River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-03-09
DEATHS ON THE DECREASE
A Smaller Percentage of Mortality
Among Men Engaged in Pro-
fess;onal Callings.

To the inquisitive mind statistics are
always interesting and frequently a
perusal Of them will result in the un-
earthing of facts which are curious
enough to interest even the casual gen.
eral public. One of the bits OF in
formation found in the mortality tables
recently given out by the census de-
partment would seem to indicate, says
the New York Post, that if the death
percentage continues to decrease among
forthcoming generations of professional
men as much as it did in that between
1890 and 1900 it will not be quite cen
fury before men engaged in these oc-
equations will live forever Rather
astonishing, but yet that is exactly the
conclusion one is forced to arrive at by
logical process of reasoning. The only
class exempt from this tempting pros
pect Of unending life are the clergymen,
who are dying now in greater number,
according to these tables, than was the
case in 1890. The total number OF
architects, artists and teachers OF art
in the United States increased nearly
IL per cent during the past decade, but
the mortality figures show decrease
in the number of deaths among the
whole body from slightly over II per
cent. to about IL per cent. in the same
period. Journalists increased in num-
Der II per cent, but the death rate
among them declined from II to 10 per
cent. Deaths among lawyers decreased
one-half of 1 per cent, among mu-
sicianS 1 per cent. and among phySl-
clans and surgeons little over per
cent All of which serves to show that
if one wants to live long he should en-
gage in some professional calling. II
the same decrease holds true in the fu-
ture it will be only about 80 years be-
fore physicians will no longer die; Is
years will bring about the same glori-
Gus condition among journalists, ITO
years for the architects and artists, mu-
sicians $50 years, while thetlawyers will
be compelled to wait 172 years for the
state of ceaseless life among them.
The clergymen are in very bad way,
indeed. Their total number has only
shown a comparatively slight increase,
but the death rate for their occupation
| increased 51a per cent. over tlat OBJ
tanning in the preceding decade. What
ever the cause, whether they are lead
ing more strenuous life or not, they
loom up as the holders Of an extreme
~ dangerous calling-a calling danger
Gus to life. What else may be inferred
from these cold, unyielding figures? It
would be we'll for clergymen to take
LII
preventive measures against the whole
sale decrease by death in their number,
or, so the statistics would seem to in
dictate, it will only be 156 years until
clergymen will no longer be able to exist,
for the death percentage would have in
creased to 100 per cent.
The sad prospect for the clergymen
is also that of women engaged in pro-
fessional occupations. Female musi-
clans and teachers of music increased
in number 2 per cent. in the last dec
ade, while the increase in deaths among
them was over per cent. Actresses are
more numerous by per cent, and the
deaths among them have increased 8
per cent, thus indicating that in 500
years, if this ratio continues, we shall
no longer have actresses, and men will
once again be compelled to assume fe-
male parts on the stage, as they did
in the days of Shakespeare The death
rate among women school-teachers is
1.6 per cent. heavier than the increase
in numbers, and among stenographers
and typewriters it is nine-tenthS per
cent greater, No statistics are given
regarding female clerics, so that we are
left to imagine in horror what they
might have revealed