The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

YOU THINK YOU'RE WORKING TOO HARD?

THERE ARE NOT AS MANY PEOPLE WORKING TODAY AS YOU MAY
HAVE THOUGHT. AT LEAST NOT ACCORDING TO A RECENT
SURVEY:
THE POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY IS 160 MILLION, BUT THERE
ARE 62 MILLION OVER 6 YEARS OF AGE, LEAVING 98 MILLION
TO DO THE WORK. THE PEOPLE UNDER 21 TOTAL 54 MILLION,
WHICH LEAVES 44 MILLION TO DO THE RESPONSIBLE WORK.
THEN THERE ARE 21 MILLION WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY THE
GOVERNMENT, AND THAT LEAVES ONLY 23 MILLION TO DO
THE REST OF THE WORK. TEN MILLION OF THESE ARE IN THE
ARMED FORCES, LEAVING 13 MILLION TO DO THE WORK.
DEDUCT 12,800,000 THE NUMBER IN STATE AND CITY OFFICES,
AND THAT LEAVES 200 THOUSAND TO DO THE REALLY HARD
WORK. THERE ARE 126 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN HOSPITALS,
INSANE ASYLUMS, ETC., AND THAT LEAVES 74 THOUSANDS WHO
ARE ABLE AND FREE TO WORK.
BUT 62 THOUSAND OF THESE ARE BUMS OR OTHERS WHO WILL NOT
WORK, SO THAT LEAVES 12 THOUSAND TO GET THE WORK DONE.
NOW IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE 11,998
PEOPLE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, SO THAT LEAVES JUST
TWO PEOPLE TO DO ALL THE WORK. AND THAT MEANS YOU
AND ME, BROTHER, AND I'M GETTING TIRED DOING
EVERYTHING MYSELF.

Data entry tech comment: I'M SURE I'VE READ THIS THESIS SOMEWHERE BEFORE, AND

Where learned: DETROIT ; MICHIGAN, ASSUMED

Date learned: NOT GIVEN