Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-05
INDUSTRY GAINING
ON AGRICULTURE
"White- Collar" Workers In.
crease More Rapidly
Than Laborers.
BY JOHN +. SINCLAIR.

BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 5.-Dr. w. r.
Ogburn, professor of sociology at the
University Of Chicago, has Just COM
changing civilization in the United
States since 1850.
His book Social Changes in 1928"
shows our altered family life, the growth
Of manufacturing and the decline Of
agriculture.
He sees the family losing its functions
to industry and the state and he points
out that recreation Is fast becoming q
vast commercial activity. The large
number Of foot ball and base ball fans
is evidence of that fact.
Our social classes are rapidly chang
ing. The white collar" class is in
creasing more rapidly than the labor
ing classes. For each laborer looks
ahead to the clerical or professional
class, whose ranks his children help to
swell.
The census of 1920 shows for the first
time that manufacturing engaged a
larger part of the working population
than did agriculture. Nevertheless 40
per cent Of the workers now are oc-
cupied In trading, transporting and
clerical work.
1.-THE great wealth In the United
States finds expression in more expen-
sive standards Of living. Our pioneer
fathers were scarcely familiar with den
lists, bathrooms, refrigerators and news
papers. Today, these are necessities -
DR.. Ogburn says.
On the diverse side, expenses Of death
and burial have also increased. From
1870 to 1920, the number of undertakers
ca In1 n~
rapidly as the general population"
Our intellectual and artistic wants
have given employment to larger
number Of workers. Newspaper carriers
have increased 300 per cent Librarians
5000 per cent, while musicians and
teachers Of music are seven times as
numerous as in 1870.
The automobile has been responsible
for 500 per cent increase in chauf-
feurs between 10000 and a TOO per
cent increase in garage keepers.
Our changed habits and customs have
caused interesting shifts in occupations
Candymakers have increased % per
cent, while bobbed hair has been re-
Sponsible for a drop of So per cent in
the number Of comb and hairpin max
er3. BARRIERS have increased eightfold.
Thus, "our budgets are including
more and more expensive items. With
new inventions, we are acquiring new
habits and losing old ones"
What would Benjamin Franklin think
Of America today?
Who says there is no romance and
art in pipe-covering?
The story of young Elof Wedin,
Swedish pipe of Minneapolis,
under the overalls Of a laborer.
Porn in q small VILLAGE in GuyodaY1
his father died when he was 4 and his
mother when he was 8. At the age of
II he came to America.
He spent two years pipe-covering in
Chicago, and at night studied art.
Sketching is Unborn with him. He does
not remember when he began.
Now living at Minneapolis, he works
as a pipe-coverer in the Foshay Tower
and continues his sketching during his
off-hours. He is a laborer by day ane
an artist on Saturdays and Sundays.
This 27-year-old lad looks every bit
the artist that he is. Even in his work
clothes. his keen, piercing eyes shine out
from under his work cap, and the dirt
and CRIME of his pipe-covering work
are unable to conceal the long tapering
fingers-the hands Of the artist.
Tall, gaunt, he stands with features
as clear cut as if carved out of marble.
The Roman nose, the determined chin
and the high forehead over which thick
wisps of curly yellow hair dangle care
lessly-au bespeak much greater things
for him than lowly pipe-coverer.
why don't you go into commercial
art work instead of working as day
laborer?"
He smiled rather sadly, as if plying
the questioner for being so mercenary.
"Oh, I couldn't do that. 1t would
kill my love of fine art. I just cannot
mix the two together. How can paint
from my soul when know my work
will be used merely to sell goods?
Il don't want to give up my job Of
pipe covering. 1t brings me to my art
with renewed freshness and zest. I
have time then to think out my sub
ject--so when start to put it on can
vas find the theme worked out"
He is genius for character sketches.
The very souls of the persons he paints
are revealed by his skillful brush on the
canvas.
The world should hear more of Elof
Wedin!
The skyscraper is distinctly an Amer
lean institution. A few countries are