The times., 1898-01-02
"social Facts and Forces"

each other. 1T is the analytical principle
which should bind all of US OF all classes
in a unity OF concern FOR each other. II rs
one # the facts pointed out by Washington
GLADDEN. in his volume of lectures, SO ,ial
Facts acc Forces in his discussion Of the
relation of the factory TO life and ii is
his appeal 10 those who are not producers,
either 3 = employer or employed, to give
heed to one "f the veNing enigmas OF mol
err civilization. The factory is the OK
preston of the principle uf association in
rnodern industry. IL has eliminated the
home production; the conditions which
found spinning wheels and hand looms IN
nearly every home. and cardng mill or
frilling-or dressing mill in the neigh
bulllood, under which every man was cap
it;list and labOrer, employer and employ
ed at once. 1t has established condition
in which man is made mere machine; IN
Which children are dra wn away from the
environments of home and are tied downn
thL nerye-shattrTing tendency of noise and
clatter, and the association with nefce,
relentless shapes OF steel that whirl aDd
spin aud smiteall day long; III which'hothers
ale drawn into the same vortex away iroin
their Young and the possibility of home
mbking.
This new factor in life, the factory, has
brought with il much good and much evil
Mr. GLADDEN. il remarkably circumspect in
MS analysis OF tie siiuatiun-truthful ana
faii. III mas greatly increased the wealth
CT the country; il has almost miraculonsly
eIbanced the efficiency OF labor; the poor
est workingn,an is able TO enjoy as 'he
Common comforts OF life many things that
Were laSuries tut a little while ago, eN IN
smone &le well-to-do Glasses; it has iin-
proved the environinG conditions lnder
which labor is performed the author rs
even inclined to believe that the health
of factory laborers is today better than
thai of the same class of labor one hundred
years ago--cerIainly better than the no ne
labDrers today. But there are other ef
efects of the system, about which less pos
IL .venesS can be used. As a social fore
tl," factory draws people together. If the
deepest instinct in our nature is the SOCIAL
instinct, is not the institution which brings
people into closer relations, so far forth,
a good institution? Mr.. GIadden's an
sweI t. his own question is:
Yes. if il does not brin" them into too
close relations. Hermitage is not good,
neither is budding TIE a tory lie Dfien
results in GN GNerCrOWtlng, and that is ut
better ftI morals tnan for health. Good
neignnorl.o Cu requires some 81 ace bet Weeli
neighborS-uot nigh fences, necessarily,
but good margins. Moreover. society rs a
dear lCnefIt Guy tc those Va osenatures are
essentially social Society NOT useful
to lions m hyenas. For the victims of some
conta gious disc 3ses. also. isola tion is better
tnan socitt-. II Then Ilc lscUury brings tC-
eether hose who are of uHsoClal ldtuTe,
and these who 3rc tainted with 'CnlagI-
Gus vices. the effect upon their morals
of brii cmg them together may be the
reverse of beneficial And there can I've
no question tnaJ many such cornn''lnl-i1s.
under the law OF action aud reaction, H1N
worse ana worse continually. corrupt and
corruptlng one anotilcr. vie and aeililiS
one another: the bad Influences keeping
the ascei -oenCy, and carrying the society
steadily downward hy tue graNliation OF
,lapra1ity. And this IS he problem that
must he faced by eE cry man T.o mas any
hing Ia do with Crga niZinG suCh aN
industrial communit Y. Men whD are
brought together IN great industrial estat-t
lishments are sometimes 10 one another
a sa1or OF death unto dea tlt, and are some
times a sax or of life unto lite- i he choice,
the pLrpossi the peTSUI al Ini ilf!tICe IL Tie
employer anG man ger NAV nave nllCh %
do in determining wmch "i iLeke results
will follow
Another of the de;erminate evils of The
factory system is the class distinctions
enrendercd. and the subjugation of the
laborer. Formerly every laborer was
capit;IiSt HIS tools at least were his
pTt3i. NHen eilDlp iht
workmen of former times could do little
work with theif tools on their own account
often he had little land and cultivated
II. Now. however. the factcry worker, Is
a rule. has 40 capital t all; he has no
home of his own; when the mill shuts
down he has nothing to do. nor would il
be possible for him to use. in working Oh
his OWL hook. the skill and fa culty that
st
the thing he las learned to do lis some /
minute part OF a process, and be knows |
nothing about the ether related parts of !
it. The demand, CT absence thereof, OF /
the brain force of a factory laborer. ana
the uninspiring condition Of routine, dwarf
the int llect. The effect on the home
life is intellectually peruicious. The ma
iority Of manufacturing corporations OWL
the tenements- Comfortable as they mas
lie. hired houses are not conducive TO home
life.
The uncertainty OF this form OF life
induces rtstlessness, not to speak Of the
inducement 70 avoid the payment OF bills
which Impermanence begets. system
which takes mother away from her
home and her children at in the morning /
not to return until 6 ia the evening is
faulty, and we may fancy what kind of
wives ard mothers girls viii make whoare
placed in the factory in childhood. II
may be supposed that tae earnings OF the
women and children are added to the
OF tine men and thus increase the
family ircome. but the fact is the women
and children generally drive the rsen out of
business, or at least their competition
brings do wn the wa ges so that the "a rnings
OF the family when husband, Wife, and |
are employed, are apt to be less |
than are tie earnings OF the man in en-
ploymentS which have not bee ii invaded by
the competition OF women and children.
-Afte' al is said, however, we must keep
IL constantly before our minds that the |
factory system is here, nd that IL ha COM. |
TO stay Doubtless there are evils con !
nected With the present administration OF |
this system, our business is TO study
too, there are possibilities OF good I'm tie |
s ysten YLich we must discover and
rather tbs for solitude then the factory
falls ii with the deepest principles Of |
human nature. tut we mast find out
what The Law Of human societyis and see
that the f3cfory conforms to that law.
Mr.. GLADDEN. adva noes the settlement OF |
the employer among HIS employed and tie
establishment OF the bond OF sympathy and |
unity of interest as the first step in asnelio-
ralinS conditions. Another is the reduction
of the hours Of labor.
The I roductiye power or the machinery
IN us, Il Said 10 be doubled by inyentio:l |
and discovery every seven wears. In four
teet IL wousd be quadrup!ed; 10 twenty.
eight ytSrs il would be rnaltipiied eightrold.
Now tie popu alton doubles only once in |
thfrtT wears so II this were true, the pro- 4
sluctive power OF our machinery increases \
more Il an tour times as fast as the poDtl-
ation. II Is II anifcst that the machinery
ran,.0' te ke;It running al the tirna; fr 1. I