St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-03-25
DEATHS ON THE DECREASE
A Smaller Percentage Of Mortality
Among Men Engaged in Pro-
fessional Callings.

To the inQuisitive mind statistics are
always interesting and frequently 9
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 a decrease
In the number of deaths among the
whole body from slightly over II per
cent. to about II per cent. in the same
period. Journalists increased in num-
Der II per cent, but the death rate
among them declined from II to Is per
cent. Deaths among lawyers decreased
one-half of l per cent, among mu-
slcians l per cent. and among physi-
clans and surgeons a little over 2 per
cent. All of which serves to show that
II 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, 11O
years for the architects and artists, mu-
sicians $50 years, while the lawyers 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 comparatively slight increase.
but the death rate for their occupation
Increased 5k per cent. over that 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
ly 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
cognizance of this matter and adopt |
preventive measures against the whole |
sale decrease by death in their number, |
or, SO the statistics would seem to in |
dicate, 1t will only be 1856 years until |
clergymen will no longer be able to exist,
for the death percentage would have in
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 per cent. in the last dec
ade, while the increase in deaths among
hem was over per cent. Actresses are
more numerous by per cent, and the
leaths among them have increased
Der cent, thus indicating that in 500
Tears, if this ratio continues, we shall
10 longer have actresses, and men will
once again be compelled to assume fe-
male parts on the stage, as they did
n the days of Shakespeare. The death
ate among women school-teachers is
-.6 per cent. heavier than the increase
n numbers, and among stenographers
md typewriters it is nine-tenths per
'ent. greater. No statistics are given Is
egarding female clerics, so that we are
eft to imagine in horror what they
night have revealed.