The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-30
"soCLAL ENGINEERING"

A new profession is chronicled. 1t is
called social engineering" 1t has for its
purpose the devising of ways and means
for promoting social Intercourse and con
tentment in industrial communities, and
bringing about closer bond of friendship
between employers and employees. 1t is
the function of the social engineer" to
suggest, plan and execute such improve
ments in connection with manufacturing
and other plants as will promote the COM
fort, convenience and well-being of opera
tives. and thus win their firm allegiance to
the establishment by which they are en-
ployed. An association, called the League
of Social Service. has been organized for
the purpose of prosecuting the good work
Gov. Roosevelt, Robert c. Ogden and other
prominent men are connected with the as
sociation.
one of the specialties of the social en-
gineer" is TO plan sanitary homes and viii
lagos, including recreation grounds, for
manufacturing establishments. Another
is to suggest to employers how to improve
the condition of their help. still another is
to bring about a close community of in
terests between capital and labor, by in
ducing capital to provide for the amuse-
ment and recreation of labor. A promoter
of the new profession talked Interestingly
to the New York Times respecting the
departure a few days ago. Among other
things. outlining the scope of the enter
prise, he said:
Perhaps one of the best examples of a
well-conduCted plant is that of Cadbury
Bros at Manchester, Eng. There are l.
500 employees, many of them women and
girls. Wel-equipped recreation grounds,
embracing ten acres of pretty woodland
furnish a delightful resting place Near
by are open-air booths for the men. The
cottages are models of neatness and com
fort. ! have visited many of the manu-
featuring communities in this and other
states, and have pointed out to the manu-
facturers how and where they can improve
the condition of their help. The Cleveland
Cliffs Iron Company has asked us for in
formation which will tend to improve mat
ters at their mines at Ishpeming Mich
The members of the league are our clients
and we improve their property on social
lines And we easily demonstrate how il
can be done For instance, l was called
to the South Bethlehem, Pa. Iron Works
a short time ago. The employees number
1900 | saw many opportunities for i'm
provemenJ and made suggestions to the
managers, which were favorably recelv-
ed. There was a large vacant lot oppo-
site the main mill. l suggested that it be
fitted up as a recreation ground and rest
ing place for the wives and children of the
employees. This was done under our di-
rection, and the owners of the mills have
won the friendship of the women and chill
dren, and that friendship may stand them
in good stead. That Is not profit sharing
but prosperity sharing. There have been
many such instances. A department store
keeper IN Boston wants us TO provide a
private secretary for him. male or female
whose duty it win be to get in close touch
with the help, learn their individual hob
bies.' and do all that can be reasonably
done to crafty them. Such position re-
quires a person of great tact and diplo-
macy 1 doubt if our colleges are turning
out the class from which such people can
be selected But they ought to. The po-
sition really that of a social engineer has
not been filed yet, although a three-year
contract Will be made, and a salary Of
from $3.50 to $500 a year will be paid"
The foregoing is sufficient to indicate the
character of the work. 1t differs from the
attempts at Pullman. H., and DogeviIe,
N. Y, to establish model villages"
which would pay certain cash dividends
to their owners. The field of the social
engineer would seem to be a promising
one. IT Is certainly extensive. II is to be
hoped that the practice of the new pro
fession viii nave the effect of tightening
the ,abors and cares of working people,
and smoothing out many of the rough
places which separate employers and en-
ployes.