The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-05
MAN VERSUS MACHINERY,
E. A. Ross Addresses a Large
Audience at the Turk.Street
Temple.
A Partial Remedy Suggested in Plan
for Careful, Extensive Manual
Training.

Professor Edward A. Ross of the chair
of economic theory and finance of Stan
ford University lectured to large audi
ence at the Turk-street Socialist Temple
last evening on the subject Man VS.. Ma
chinery."
As preface to the lecture Miss Schuel-
Ter sang, and as an encore rendered a Ger
man selection. The Maennechor sang
"Die Arheitsmann," and by request the
Professor Ross said:
Some years ago 1 had opinions, but 1 have
been student OF economics so long that
now have but two things-sympathies and
conclusions. l do not give my sympathies.
have changed my opinions so many times the
past ten years that | do not consider them
worth anything. Let us regard the question
OF the evening simply as problem.
The tool is more under the command of the
man welding 1t than is the machine under the
control of the man attending it. Machinery is
less under the control of the will than is the
tool.
Machinery has come gradually into use. vet
the nineteenth century is the age of the power
OF machinery. There are those who believe
that this is burst OF inventive geuius that
will never be equaled. Others there be who
think the twentieth century will surpsss it.
How shall we regard this era OF mechanism?
One view is that a certain character OF labor
can be performed by machinery that cannot be
uOue DN any OtHSI mBH1lS. another Is InhL
machinery excuses the employment of human
strength. Surely it is a good thing that the
waters flowing down the Slerras may enable
US to ride about the City. We may say very
truly when machine has been invented that
does the work of 100 men we have practically
100 slaves. 1t is slavery that enslaves no
one, however.
There is difference in the view OF the intro
duction of q machine on the part of the man
who owns ii and the man whom 1t displaces.
A set OF optimists tell us that, while ma
a 8
fits him in the direction of a lessening in the
price OF commodities This is small comfort
to the man who loses dollar a day ii he is
able to get his socks 3 ceuts cheaper pair.
Neither do the optimists give material help by
their theory that there viii be greater de-
mand for goods which the introduction of ma
chinery has made cheaper. That is question
able reasoning. l apprehend that If there
should be great reduction in collins there
would be no inclination on our part to lay in
stock OF collins.
introduction of machinery tends to drive men
over TO other forms of service-in other words
a shifting OF labor from trades employing ma
chimes TO those not yet applying them Men
sure for others more unsteady and precarious,
from the manufacture OF staple articles to
those for which the demand is less certain.
The use OF machinery has tended to either
prolong the days labor or to interfere with its
being shortened.
Machinery tends to restrict the liberty and
a tendency, by the monotony of its service, to
shrivel up the higher powers
Machinery does not deprive lawyer, 81 ply
sician. a newspaper man OF his income. 1t
does not disturb it except that its purchasing
power is increased thereby. 1t is the laborer
whom it drives from the position of skilled
to an unskilled laborer.
A man who does the same character of
work as a mule is in danger of losing his job
through that mule. Likewise, the man who
does such work as may be done by dynamite
may be superseded by dynamite.
Peoples incomes are, becoming more I'M
equal, There is a dispersive power of ma
chinery. The whole system of competition
tends to this end This is no ones fault. No
man is TO blame for the marketvalue OF classes
OF work. 1t is a natural spontaneous evolu-
duced it has been in obedience to some claim
or law of advantage.
Sooner or later society will endeavor to miti-
gate the evils caused by the general use of
machinery. There is no use trying to abolish
machinery. 1t represents mechanical ciyiliza-
ton, and people will object to return to me-
chanical barbarism. l believe socialism or
collectivism can cure the evil, but that, and
that alone, would seem to me like pouring the
baby out with the bath. Society viii, believe,
provide for the manual training of youth to
the point of skill
There were questions and addresses by
some of the members, to which the pro-
lessor replied that the plan of governments
making 500, 600 the maximum limit of the
inventors gain from an invention COM
mends itself to many thoughtful minds.
Often the inventor is the man who puts
the last shingie on the house or the cap
sheaf on the shock Of grain.
The third of the series of lectures will
be given by Morrison j Swift Wednesday.
He proposes TO establish the claim that
Ignorance is the only impeachment to So
Of lion.