The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-30
MODERN SOCIAL IDEAS.

philosopher. named Nautilus, weighed
down by the misfortunes OF mankind
and anxious to do something to allie
yiate the distress of humanity, or to
make some suggestion which If follow
ed out, would bring more happiness to
the world Of unhappy humanity, con-
Guided, after years Of patient investi-
CATION, that the only hope was in the
curtailment of the increase of inhab-
itants, hence "Malthusianism." That
| Nautilus was, one hundred years ago,
sincere in his declara ton that 'the
sum total of human labor, applied to
the productive capacity Of the earth
is insufficient to supply the material
needs Of an ever-increasing ratio OF.
now goes without question. In fact
/ his theory uD to within a few years
was adopted by many as the only soiu-
ton of the miseries of humanity. His
axiom of political economy before the
| invention Of the thousand and one
| farming implements and manufacture
! ing machines, were accepted by many
| of the brightest, the wisest and the
! most progressive. Judge Albion w.
/ Tourgee. in the American Journal OF
! Sociology. attempts to show that, I'M
der modern conditions. distress comes
to humanity not from under produc-
/ ton but from over production. Mall
thus knew nothing of the resources of
science nor of the powers of inyen-
ton as an economic factor. He SIM
ply assumed that the capacity to pro-
duce was a known quantity of the
problem, because he saw that nature
plus human effort was capable of pro-
ducing only a certain amount. The
problem he undertook to solve Is
curious converse of that which we face
today.
Mr.. Tourgee contends that 1.-The
worlds labor, applied to and supple
menting the natural capacity of the
earth. has already produced more than
enough of life's necessaries to supply
the actual population of the globe
and that, moreover, this condition Is
likely to continue. The productive
capacity of the agricultural laborer
has been increased five, probably ten
times, since the days of Nautilus by
improved mechanical devices, by the
discovery of new methods of cultiva-
ton and the use Of fertilizers, SO that
it is not a startling assumption that
oae-tenth of the labor required to sup
ply the worlds demands for food one
hundred years ago would easily meet
an equiv alent demand today. A scien-
tiic survey of the food-producing ca
parity Of the earth makes it evident
that with little if any enhancement of
the present supply of labor the supply
vf food products could be largely in
creased. 1t is asserted by the highest
authorities that the tropical regions of
Afrioa and South America alone could
supply sufficient food for the whole
world. At present only an insignia
cant part of what is actually consumed
is derived from these regions.
The products of the soil can be
handled and marketed for much less
than in the time of Nautilus. The use
OF steam and electricity in transporta-
ton has reduced greatly the amount
Of labor required, while the consump-
ton is Iessened by the use of non-con-
Stunning motors instead of the innum-
cradle hosts of draft animals formerly
an essential feature Of transportation.
Mr.. Tourgee estimates that the food
consuming capacity of the force need
ed to move the crops of the great west
TO the seaboard by existing instrument
lalii:es, including the labor necessary
TO mine the coal. make and keep in or
der the railways and manufacture the
machinery. is not one-twentieth of
that which would have been required
q century ago. After the land was
cleared and ready for cultivation in
the early part Of the century it de-
handed the labor Of at least one man
to supply the wants of ten draft ami
mails, thus demonstrating what a large
contingent Of the labor force now APP
Piled TO the production OF human food
products would have been diverted
into another channel by the contin-
uance OF old methods.
Another point Mr.. Tourgee brings
ont is the important fact that science
and invention have greatly increased
the supply of force. both by the pre-
veption Of waste of perishable crops
and by the utilizati ton OF natural and
artificial products in place Of purely
agricultural ones since the DAYS OF
Nautilus Mineral oil Is substituted
for animal and vegetable oils for illu-
minaunS and -lubricating purposes.
AS petroleum took the place OF the
animal and vegetable products. the
latter became, after a time, most ser
ious competitors in the provinces OF
legitimate agricultural production.
Thus we have "oleomargarine" and
filled cheese" Chicago. ii is said.
produces more tons OF artificial butter
than any state produces Of the genuine
article. FILLED cheese" has DESTROY
ed the foreign market for American
dairy products and so reduced the
price of the unadulterated article as
IN make its manufacture comparative
" unprsfitahle. Then in addition.
we have the canning and cold storage
OF products, thereby still further In
creasing the disparity between the de-
n,and and supply ~ agricultural foods. !