Living on one's income is becoming as much a part of American economic life as living by factory labor, or by mining, or by manufacturing, or by any other occupation upon which the community depends for its products. The difference between these occupations and living on one's income is that they are relatively menial, and it is relatively respectable, that is, they have won the disapprobation and it has won the approbation of American public opinion. The best general picture of the economic situation that permits a few people to live on their incomes, while the masses of the people work for a living, is contained in the reports of the Federal Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The figures for 1917 ("Statistics of Income for 1917" published August 1919) show that 3,472,890 persons filed returns, making one for each six families in the United States. Almost one half of the total number of returns made in 1917 were from persons whose income was between $1000 and $2000. There were 1,832,132 returns showing incomes of $2000 or more, one for each twelve families in the country. The number of persons receiving the higher incomes is comparatively small. There were 270,666 incomes between $5,000 and $10,000; 30,391 between $10,000 and $25,000; 12,439 between $25,000 and $50,000. There were 432,662 returns (22 for each 1000 families in the United States) showing incomes of $5,000 or over; there were 161,996 returns (8 returns for each 1000 families) showing incomes of $10,000 or over; 49,494 showing incomes of $25,000 and over; 19,103 showing incomes of $50,000 and more. Thus the number of moderate and large incomes, compared with the total population of the country, was minute. The portion of the report that is of particular interest, in so far as the present study is concerned, is that which presents a division of the total net income of those reporting $2,000 or more, into three classes--income from personal service, income from business profits and income from the ownership of property. PERSONAL INCOMES BY SOURCES--1917 _Amount of_ _Per Cent_ _Income_ _of Total_ _Source_ _Income_ 1. Income from personal service; salaries, wages; commission, bonuses, director's fees, etc $ 3,648,437,902 30.21 2. Income from business; business, trade, commerce, partnership, farming, and profits from sales of real estate, stocks, bonds, and other property 3,958,670,028 32.77 3. Income from property; rents and royalties 684,343,399 5.67 Interest on bonds, notes, etc. 936,715,456 7.76 Dividends 2,848,842,499 23.59 Total from Property 4,469,901,354 37.02