New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-28
ECONOMY AND Waste

The American Association for the Advance
mcnt of Science is in session at Ann Arbor, and
the sections are busily engaged with the more
or less profound and interesting papers sub
mitted to them. Among the essays which have
more than n purely scientific interest was one
read in the section of economic science and
statistics, by Mr.. Edward Atkinson. OF Boston.
The gist of it appears to have been that though
tho material progress Of the United States
during the last half century is unequalled IN
the history of the world. yet if an average Is
taken of ali the wealth of the country there Is
but forty-two cents day for each adult, and
upon this the whole Nation must live. The
section TO which Mr.. Atkinson belongs pro-
poses TO alleviate this sad state OF things by
chcapcning the production of food. and to that
end will devise means for utilizing Abandoned
fields and waste ground, etc. Perhaps to the
people who devote their energies To economic
science and statistics this kind OF thing may
appear practical and Important, but those VINO
are not so trained can hardly he expected to
take the same view of it. There is no doubt a
great deal of waste in the world and great
lack of what may be termed the discipline OF
economy. But when IL Is proposed to counter
act the effects Of this waste by inclOsing more
fields and cheapcning the price OF food, II L.
necessary to ask whether human nature as
factor is really altogether omitted from such
economic speculations.
The other day a number of Socialists paraded
in n great American city, bearing banners in
scribed: 1Our Children Cry for Bread"
report of the excursion in which these banners
were carried subsequently, stated that three
hundred kegs Of beer were consumed OH the
occasion. Now this, though a striking illustn-
Ii u, is really familiar one. Thus we Gud the
working classes annually expanding upon drink
and tobacco sums which If saved would make
them comfortable; aud while yielding to this
sclf-inlulgence they denounce the selfshncss
of capital "a though they themselves were pure
altrusts. But they are only doing In their
way what all the other classes do In theirs, and
this is what the human race always and every
where has done. The plain truth Is that waste
fulncss is so much more natural than thrift
that even the poorest practise IL whenever The
opportunity occurs, untaught by tho sharp
discipline Of constant penury And since 1t
must be presumed that the masses everywhere
will for practically indefinite period remain
incapable of that self-denial which Is the most
direct road to competence it seems n reason
able requirement that our economists and
statisticans should have regard to the personal
equation in working out their estimates and
preparing their specifics.
To cheaper the production of food is doubt
less a philanthropc ind ertaking, but there is
no reason to suppose that If feasible ii would
result in the removal of poverty, inasmuch as it
would have no effect upon the wastoful habits
of the classes whose unthriGt, even more than
circumstances, keeps them poor. Experience
indeed shows that when food is cheap more OF
it Is consumed, Just rs when wages are higher
more money Is spent. When the miners of the
English Black Country made abnormally high
wages, they ate pineapples and drank cham
payne. In flush times, when everybody can
get work and money comes lightly, it is
apt to go lightly, too; ard it would probably
require an almost unthinkable expansion of the
productive area to make food 80 cheap that
dcstituti0n would be abolished. For after all,
destituti0n is not primarily due to the dcarness
of food. In large measure it arises from condi-
tions and circumstances which have no connec-
ton with production. 1t is also often the result
of inherited incapacites; and generally it is in
dependent, save in the most indirect way. of the
Influences dealt with by Mr.. Atkinson. Credit
is due tn him, as to all who earnestly strive TO
help their fellows, but it ought TO be clear that
no Inillenaial change is likely Ia occur until
human character h9a undergone qualifications