The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-11-09
WHY is
ENGLAND
FAILING
American WOrkmen Have
Clearer Heads on Them.
A Factor in the Industrial
Competition of Nations,

| tional conditions in our leading states,
including the burning question Of Amer
ican trade supremacy The conclusions
of this article presenting glimpse OF
| how "others see us" can not fail to be
of interest to all American readers.
England and other European coun-
tries are anxiously asking for the causes
Of the commercial supremacy Of the
United States A recent number Of the
English edition Of the "Review Of Re
views" says:
"Cassier's Magazine Gan English peri.
odicaD contains an interesting series Of
short articles by some Of the most promi-
nent engineers and business men 10 the
United States upon the question OF
American competition"
"Most Of the writer's agree in saying
that the American workman is the chief
agent in enabling American manufacture
ers TO take irst place in this world. Mr.
Walter Mcfarland, Of Pittsburg, gives
one important reason for this. He says;
"'It appears that the American work.
men are much better timekeepers and
far less given to dissipation than those
in Great Britain. One Of the hest firms
Of British shipbuilders. which has had
no trouble with its men for years, re-
Gently stated that there 10 q loss OF time
amounting to nearly 20 per cent, due
largely to drunkenness. II anything
approaching these figures is true gener'
ally, there can be no surprise that eng
lish) firms open to competition from well
managed American works should have
hard time.
In inquiring as to the cause Of this
greater sobriety of the American, the
fact appears that twenty years ago busi-
ness interests in the United States paid
no attention to the effect of the bever-
age use Of alcohol or toba eco on work
lug ability. About that time, the now
almost universal study of physiology
which includes with other laws Of health
those which relate to the nature and ef-
iects OF alcoholic drinks and other mar
cotics, began to be a legal requirement
for all pupils in the public schools Of
this country.
During the past ten or fifteen years
the children have been carrying from
the schools to the homes of the 75,000,-
600 people Of the United States the story
OF the evil nature and bad effects Of al
coholc drinks and other narcotics.
As result of the diffusion of this
knowledge the railroads Of the United
States requhe total abstinence of their
employees and fifty per cent OF the en-
poyers Of unskilled labor demand the
same. These requirements, the cordial
acquiescence in them by the employed,
and the commercial supremacy with
this knowledge helped to secure TO the
United States, have been promoted by
the truth taught by the school that al
coholc drinks injure working ability,
The different reception given by work
men to the employers demand for alb
stinence where scientific Temperance is
not taught in the public schools is we'll
illustrated by the following incident.
The manager of tho Borsig factory in
Germany recently posted an order for
bidding the workmen to bring into the
factory beer or other spirituous liquors
or to drink the same during working
hours. The workmen numbering over a
thousand, held a meeting aud objected
TO the order. The next day they con-
spicuously carried in their beer.
During the excitement caused by the
order pamphlet appeared by On old
factory official who affirmed that the
use OF alcoholic drinks was detrimental
TO the laborer's own interest. He re-
ierred to the cleyerness and sobriety OF
tho American workmen which makes
than abs to do very exact and precise
work, which he says is not possible in
German industy because of the drink
ing habits of the laboring classes.
The American workman does not
resent the employers demand for
abstinence becauae he has learned,
often from his child in the publ
schools that alcohol not only duls the
brain but weskens that nerve control
OF muscle that is necessary to tho pre-.
cision essential for fine work
The nomination for knighthood o.
Sir Hiram Maxim, the American born
inventor, for his work in England was
ono OF the last official acts of Queen
Victoria. In an article in the June
number OF "The Worlds Work" Sir
Hiram furnishes indirect testimony to
the same point. While describing the
results OF the English trade union, he
adds;
The English workman spends a great
part OF his earnings in beer, tobacco.
and betting; he has no ambition" or
course not, for beer in dulling the brain
dulls ambition. The American work.
man', he says, wishes to get ON he
accomplishes a great deal more work in
a day than any other work msn in the
world" she does not drink, saws
another English writer.
England ts beginning to see the
difference in results between occasional
talks by temperance advocates to school
children and the systematic graded
public school study of this topic required
by Law in the United States.
Alta recent meeting in Birmingham,
addressed by theArchpishop of Canter-