The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-19
SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BETTER
MENT" HIS THEME.
The Address Heard by About One Hum
dred manufacturers and Bust
ness Men of the City.

was Social and Industrial Betterment."
His lecture is in the interest Of the organi-
cation which is seeking TO extend its field
Of operations. He was invited to lecture
before the members of the Commercial
Club after the society had suggested to
one of its members that such a talk might
do good
The lecture was interesting throughout,
and was illustrated by means of stereopti-
con pictures taken in the fields and fac
tories, to which he referred at length. Dr.
Tolman was introduced to the gathering
by DR.. George Z. Hunt. secretary of the
Commercial Club. He was much interested
in the South Indianapolis project, and said
it would be an opportunity to put into OPP
GRAFTON some much needed reforms and in
novatiOns. Dr. Tolman said in part
zone of the great needs of the times has
come TO be a point of contact and COM
munication between the many organiza-
tions which, inspired by the growing altru-
lstic spirit, are trying to make their COM
munitles better places to live in II we pront
only by our own experience we learn slow
ly and pay high tuition fee. 1t is much
wiser TO profit by the successes and fall
ures of others and SO get our tuition free.
THE form of industry determines. per-
maps more than any other cause, the type
of civilization.
1.-The industrial revolution. therefore,
which came with the introduction of steam
was sure to be followed by a social reVolu-
ton. Great social changes have already
taken place, and others are to follow, at
tendant on the substitution of the factory
system for home industries, the redistribu-
ton of population and massing ii in cities,
the creation and concentration of capital,
the organization of labor and the like. So
ciety is gradually gaining self-conscious-
ness; i. e., it is becoming aware that its in
terestS are common. that its life is one,
that it's members are members one of an
I'VE need. therefore. social clearing
house; and to supply this need is one of the
chief aims of the League for Social Service
of New York. The experiments OF recent
years have thrown not a little light on
methods of social betterment, but this light
Is, for the most part, diffused. The League
for Social Service of New York is lens to
gather up these scattered rays, focallze
them and reflect them wherever they are
| desired.
AN ENGLISH GROCER.
DIR. Tolman told of the work OF William
II. Lever, a grocer in Bolton, England, who
was one OF the first to realize that 1t was
the work of his employees who had brought
his profits up to s250.0O0 in one year. He
felt he had not earned the money and be
gan figuring on a method by which his
employees might share directly in the bene-
fits of their labor. He established a viii
lsge, which was called Port Sunlight, which
to-day consists Of about six hundred houses
reading rooms, bowling alleys. swimming
pools, schools, entertainment halls, summer
open-air theaters and recreation grounds
The village now represents an expenditure
of 100000
One form of prosperity sharing was a
rental so arranged as to cover taxes, re-
pairs and maintenance. Houses with par
| lor kitchen, scullery, pantry. four bed
rooms and bath rent for u cents a week
Attention was called to the fact that chill
| dren were able to get thorough schooling
| and that there were no saloons IN the VAL
| lage.
DIR. Tolman then reviewed the work OF the
| Cadburys at Bournville, near Birmingham
England; the plants OF the Wesungh4us'
| Air-brake Company, at Wilmerding, Pa.
| the Briar Cliff farms, in Westchester coun-
| ty, New York; the Sherwin- Williams Com
pany. manufacturers of paint, at Cleve
| Pittsburg, Pa, and several other manutac
| turing companies where the question OF
the health comfort and pleasure OF thos'
| there employed has been taken up by tht
members of the company and made great
| factor in the business
! CLEVELAND CHAMBER OF COM
MERGE.
1.-The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce.
he said, through it's industrial committee
organized for this express purpose, was the
first great commercial body in this country
! to start an industrial betterment movement
| for an entire city. The first step was the
engagement OF paid secretary, who began
calling on firms already doing organized
work, in their places of business. and on
! those expressing a desire for cooperation
Some seventy-fve stores and factories in
| been carefully noted, plans for extension
| and development have been gone into, sug
| gestions made and help rendered His
| efforts have been most cordially received
| and there is a pronounced feeling OF interest
| in the work and desire to know more OF
| it's purposes and results.
| such concerted effort on the part of the
! business men will be decisive step III
! the solution of industrial problems. Every
| community has its organized body or bus
\ mess men. If they will set 20 work unanl-
| mously to improve the conditions under
! which their employees work and live indus
| trial problems will adjust themselves. toi
| the express purpose of helping on such q
desire, guiding and shaping the movement
/ if requested, our industrial betterment de-
| partment of the League for Social Service
| was organized. We are here TO help you In
| this great work"
| In discussing betterment movements Or
! Tolman said:
| many centuries, has been in advance of Us
in recognizing the need of Industrial bet
| terment institutions. Many OF the pro-
| moterS of these movements nave oeen mel
| of scholarly attachments, culture and re-
| finement. They worked at these solutions
| because it was pleasure. Then, too, there
!
! to make the world a better place to live in
| ''On the other hand in our country, only
| q generation ago, civil strife paralyzed the
| industries of the Nation. When peace was
| declared every man of affairs devoted his
| whole energy to the building up of his OWL
| affairs. Even then he had hard time tc
/ get along. Most of our business men rose
| from the ranks and won success by their
| untiring energy and push. Many of them
! did not have even common school edu'
| cation. Our population Is so cosmopolitan
| that any feeling of fraternity is slight The
! slow. In our great commercial centers
| are thousands who not only do not speak
| our language, but do not think In term:
| of American ways and customs.
SITUATION CHANGED.
To-day the situation is changed. Oul
Nation is prosperous. We have great cap
tains of industry who have amassed greater
wealth than has ever been heard of in the
! old country. Capital and labor have be-
| come two mighty forces. What is now
needed is a recognition of the identity OF
their interests, and the next step toward
| its realization is to make use of the ex.
/ perience of the older countries in then
| practical forms of industrial betterment
| adapting them TO local conditions.
/ In conslusion the lecturer said: ''YoJ
! business men have not the time 10 WORK
! oft the solution of these problems. From
| these object lessons which have beer
I shown, you can see that we, the League
/ for Social Service, and its monthly review
! Social Service, are flghting your battles by
! bringing about a better feeling a fact
! which will enablue you to carry on your
! enterprises with greater security and har-
1 mony. To bring about this security fol