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CENT CENTAURS 201 residences more frequently, the percentage of loss becomes very considerable. Superinten- dent Walker maintains that "if the formation of subdivisions and the confirmation of assistants were vested in the department of the interior, with proper discretion as to the use of special agents, it would be possible to take the census of every city and manufacturing town in the United States in a single day, and to complete the enumeration of all properly agricultural sections in a period not exceeding three days, allowing, if need be, for the completion of the purely mining states and the territories, and perhaps for some portions of Texas, California, Kansas, and Nebraska, a longer period of time, not to exceed 30 days. Such an enumeration could be accomplished in the present condition of the settlement of the United States. It would cost little if any more than a census taken according to the present methods, and would be inexpressibly more satisfactory." The use of "prior schedules" in taking the census has been unanimously recommended by statisticians, not only as effecting a saving of time and expense, but also a higher degree of accuracy in the enumeration. These sched- ules, containing printed inquiries and directions as to filling up, are distributed among families, and, after having been by them filled up, are collected by the census agents. This plan has been adopted with great advantage by most of the European countries, but has not been introduced into the United States, though its adoption has been urged upon the government by Dr. Jarvis and other high authorities. In the United States, Great Britain and Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, and Sweden and Norway, the census is decennial ; while in Denmark, France, and Austria it is quinquennial. Most of the German nations and principalities take their census once in three years. CENT (Lat. centum, a hundred), a United States coin of the value of -j-J-g- of a dollar. The act of April 2, 1792, authorized the coin- age of a copper cent weighing 264 grains, and a half cent in proportion. The weight of the cent was reduced by the act of Jan. 14, 1793, to 208 grains, and by the act of Jan. 26, 1796, to 168 grains, the half cent being proportion- ally reduced. The first coinage was executed in 1793. A three-cent coin, three fourths sil- ver and one fourth copper, weighing 12f grains, was authorized by the act of March 3, 1851, to be a legal tender for any sum not exceeding 30 cents. By the act of March 3, 1853, the fineness of this coin was raised to -900, and its weight reduced to ^ of the half dollar, or 11-52 grains. The coinage of the half cent was dis- continued by the act of Feb. 21, 1857, and for the old copper cent was substituted a new coin, composed of 88 per cent, copper and 12 per cent, nickel, weighing 72 grains, which continued to be coined until the act of April 22, 1864, pro- vided for the coinage of the bronze cent, con- sisting of 95 per cent, copper and 5 per cent. tin and zinc, and weighing 48 grains. The same act authorized the coinage of two-cent pieces weighing 96 grains, and made the one- cent and two-cent coins a legal tender for sums not exceeding 10 cents and 20 cents respec- tively. A three-cent coin, three fourths cop- per and one fourth nickel, weighing 30 grains, was authorized by the act of March 3, 1865, which made this coin a legal tender for any sum not exceeding 60 cents. By the same act the one and two-cent coins became each a legal tender to the amount of 4 cents only. The act of May 16, 1866, provided for the coinage of a five-cent piece, three fourths copper and one fourth nickel, weighing 77'16 grains, which was made a legal tender for any sum not ex- ceeding $1. By the act of Feb. 12, 1873, known as the "coinage act of 1873," the issuing of coins of the denomination of cent, except a five-cent piece and a three-cent piece (three fourths copper and one fourth nickel) weighing 77'16 and 30 grains, and a one-cent piece (95 per cent, copper and 5 per cent, tin and zinc) weigh- ing 48 grains, was discontinued, and the coins au- thorized by the act were made " a legal tender, at their nominal value, for any amount not ex- ceeding 25 cents in any one payment." Before the adoption of the constitution, cents were coined under the authority of the confederation at New Haven, in 1787, and about the "same time cents and half cents were coined by local authorities in Vermont and Massachusetts. The number of coins of each kind produced at the mint from its organization to July 30, 1872, is as follows : Five-cent pieces. . . 98,474,000 Three " (nickel) . 25,701,000 " "(silver).. 42,007,490 Two-cent pieces. . . 45,601,000 One " " ...477.911,244 Half " "... 7,985,223 The total number of pieces is 697,679,957, valued at $12,686,013 25. Also, a Canadian copper coin, the multiples of which, pieces of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 cents, are of silver, having a fineness of -925. These coins are worth about 5 per cent, less than those of the United States of corresponding denomination. (See COINS.) CENTAURS, a mythological race of beings, half man and half horse, who were supposed to inhabit the mountains and forests of Thes- saly, where they led a wild and savage life. One legend was that Ixion, having been re- fused all intercourse or fellowship with the human race in consequence of the murder of his father-in-law, Deioneus, was invited by Jupiter to reside on Olympus ; but, forgetful of the rules of hospitality, he attempted to seduce Juno, the wife of his entertainer. A cloud wo- man in the semblance of Juno was substituted in her place, and Ixion boasted that he had tri- umphed over the queen of all the gods. In punishment therefor he was bound to an ever- revolving wheel in the abyss of Tartarus. From this union between Ixion and the phan- tom, according to one form of the legend, the centaurs were directly produced. According to others, the offspring of the union was a being