Evening star., 1928-03-11
FEWER MEN OF 65 in u. S.
DEPENDENT ON OTHERS
Census Official Explodes Theory That
s. Per Cent Must Turn to Others
for Financial Aid.

bonds: bv the United States War Risk
Insurance Bureau as an argument TO
induce the doughhoys to take out life
insurance. and by the United States
Navy as an argument why boys should
insure their futures from financial de-
pendency by joining the Navy.
This statement is indeed gloomy
and diSheartening. To the lad of Is
about to start life's work 1t holds forth
this alluring forecast! Go forth. young
man! Work. toll. following the scrip
tural injunction and earn your daily
bread by the sweat of your brow! Prac-
tice the usual degree of thrift. economy
and Self-deniai. And when you have
! labored and toiled for half century
increasing your country'S wealth. and
when you have reached the age OF
three score and five years. the chances
are IS out of 100 that you will receive
as Your reward for long life of toll
dependency on friends. relatives or
charity"
What Reports Show.
! A truer statement as to old age de-
pendency. DR.. Edwards believes. is TO be
found in the figures of past census re-"
ports.
According to the twelfth census on oc-
/ cupations, 1913 per cent of the men Of
! the United States IS years of age and
/ over were gainfully occupied in 1890 In
/ 1900 the proportion had dropped to
6S.4 per cent. The occupation statis-
/ tics for the thirteenth census u910)
were not compiled by short age periods.
but at the fourteenth census 1920 6l.3
! per cent of the men IS years of age and
over were returned by the census
enumerators as being gainfully en-
| ployed.
After due allowance is made for the
well known tendency Of old people to
report their former pursuits to census
enumeratorS when in fact they are no
longer gainfully occupied. and when
due allowances are made for all those
cases In which the work performed
was not sufficient In quantity or regu-
larity to constitute 1t 'gainful occupa-
ton in the proper sense of that phrase"
DR.. Edwards adds. 1T is still quite prob
able that so per cent of the men 65
years Of age and over were actually per-
! forming gainful labor with considerable
| regularity in 1920. the time of the last
census taking. Also. 1t Is very probable
that nearly every man of this estimated
so per cent actually and somewhat reg
ularly gainfully occupied was earning
his own support.
Furthermore, 1t must not be for
gotten that many of the men 65 and
over who are no longer at work are liv-
Ing on the fruits of their former labor
and are by no means dependent on
friends, relatives or charity Were
this number added to those actually
and regularly at work. 1t is very likely
that fully so per cent Of the men SIS
years OF age and over are wholly self
supporting
Hats on 10 Older Men.
let us have the facts, Let us do
justice TO our old men! Few OF them
are wealthy. perhaps: possibly not many
OF them possess much of this worlds
goods: the majority OF them may still
be in the harness and have to work for
their living; many of them. II may be.
are. In their turn. dependent on those
they brought into being. nurtured In
infancy and educated. their children,
and some OF them-it is true. regret
have lost out in the struggle for ex.
istence and are now dependent on those
on whom they have no recognized valid
claim-on plain charity: but-hats off
to the men OF 65--to the men who have
given their best TO the development of
their country-to the veterans of the
battles Of life"
The appeal of DR.. Edwards stirred
Oi1c INSURANCE company 10 aCLlOn IN
searching for the basis OF figures its
agents had been using as sales argu-
n1ents. The company had been using
the statement: Taking 100 healthy
men at age Is and following them
through life We find that at age IS, one
will be very rich, four will be wealthy,
five will be supporting themselves by
work and 81 viii be dependent on rela-
tiyes. friends or charity"
/ Referring TO the report on old-age de-
pendency published By the National
| Civic Federation, another insurance
company In the March edition OF its
| bulletin states
/ We promised that we Would read
| through the entire report 10 see whether
! there @as chance for maintaining the
/ truth OF the above figures tthe S5 per
/ cent dependency statement) that are
contained in the March Through Life.
! "Sorry 10 report. men, IL can't be
done. Alba NJ. Edwards. Pm. D., spe-
ciai agent OF the United States Bureau
! Of the Census, has shattered the fable
! completely. So completely. In fact, that
. 1t resembles Humpty Dumpty after his
nomentoIs crash from the wall"