirely among tlie whites. This : yeur, oi ia decrease ï 77 from 1892,00 are colored and 17 white. The following table is given for coniparison : 1 Total White CoL Total White Col. First ward- 884 249 85 DM 231 133 ] Secend wrd JUS UU 8 310 !KM 7 ' ïliirii ward..I)6S UU il :;71 :;■!." 29 Fourth ward 410 2lü lsci .Iftl Flfth ward-413 S'Jo 17 418 411 3S Towuship !-á 82 111 111 Total 1607 117" ISt ltii4 U'JS 191 The following tables will show the fluctuation of the total population for the past seven years: 1888 1889 1MK) First ward 4(H 449 40ti Becond ward ... 2:iO 220 230 Third ward ... 843 31S 374 Fourth ward 0 '215 214 Flftb ward ... 451 449 448 Township 92 lus 102 Totals 17145 l"40 1759 17Ü4 White. __.. 1U0 1515 1548 Black 2!0 244 216 1MH 1893 1893 Firetward 364 SM 8SJ .Secoud ward 225 21U 199 Third ward 4:i6 ::7I B8B Fourth wurii_ _ 214 192 Ü10 Flfthward- . 421 4: 413 Township... ll:i ni 82 TotaU ____ 1Tï: 1684 1607 White 1682 1488 1170 Black 19] 191 131 When the censos of 1892 abo wed a falling off of 89 from that of 1891.it was thought that perhaps young men, who bad been employed for yars, wem apt to be careless, bo the census ii 1893 was entrusted to an older person, whose wen-k was systematic and careful; and so far aa we can discover m names have been missed save those of employés of the different faetones, some of whom are nol included, although clearly entitled to be counted. It will be seen that in the six years in whicli detailed Bgures are given the school population iias changed by warda as Eollows: First, 70 loss; second, :l loss; third, 26 gain; fourth, 10 gain; fifth, 38 loss; township, 10 loss. The whites have suffered a net loss si nee 1888 "f 39, while the blacks Bh w a decrease of 7'.'.