How Rochester Alumni Earn Their Living Some Comparative Studies Oj Vocational Trends
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What Others Are Saying The following editorial taken from the Cambridge, N. Y. "Post" of December 30th presents a common sense reaction to the propaganda being carried on by advocates of public ownership of industry. "Advocates of public ownership of industry are active in our country and are attacking private electric power development. They claim there should be a Congressional investigation of power companies. There is no reason why Congress should ·not carryon such an investigation if it deems it in the public inter est. On the other hand, there is every reason why agitators should not be permitted, unchallenged to use Congress to bulldoze and bludgeon private industry for their own special ends and as a camouflage designed to encourage the establish nlent of socialistic policies in a free and independent country. "The power companies have been criticized for combining openly to fight the program now under way to put the govern ment into the power business. Why shouldn't any business or industry fight a political attack which would exterminate it? Why should agitation be encouraged to cripple private enter prise in America? Would not private enterprise in the United States be cowardly and failing in its duty to its stockholders, if it did not fight attacks which place in jeopardy the savings of millions of investors? , "Power companies have stated they have no objection to federal or state investigations of their business, but that they wish such investigations conducted in a fair and unbiased manner and by persons not 'politically interested' in the findings. Such an investigation can only result in good to the industry and the public." Rochester Gas &Electric Corp. The University ofRochester College of Arts and Science-Arts Course, leading to degree A. B.; Science Courses, leading to degree B. S. in Mechan ical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Educa tion, Home Economics, Vital Economics, Optometry, and Physical Education. Eastman School of Mus1·c-University Course, leading to de gree B. Mus.; Certificate, Preparatory and special courses. School of Medicine and Dentistry-Provides for usual depart ments of medical study, including the clinical branches; supplemented by Strong Memorial Hospital of 230 beds. University Extention Division-Sessions on afternoons and evenings of academic year; courses of full college credit and special courses. Summer Sessions-Of both College of Arts and Science and Eastman School of Music; courses of full college credit and special courses. For catalogues or further information address The University of Rochester Rochester, N. Y. George W. Steitz Carl N. Steitz Engraving for Social and G. W. Steitz and Son Business Usage Insurance Embossed Letter Heads, social and business Calling Cards, Mono Main 2488 grams, Coats of Arms, Invitations, Announcements, Programs, Menus 815 Wilder Building and the like. Rochester, N. Y. For nearly sixty years Scrantom's have been among the small group of shops producing engraving con- forming to the highest standards of STONE 1444 the art. Samples and sketches on request. w. G. Woodams Coal 783 South Ave. ~crantom'~ IN THE POWERS BUILDING ROCHESTER, N. Y. W. Bert Woodams, '13 Mgr. Table I-Alumni Vocational Summary, 1851-1926 i\griculture ., 0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 73 Architecture 17 Business Advertising 0 ••••• 60 Contracting and Building , . 36 Finance (banker, bank employees, brokers, etc.) 0' •••••••••••••••••••• 102 Insurance and Real Estate . 160 Manufacturing (including employees in factories, a well as managers, but excluding some technical experts clas ified under "Engineering") . 214 Mercantile . 190 Mining and Oil Production . 24 R. R. and Public Utilities Officials . 33 Miscellaneous , . 505 1,324 Consular Service 0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 13 Education College Presidents 18 Teachers in Colleges and Seminaries 199 College Officers 10 Superintendents of Schools 31 Principals of High Schools, Supervisors 141 Teachers in Secondary Schools 184- Principals of Elementary Schools 6 Teachers in Elementary Schools 3 592 Engineering . 188 Journalism and Publicity . 103 Judiciary . 20 Law . 451 Legislature-National or State . 17 Letters-Authors and Actors . 24 Library Work . 7 Medicine and Dentistry . 287 Military Service (as profession only) Army 11 Navy 5 16 Ministry Clergymen 423 Missionaries .. .......................................................... 34 Officers of Religious Organizations, Publications, etc. 26 483 Music and Art .. 0•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 27 Printing and Publishing 34 Professional Sport 1 Public Administrative Offices (municipal, national, etc.) 71 Science (generally excluding professors of science) 74 Social Service, Labor Management, etc. 0••••••••••••••••••••••• 28 Occupation Unknown (either died early or information lacking) 470 4,325 Table II-Cumulative Totals by Decades 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1926 Total % Total % Total %'Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Agriculture .............. 7 31 16 3! 27 3k 36 3 48 2t 59 2; 75 2i 78 21 Business ........................ 35 16! 128 25t 221 25t 324 261 494 29 764 34i 1117 39 1324 4lt Education .................... 39 18! 79 1S! 137 15k 215 171 239 17 385 171 505 17i 592 18! Law ............................ 30 14 83 16t 166 19 242 19~ 323 19 373 16k 432 15 451 14 Medicine ...................... 2 1 22 4i 59 6k 95 7i 149 8! 186 8i 254 9 287 9 Ministry ........... 101 47! 172 34i 256 29! 326 26rr 404 23; 444 20 473 1.6i 483 15 214 500 866 1238 1707 2211 2856 3215 Tabl(III-Separate Totals by Individual Decades 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1926 Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Agriculture 7 3i 9 39 11 3 9 2! 12 21 11 2! 16 2! 3 ~ Business 35 16! 93 32! 9325! 103 27; 170 361 270 53! 35354! 207 57; Education 39 18! 40 14 58 151 78 21 7415t 96 19 12018! 87 241 Law 30 14 5318! 83 22; 7620! 81 17k 50 9k 59 9 19 5! Medicine 2 1 20 7 37 10 36 9! 5411t 37 7! 6810! 33 9! Ministry 101 47! 71 24~ 8423 70 18~ 7816! 40 8 29 4! 10 2~ 214 286 366 372 469 504 645 359 Rochester Revie-w- OF-BY-AND FOR THE ALUMNI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER VOL. VI FEBRUARy-MARCH, 19f18 No.3 How Rochester Alumni Earn Their Living Some Comparative Studies oj Vocational Trends Our frontispiece this month, appearing The survey is of decided interest, however, on the opposite page as any orthodox as indicating the occupational trends, from frontispiece should, does not make a par 1851 to the present day, of the class of ticularly pretty picture. It is quite obvi men represented by the supposedly edu- ously not there for decorative purposes; cated. it is solid meat, rather than garnishment. The array of figures on the opposite page Yet we dare say it will be scanned with is a by-product of the prolonged travail more thorough attention than is accorded which is gradually giving birth to a new the customary half-tone, for the simple edition of our General Alumni Catalogue. reason that it presents in tahular form some These figures purport to cover all of our facts of supposedly general interest to our alumni, by which term we refer both to alumni and others. graduates and to all non-graduates who In this day of college and university attended the College for Men at least one surveys, of earnest stock-taking by educa full year. Of these two classifications there.. tional leaders, of numerous magazine arti have been, according to our best records, cles by captious critics, the liberal arts col 2,655 graduates and 1,550 non-graduates lege is made the butt of many questions, -a total of 4,205, ef whom 3,114 are re foolish and otherwise. They may all be ported to be living. These occupational epitomized, perhaps, in the one que'stion: statistics are unavoidably incomplete, in What, if anything, does a liberal educa asmuch as about one-fifth of our living tion do for a man? In the easily imagined alumni have failed to make any response words of a George Babbitt, "What does to our several appeals for information, and college get you?" some of those replying have not been so Inquiries along this line lead naturally specific regarding their occupations as to curiosity as to what our college gradu might be desired. Nevertheless the figures ates are doing, what practical application represent with reasonahle accuracy the big they have made of their alleged higher majority of our alumni from 1851 to 1926, learning. Hence the interest in occupa inclusive, and may well serve as the basis tional surveys like the accompanying, which for some interesting studies. are supposed to tell us something. It will be noted that the individual oc Interesting If Not Significant cupations reported total 4,325, which num ber is somewhat in excess of the total num Just how much light such a survey ber of alumni. This is explained by the sheds on the question of the definite values fact that in quite a number of cases two of a college education is itself a question, or more occupations have heen followed in the mind of the editor at least. It seems for sufficient periods in mature life to war to us that the chief value of a liberal arts rant two or more classifications for the in education must lie in the training it gives dividuals concerned. When a secondary for better living, for a fuller understand occupation has heen brief or apparently ing and appreciation of life in its varied only preliminary to the individual's life phases-in other words, a well-rounded de work, it has not been separately recorded, velopment. Just how much influence it such distinctions being left to the discrim has on the selection of an actual means of ination of the compiler. livelihood seems questiona:ble, in a large proportion of cases at least.