Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-08-03

ment, and we are justified In judg-
Ing that the intellectual potentlali-
ties OF the rural forces are quite as
much increased as those of the ma
terial side. Therefore we are furth-
er justified in concluding that the
sources of efficient leadership are not
decreased by the relative shrinkage
in agricultural employment.
So much for the change in agri-
cultural occupation-a loss of nearly
twelve per cent. in thirty years in
relative numbers, gain Of seventy
five per cent. in absolute numbers
and probable gain of $50 per cent
In absolute efficiency, both material
and intellectual
What about that twelve per cent.
relative loss of numbers? Where
have those three and a half million
farm lads found their industrial
homes in the great families of ma
tional occupations? There are four
other chief groups of persons en-
ployed in gainful occupations" OF
these, manufacture leads by rela-
tive net gain of nearly three per
cent. in the thirty years (21.6 per
cent. in 1870 and 244 per cent. in
1900. More than three per cent.
from 1880 to 1890. Since that date
a small relative loss. So small
gain in the thirty years will doubt
less be a disappointment to many
readers who, during the past twenty
years, have read of the wonderful
strides made by manufacture in the
look at the absolute as weii 40 SAo Ino
relative side Of the subject, as we did
of agriculture. This shows a little
over seven million persons (7,O85,-
1922 in 1900, as against about three
millions (2,707,42D engaged in
manufacture and mechanical en-
pigments, in 1870, and a product in
creased from a little over $4,000
100000 to $13, OOO,OOO,O0O Again,
there is no escaping the fact that i'm
provements in machinery have more
than made up for the relatively small
gain in proportion of total wage earn
ers. However, this surprisingly
small net gain OF persons accounts
for about one-fourth of the boys that
have left the far mssince 1870.
The newt smaller group of wage
winners ("Domestic and Personal
Service") shows so little change in
the thirty years as to make it evident
that very few of the farmer boys
have chosen employment in that
group. 1t may, therefore, be ne
have left the farm since 1870.
The next smaller group of wage
("Trade and Transportation shows
the greatest gain of all. Much over
half, nearly two-thirds, of the miss
ing farm lads have chosen employ
ment in the enormously developing
mercantile and transportation indus
tries centering in the chief cities and
branching out into smaller towns and
hamlets of every part Of our great
domain.
The professional workers, although
comprising the smallest group, have
attracted practically all of the rest
of the missing farm boys. About
one-sixth of them have entered pro
fessional Service!" that group that
includes literary workers, lawyers,
physicians, teachers, clergymen, leg
islators and others who contribute
directly to the potentiality of the
civllizing forces of the nation.
If we note the absolute increase of
workers in each group of industries
and compare those advances, two
striking facts appear: /. Agriculture
drops below the position of total
population, thus again indicating its
relative loss. 2. The two groups
having the lesser number of work
ers have each gained almost 800 per
cent. in the thirty years.
Now to recapitulate: From 1870
to 1900 agriculture has made a net
proportional loss of nearly twelve
per cent. as among all persons en-
gagged in gainful occupations. That
is, If the same proportion of all in
come winners were now C1900)
farmers, as in 1870, there would be
nearly three and a half million g.
401, 000) more farmers than there
are. OF these absconding farm lads,
over three fourths of a million (S41,-
OOO) are in manufacture. Almost
exactly two million (2,OO6,OOO) are
in trade and transportation and
little over half a million (523,0OO)
in professional service.
In spite of the relative loss OF
numbers, the potentially of the agri.
cultural element has rather gained
than lost in both physical and mental
force. Quite as evident is the pc.
/ tential gain over gain in numbers, in
manufacture, in trade and transport
tation and in the professions: for
the gain in the number of workers,
large as 1t is, cannot account for the
remarkable output of results that
have contributed so nightly to the
eminent position now held by this
nation among the world powers
| uarnor'u Waalylv