The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Sheet 69

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

population is experiencing a rapid growth. The
Southern States, which have always been the rural
stronghold of our nation, saw a rural increase be-
tween 1910 and 1920 of about 1,400,000, but the
population of the cities in these groups of States
increased by nearly 2,300,000 in the same period.
In the Pacific States the urban element already
predominated in 1910, but by 1920 it had increased
proportionately much more than had the rural popu-
lation. In only a single group of States, the Moun-
tain Group, was there a decidedly greater increase
from 1910 to 1920 in the rural class than in the
urban class of population.

The southern part of New England is becoming
one great city. No less than 97.5 per cent. of the
people of Rhode Island are living in cities. In Mas-
sachusetts 95 per cent. of the people are in
cities. In Connecticut only 15 per cent. of
the population live in the country, while the
other 85 per cent. are inhabitants of cities.

A remarkable fact is that the cities of
New England have grown faster during the
last thirty years than did the whole of New
England itself. From 1890 to 1920 the gain
in population of the New England cities was
about 2,725,000, while the increase in the
total population of these States during the
same period was only 2,700,000. The Middle
Atlantic States have an urban population of
17,000,000, which constitutes 75 per cent. of
the total. A noteworthy fact is that the
Negro population of the cities of this group
experienced an increase of almost 44 per cent. be-
tween 1910 and 1920.

The 1920 census brought out the striking fact
that one-fourth of the people of the United States
is living in twenty-five cities having each more than
250,000 inhabitants. One-tenth of all Americans
live in five cities: New York, Chicago, Philadel-
phia, Detroit, and Cleveland. Detroit increased its
population 113.3 per cent. between 1910 and 1920,
the increase of Los Angeles during this period was
80.7 per cent., and that of Cleveland was 42.1 per
cent. in the same decade.

The greatest increase in population in our
country has been in the larger cities. While the
percentage of increase from 1910 to 1920 for the
whole country was 21 per cent. and that of the rural
population was only 11.2 per cent., that of the 229
cities over 25,000 increased 55 per cent. A com-
parison of the increase for these larger cities with
that of the rest of the States in which they are found

67

at times brings startling results. Thus five States
in the South showed more than 50 per cent. in-
crease in the population of cities over 25,000, but
the increase in the portions of the States outside
such cities was only from 4 to 21 per cent.

In 1920 the total number of urban communities
of 2,500 and over was 2,787. Of this number 2,500
had populations ranging from 2,500 to 25,000; 219
had populations numbering 25,000 to 100,000, while
there were 68 cities having over 100,000 inhabitants.

Why This Cityward Tendency?

This tendency has always been noticeable among
men. And history tells us that centuries ago the
growth of cities at the expense of the rural portions
of the state troubled the rulers of various countries.

Trinity Church, New York.
A “Down-town"” Church,

But neither argument nor prohibition has been of
any avail where it has been applied.

The natural increase in the world’s population ~
would have a tendency to cause the cities to grow
with the rural portions of the countries in which
they are found. But there are not a few reasons
why the growth of the cities should exceed that of
the rural communities. Discoveries made in the
field of science and mechanical inventions have
completely revolutionized our industries and have
had a direct tendency to draw men and women
from the countryside to our cities. Machinery has

" put an end to the days of the hand-loom and the

spinning-wheel, as well as to all sorts of handwork,
and has centralized manufacturing in huge fac-
tories, where thousands each do a part of what once
was done by one mechanic, weaver, tailor, or cobbler.
All this, however, could only tend towards develop-
ing, and increasing the growth of, our cities. The
young man of the countryside, hearing of the wages