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Show How Occupations Change Seventy years is not a relatively long time in the life of a nation such as ours, yet so rapidly have industrial conditions changed . that within the period since 1860 the occupations of the people of the United States have been radically altered. Many trades which formerly provided pro-vided employment for large numbers num-bers have almost disappeared, while others, unheard of seventy years ago, have grown to vast proportions, propor-tions, as shown by census reports recently reviewed. Occupations which have shown a marked reduction in the number of persons employed in proportion to population include those of shop-wood shop-wood workers, marble and stjne cutters, wheelwrights, coopers and blacksmiths. The village blacksmith, black-smith, formerly an unimportant adjunct ad-junct of community life, has almost al-most vanished from many sections. sec-tions. A tremendous increase is shown In the proportion of machinists, while electricians, automobile mechanics, and chauffeurs, airplane artificers and moving picture operatives, all unknown a few decades ago, have taken leading places in the industrial indus-trial scheme. In proportion to population plumb ers have increased nearly 25 times, architects seven times, barbers, hairdressers and manicurists seven sev-en times, dentists four times, Clergymen, Cler-gymen, lawyers and physicians have maintained a fairly steady average, as have carpenters. Few women were employed outside out-side their homes in 1860, except as teachers, so that all engaged In other occupations at present practically prac-tically represent a net gain. What of the future? Will new Inventions again revolutionize industry in-dustry and employment as the automobile, auto-mobile, radio, typewriter, moving pictures, electrical appliances and other epoch-making inventions have done? The question is interesting, and we must wait for the answer, but a safe guess would probably be an affirmative one. |