advancing age, 9 were engaged in the mercantile business, 1 had left to 

 educate his children, 1 was a carpenter, 1 a miller, 2 had left on account 

 of ill-health and 2 were "loafing." 



Of the 21 who are still farming, 17 had merely bought other farms in 

 the neighborhood, 3 had sought cheaper lands in Texas, and 1 had gone to 

 Arkansas. It should be noted that no account is taken here of the 

 naturally shifting tenant class. 



Table VI shows the occupation of 200 country boys, who have grown 

 up in the same neighborhood in the last ten years, and are now between 

 twenty and thirty years old. 



TABLE VI.— OCCUPATION OF 200 COUNTRY BOYS 



Per Cent. 



Number of Total 



Number 



Farmers 145 72 . 5 



Merchants 16 8 



Laborers 15 7.5 



Teachers 8 4 



Railroad men 5 2.5 



Mechanics 3 1.5 



Traveling men 3 1.5 



Manufacturers 2 1 



Ministers 2 1 



Doctors 1 .5 



Total 200 



Table VII shows the occupation of 159 girls who have also grown up 

 in these neighborhoods and are now of the same age. 



TABLE VII— OCCUPATIONS OF 159 COUNTRY GIRLS NOW BETWEEN 

 TWENTY AND THIRTY YEARS OLD 



Per Cent. 

 Occupation Number of Total 



Number 



Farmers' Wives 86 54 . 1 



Wives of men in other occupations 21 13.2 



At home 38 23.9 



Teaching 9 5.7 



Clerks in stores 2 1.2 



Students 3 1.9 



Total 159 



These figures show a healthy preference for the country. The number 

 going to the towns involves no excessive drain upon the country neighbor- 

 hoods. 



Occupation 



The occupation of the people in Gibson County is shown in Table VIII. 



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