The sun., 1903-12-06
POR A MUSEUM OF SECURITY.
PROJEOT FOR WHICH DIR. STRONG
WANTS $4,000, 900.
one Purpose Would BE to Protect Lhe
and Limb Among WorkinSmeh
~, Another, to Enable Lawmakers 10
Irrislate Wisely for Social Betterment

. -Apother. to Enable Lawmakers TO
Lrxislste wisely for Social Betterment
Three million dollars is the endowment
which the American Institute OF SOCIAL
Service is seeking. to establish its Museum
of Security and Department OF comparative
Legislation.
The Museum of Security would take
for it's model the institution at Amsterdam
supported by the Government OF hoilano'
Another was opened at Berlin last June;
there are smaller ones at Munich and Milan
end things are in motion for the establish
ing of one in Paris.
The museum would contain every ap-
pliance which has ever been invented Tor
The protection of life and limb. The actual
machines would be shown in operation II
necessary to illustrate their Use.
DR.. Josiah Strong. president CT the IN
stitute, has collected many data on acoi-
dents, and feels very strongly on the SUD-
ject
There were more people killed ana
manned on the railroads OF the Inlteo
States In 1902 than In the Boer war he
declared the other day: "over $4,000 OK them'
an army, and not little army, either
And nearly all Of them were employees.
This was in only one OF the hazardous
occupations. Take In addition mining
manufacturing, and the building trades.
and IL is easy to see what an army annually
goes to death or disablement i'll the United
states,
Now il it were merely question OF
the prevention of human suffering the
pushing of the Use of safety appliances
would only take it's place along with hos
pitals, excepting that the prevention OF
suffering is always infinitely to be preferred
10 ts alleviation. But accidents to wage
earners have deep social significance.
"Such victims are usually men in the
prime of life, aud at the height Of their
earning power. They are wealth pro-
ducers.
If they are young they are just beginning
10 repay to society the trouble and expense
OF raising them to maturity. II they are
older, they have a family dependent upon
them for support.
aNearly every one of those $4,000 killed
or injured on the railroads in 1902 repre-
sented some such drain on society. Isn't
Il the part of common sense, as we'll 80 OF
humanity, to try to stop this drain?
Railroad accidents are increasing very
fast in the United States. 1t Is asserted
that this IL due to increase in the traffio,
and consequently, in the number OF en-
ployees.
THAT this is unnecessary is shown BY
the English statistics. There are so per
cent. more employees on English railroads
than there were twenty years ago. and
yet there are only one-sixth as many acci-
dents. owing to their more stringent en-
&,loyers liability laws.
"That brings us straight to the Depart
ment OF Comparative Legislation. Inc
Museum of Security would be vast object
lesson to employers and to the general
public When it was seen what countless
devices could be used for the protection OF
life and limb. 1t would go long way toward
educating public opinion to the point
where 1t would demand their adoption.
But the Importance Of the museum
would be overshadowed by the Department
of Comparative Legislation. Every winter
different States are interested IN some kind
Of legislation for protection from accident.
A Department of Comparative Legislation
would be able to furnish on application
the text of any law existing on that subject.
What is still more important. it could fur
nish the results Of that law.
such department would cover every
field of social legislation. For instance,
suppose Michigan wants a tramp law.
A member of the Legislature sends the
department his bill for criticism. The
replies: Seven States have
tried such and such clause in your bill
and found it unsatisfactory; FIVE States
report the second clause in your bill to
work admirably; and 80 on. Wouldn't
y Loa ~ IN
information to work on!
-As matter of fact every civilized country
on earth is fumblng blindly to-day with
legislation for social betterment, without
any such basis of scientific knowledge to
20 on. State after State and country after
country goes on making the same old mis-
takes, and paying for them in the same
way: with loss Of life, loss of happiness
and loss Of money-all for the want Of ac-
curate, adequate knowledge, which can
be had on call.
sTake, for instance. the good roads move
ment. l have in mind several States that
have legslated very recently on this SUBJ
iect among them New York, New Jersey,
Massa chusetts, Delaware, South Carolina.
Mississippi and West Virginia. Almost all
of them have made different experiments.
Such . department as the one described
would be able to furnish on call an abstract
of every road law in the civilized world
and it's workings, Itwould hasten the day
of good roads in this country by years.
Then take the subject Of child labor.
The Southern States have reached the
point in their industrial development at
which New England arrived some thirty
or forty years ago. They have some Of the
same problems to face that confronted
Lord Shaftesbury when he began his cam
paign for the factory operatives Of England
nearly eighty years ago. They ought to
benefit by the experience Of all those who
have gone before, not 60 on making the
same dreary mistakes over again.
"In fact, the United States Is the great
est experimental Legislative laboratory ever
known. The Governments. like England and
Germany, that legislate for an empire
must go slowly. But here little Delaware
can make new law. Every State can
watch 1t for two years, and il 1t turns out
we'll they can all go and do likewise.
England has one sociological laboratory.
We have fort y-fve. With such an institu-
ton, to collect, interpret and distribute