Williams, How it Is Made, How it Is Done, How it Works (Thos.
Nelson & Sons).
Fowler, Starting in Life (Little, Brown & Co.).
Parsons, Choosing a Vocation (Houghton Mifflin Co.).
Carnegie, The Empire of Business, (Doubleday Page & Co.).
CHAPTER XII
GOVERNMENT AS A MEANS OF COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURE
GAINFUL OCCUPATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
According to the census of 1910, somewhat more than 38 million of the 92 million people of our country at that time were engaged in "gainful occupations"; that is, in earning their living and that of the remaining 54 million people who were dependent upon them. Of the 38 million, more than 13 1/2 million were producing wealth directly from the land, in agriculture, forest industries, mining industries, and fishing. About 10 1/2 million were engaged in manufacturing and mechanical trades, by which the materials extracted from the land are transformed into articles of use. The remainder of the "breadwinners" were engaged in trade and transportation, and in professional, personal, and public service.
IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE
Of the 13 1/2 million people gaining their living directly from the land, more than 12 1/2 million were engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the present time (1919) probably one half of the population, including women and children, is directly dependent upon agriculture as a means of livelihood, while the other half, as well, is dependent upon it for food supply and the materials for clothing.