The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-17
Boston Transcript.

life and desire for immunity against dis
ease, accidental death or suicidel
The first investigation of the relation
spending death rates in this country has
Just been completed. We all know that
there are healthy occupations and I'M
healthy occupations, dangerous occupa-
lions and occupations immune to GER
tain extent against accidents, happy occu-
pations and occupations which make life
miserable for their pursuers. No data
have hitherto been collected, however,
which will serve as a substantial basis for
definite statements concerning this mat
ter.
From all States in which physicians are
required to keep careful register of
deaths, the Government has collected
definite figures as to the cause Of each
death and the occupations Of those who
have died. The statistics have been COM
piled Ey Mr.. King, now chief statistician
in charge of the census office, under di-
rection of DR.. j. S. Billings, assistant
surgeon general, U. S. A., retired
The whole Of the employed population
of the area included in the investigation
has been divided, first into males and
females, each sex being subdivided ac-
cording to an interesting classification.
By reference to this classification anyone
may discover his status. The vocations
of the great male army of the employed
are divided into eight grand classes; first,
professional; second, clerical and official;
third, mercantile and trading; fourth,
entertainment; fifth, personal service,
police and military; sixth, laborers and
servants; seventh, manufacturing;
eighth, agricultural, transportation and
other outdoor occupations. Women are
treated separately, the principal heads
under which their occupations are classed
b ing musicians and teachers of music,
teachers, accountants, bookkeepers,
clerks, copyists, laundresses, nurses and
midwiyes, servants, mill and factory en-
ployes, milliners, seamstresses, dressma-
kers and sewing machine operators.
Under the first class of occupied males
are grouped those who may be called pro-
fessional men, including physicians and
surgeons, lawyers, professors, authors,
literary and scientific men, clergymen,
journalists, actors, artists, architects, mu-
scians, teachers and dentists. Bankers,
brokers and officials of companies as well
as newsboys are counted in the clerical
and official class, with stenographers,
clerks, copyists, etc. Apothecaries are
Tod in, hn oil with io1
travellers and all who follow mercantile
pursuits. Saloon keepers, bartenders,
hotel and boarding house proprietors are
grouped under Entertainment, while
BARRIERS, janitors, policemen, military
men, etc., are collected under personal
service" etc.
In what occupations do the greatest
percentages of suicides appear to take
place? Let us see. The figures repre-
senting the relation between occupations
and suicide may be taken to indicate
which of mans daily occupations appears
to inspire the most dissatisfaction or un-
happiness. Out of every 100000 males
employed in the area represented by the
returns, about seventeen commit suicide
every year. Men engaged in personal
service, police and military occupations
those of the fifth class-are to be found to
other class take as whole. This class
includes BARRIERS, janitors, sections, laun-
derers, nurses, policemen, watchmen, de-
tceitves, United States soldiers, sailors
and marines and undertakers. There
appears on the face to be no logical reason
why people of this class should be less
happy or less satisfied with life than
those of other classes. Military men, po-
licemen and BARRIERS have instruments of
death ever at their fingers ends, it is
true, while undertakers, sections and
nurses follow callings which do not bring
them into particularly cheerful or hap
Ply environment. The professional class
is second In rank as to the frequency of
suicides, the clerical and official class
third, the entertainment class fourth, la
borers and servants fifth, manufacturing
and mechanical sixth, mercantile and
trading seventh, and agricultural and
other outdoor class eighth and last. 1t
is reasonable to suppose, therefore, that
followers of outdoor occupations are the
happiest of the eight classes named.
They live nearest nature and breathe the
pure air of the sea or of the open country.
They are not victims of the nervous
shocks, irritations and responsibilities to
which the resident of the city, or to which
the sedentary student, clerk or servant is
subjected.
AS far as the statistics of individual &C.
equations count in the long run, we can
infer that if a man wishes to insure HIM
self, as, far as possible, against tempta-
lions to suicide, he should be steam
railroad employee conductor. brake
man, engineer or fireman-which individ-
uals appear to have the lowest suicide
rate of all occupations considered in de
tail and numbering sufficiently to make
the averages important. There are many
reasons why railroad emp loyes should be
an exceptionally happy class. They have
b constant change of scene, receive good
salaries as rule, take a sufficiency of ex-
ercise and are subjected to the sunshine
and the free air. Going up the scale, in
order of increase of suicides, we next find
hat and cap makers, iron and steel work.
ers, engineers and fremen (not of loco
motives), commercial travellers and sales
men. Judging from their suicide rate,
harness and saddle makers are the most
unhappy of the occupied individuals con-