The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-04-11
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Occupation ~ shown In the Census-De
cline Of Domestic Service.

~ Shown In the Census-De'
cline Of Domestic Service.
The ninth lecture in the census course
now running in the Lowell Institute was
delivered last evening by General
the subject being, The Occu-
patton of the American People" The
value of labor statistics in national GEN.
suses has been recognized in all manu-
featuring countries. One-third of the
last British census report is devoted to
the subject alone. But the difficulties
in classifying and tabu-
lating the great variety Of gainful occu-
patrons are almost infinite. In the
British report, Sir Charles Gibbs gives a
list of the occupations, the names of
which as returned to the bureau would
convey no idea whatever of the nature
of the labor signified to person Of
general education. In America the case
is still " orse, owing to the greater variety
Of labor and the makeshifts OF frontier
settlements. The problems of classifi-
cation are further increased by the
nul4OCI Va SCPdI dtC AuuCtlOuS luCu
by the same person in country and I'M
settled districts, and the caprices of
laborers add still further to the diff
Guilty. For instance, in 1860 an attempt
to classify the different varieties of
domestic servitude brought forth ludi-
crous results. Three hundred and fifty
three cooks were found scattered over
the whole country, and of these New
York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts,
had absolutely none.
The number of residents of the United
States engaged in gainful avocations is
1882, 900, or SAG per cent of the total
population, while of the whole popula-
ton over 10 years of age AZ per cent.
are workers. Students, those incapable
of work from injuries received, and
criminals, are not included in the work
ing population. 1t is noteworthy that
those males who have no occupation,
but live upon their private fortune,
form an Insignificant part of the total
population. The rapid increase of the
proportion of workers in late years is
due to the increase of factories and the
extension of the principle of the d.
tlSlOu Vi ldUOIs uC kOIl CbuSC HAS
been instrumental in bringing women in
the field of labor, and thus largely in
creasing the percentage, while the in-
fluence of the latter cause constantly
creates q new demand for labor.
The number of persons engaged in
agriculture is largely in excess of that
in any other occupation, forming AL
per cent. of the total working popula-
ton. The omission of slave labor in
the seventh and eighth censuses has
left no standard of comparison with the
of labor engaged in cotton production
in the Sout was wholly unrepresented
before 1860. At the present time about
100000 of the 100000 engaged in
agriculture are independent farmers and
planters, nearly 100000 are farm Ia
borers. and 100000 are florists, garden
ers, etc. 1t is safe to assume that ag-
riculture furnishes the means of susie
nance to one-half of the total popula-
ton of the country. A vast increase Of
those engaged in mining has taken
place in late years.
Among the. artisans, carpenters take
lead in numbers. having increased from
100000 in 1850 to $4,000 in 1880.
A reduction in the rate of in
crease is noticed in late years,
however, due to the manufacture
by machinery of doors, sashes, ETC.,
work which was formerly done by the
job. The number of coopers and wheel
wrights has suffered little change since
1850 for similar reasons. Among those
engaged in personal and professional
service, amounting to 4, 424, 000persons,
many grades of labor arc included,
from the lawyer. clergyman. physician,
and teacher on the one hand to the
barber, bootblack, and household
drudge on the other. The number Of
clergymen has increased from 26.842 in
1850 to 64,698 in 1880; lawyers from
%, 939 to 64,137; physicians, from 40,
500 to $4,000; teachers, from $4,000 to
228, 900; dentists, from 1928 to 1884.
There are now 1872 actors, $500 archi-
tects, 1.131 authors and literary men,
1,168 chemists, 1921 civil engineers,
and 12,308 journalists.
In the statistics of domestic service, a
curious fact is Overwhelmingly. that
III Spltc VI tllc luCICdSiuS WOdiuu ohu
prosperity of the American people, the
number Of domestics in proportion to
families has, in nearly all the States,
steadily declined in late years. there
being at present about nine families per
servant on the average. In the good
old days before the war;" when each
Southern plantation was overrun with
blacks of every size, age, and descrip-
ton, the proportion OF domestics was,
of course, high, and even now the
Southern States are well situated in this
matter; but in New England, the Gen.
trail States, and the West the decline in
the rate is unaccountable. In the Paci-
fic States the introduction of Chinese
labor has somewhat raised normally
low proportion. The figures showing
domestic service in England are inter-
esting in this connection. From them
il appears that there are 1887. 900 in
door servants, as against LOG, 900 in
America, while of all females in the
United Kingdom between fifteen and
twenty years of age one-third are do
nestle servants. Boston Herald.