The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-06

grave. In the factories Of every kind the
| same conditions prevafl-the man. WON.
occupation will stay at that work his
| whole life long.
Operatives seldom change from one
town to another, or even from one factory
| to another. Employers over there are
| more closely organized than in the United
States, and when they say they will pay a
| certain sum for q certain work. their en-
ployes not only know that they cannot
but that they would be refused employ
ment altogether unless they had a dis
charge card from their former master.
In the machine would lie the home
manufacturers only hope, were 1t not for
| a peculiar idea that foreigners have about
the style and fashion of goods. They
cannot understand why the same old pat
terms do not sell as well this year, or
| ten years from now as they did last
year. If certain kind OF, pottery. they
say, was pretty fifty years ago, why Is
| 1t not pretty now?
This question they always decide
wrongly and there is way in which the
American manufacturer can win. He
must not only keep up with the foreigner,
in every detail of his manufacture. 1t Is
| only the new that will bring the price
| both here and abroad and II the competl-
| ton is reiegatcd to the old styles the
home product will find a sale in spite OF
its higher price. for it is new and novel.
FOREIGN SHOEMAKER
| STICKS TO HIS LAST.
Take American shoes. for example.
| The German bootmaker sticks to his last
and 1t is the same that his fathers cob
bled from 100 years ago. Ill-fltting. I'M
calmly and nothing of comfort or beauty
about 1t. yet he still sticks to II. But
the American shoe was exploited in the
Berlin market and the German shoemaker
will have nothing to do but mendlng I'M
less he mends his ways and tries to make
and l might say st. Louis manufacturer.
for most Of the shoes with the American
label come from st. Louis.
while the German made made articles SGi are S Of:
fered without takers at from to 8
marks, or $1.5o to s.. yet the trade is
scarcely kept supplied.
~, 1T is not the fault of the German ma
ton. as Germany deserves great credit
for her effort to educate her manufactur-
ers. but Of the individual. It is always
labor-saving device is introduced.
Il had some trouble in getting into the
factories and were 1t not that they knew
me as a buyer rather than as a manu-
seeing or learning what wanted to find
out. They fear the American for his
energy which they cannot understand. To-
morrow Is as frequently heard in Eng
Spain.
II had for guide to the interior indus
tiles Of Germany a young man from Ber-
lin. He travelled with me for only
week. when he gave up in despair. made
him get up one morning at to catch a
train after he had gone to bed at r. and
cans always did things. 1 told him 1t was,
and he shook his head.
II guess l don't want to como to
America. after all. If that is the way they
THE American is not the most feared by
the foreign manufacturer. Their horror
know the American trusts in his machines
and in them alone. but the Japanese has
both the cheap labor and the machine.
and he is hustler of the same character
as the American.
"a Japanese went to a French pottery.
I was told. and. under pretext that he
wanted to buy a full line Of their wares.
full line OF his Isl product. The expected or
ders did not arrive from Japan, but
year later the French manufacturer had
the s,a Of seeing his own line under.
tie Japanese.
MUCH INTEREST
IN WORLDS FAIR.
II found great interest taken all over
Europe in the Worlds Fair. and almost
the first question asked when it was
learned that I came from st. Louis was.
How is the Worlds Fair getting along?
and will you be able to take care Of us
when we conner
UNLESS the transportation companies
repeat their blunder Of raising the rates.
as they did in 1893. there will be an enor-
nous number Of Europeans come to the
United States next year. and St. Louis
will be their objective point
THE United States Is stimulus to the
whole world. Our energy and enterprise
they cannot understand. though in some
cases they try to emulate US. and fall
only through their lack of understanding
of the way We go about things.
IAN Englishman whom met told mo OF
an incident that, to his mind, was intense.
ly representative of the United States and
its trend. He was passing along street
near a schoolhouse one morning as the
children were going to school. Stopping
little fellow. the Englishman asked him
his age. Going on g. was the reply: An
other was going on TO- while still an
other was only going on g.
THAT told me the reason for Ameri-
cas- greatness said the Englishman
None Of the children even were certain
age; they were all going on to something
better with determination to get there.
II heard no better reason advanced for
americas greatness" said Mr.. Bryant,
ethan that reported by the Englishman OF
the schoolboys who were going on.