The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-06-21
Too Many Lawyers and Doctors
Not Enough Educated
Farmers.

The Secretary Of Agriculture said to-
day: "The Department ofsAgricufture is
organizing just now to take farm dem
ons5ration work into the Northern
states. Two classes Of men are re-
quired for this work: First, in each
county first rate farmer who has been
a success on his farm and who under
stands practically, without much theory
except what he may have incidentally
picked up, how to handle the soil. the
plant and tie animal; Second, over
large districts and states different
class Of men is wanted, who have an ag-
ricuitural college training combined
with its application to practice in the
field. AS we read the daily papers ana
see the reports of the thousands Of
young men who are graduated in law
| throughout the country, the reflection
naturally comes, what a pity that the
great demand Of the farm for intelligent
men IS not being more considered by
| our educational institutions. There is
not law work fer more than a small per
cent. Of these young men. No doubt the
education and mental training they
have had will make them brighter men.
but there are no jobs waiting for them,
that is for more Than a very small per
centage Of them, while the fields are
crying aloud for trained men. House
keepers are complaining Of the cost Of
living. Ii would seem 10 be wise for
our educators in their national meetings
to consider these problems. 1t might be
wise to consider about how many Young
| lawyers will be needed in the next year
to take the place Of the older men who
are drOpping'Out. That could be very
easily determined. Then if the atten-
ton Of this class Of students were called
to the demand of the industries for edu-
Gated men, different direction might
be given 20 many young men who seem
to be drawing their bows at venture.
This applies to more than the lawyer.
There are no doubt far more young phy-
sicians being turned out from the edu-
cationaI institutions of the country than
there are patients for. Wrong direction
has been given to the education of many
young men, and yet there is nothing
more difficult to change than the old
systems Of education
I'm his sixth annual report Q91D as
President of the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement Of Teaching, Dr..
Henry S. Pritchett says:
According to the census tables there
were in the United States in 1900, 1872, o.
physicians and surgeons. In the bulletin
on medical education issued by the
Foundation in 1910, it was calculated
after careful Investigation that 1900
graduated annually from the medical
schools would furnish an amply supply
OF new physicians to take the places left
vacant by death and other causes, and to
keep pace with the growth Of popula-
| ton. Assuming, and it is evidently an
| extraVagant assumption, that the prO-
portion Of lawyers to the population
should be as large as the proportion of
PHYSICIANS, LOO graduates annually
from the law schools would be sufficient
to maintain even the present crowded
stage of the legal profession. As mat
ter Of fact, in June, 1910, the number Of
students graduated by the law schools
numbered 4,183; and this takes no ac-
count of the large percentage Of lawyers
who are admitted to the bar without
having received a law school diploma.
| If we place the per capita need Of a law
yer at the same figure as the need of a
physician, and disregard all who enter
the profession without completing sue
cessfully law school course, it is evil
dent that the output of the law schools
of the present day is far in excess Of any
necessary demand
1T is certain that the demand for law
yers and physicians is much more than
met by the professional schools of today
1t is equally certain that the demand for
educated farmers is strikingly neglect
cd"