The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1906-07-19

and worry. the boss sized him up at I
glance and there was no work for hin
In Packingtown. and OEa. whom he had
come . mother.
Then Is recited In THE jungle. a tale
OF gradual and heart-rending downfall
In the wearing out by inches, Of q
strong man Jurgis gets a job in the
terrible fertilizer vaults where HIS head
nearly splits with the poisonous dust
and the sitting fumes Of ammonia
His father dies from the effects Of the
awful speeding up" and the Shiny
wet In which he has 10 work. ankle
deep. Ona. the beautiful. the once
biifhe young bride 10 the
hateful System" and Jurgis. powerful
man that be Is, his strong spirit broken
by the brutality and Irresistible power
Of the bosses. becomes a great gsunt.
hollow eyed ghost OF his former self.
The story is a tale OF the gradual
determination OF a splendid. viriie
European family. ground to death by
a System" by a pitilcss monopoly,
which cares no or not as much
for its workers than il does for the
c~arcasses OF the animals IL converts in
TO food. Incidentally the description
OF this process Is sufficiently revolving
to turn the stomach of the stoutest
beefeater.
OH could Jurgis. and 0na, and the
rest OF them. with their frugality and
their Drawn. and their love OF life and
work. and Joy Of a home. have gone
into some rural district to work out
4A-I- amI4~sE-n ~aH.s /. I4a...-s .4,-r
would have been THE JUNGLE Some
other name for the book would have
been necessary. What II they could
have gotten a dozen acres. or five acres
of good land somewhere and bought II
for what they squandered uselessly for
their house in Packingtown-they were
turned out and the house resold the
FIRST month they failed Of payment
what a different history would have
been told by the author,
What II the great packing trust. in
stead OF killing men and women. should
provide that its employees could live on
an acre of ground each. or a half acre,
out on the great fertile prairies OF
Illinois. quickly reached from the stock
yards by a modern trolley. so that when
they were Of necessity. perhaps. laid
Of for a period OF a week. or six
weeks. or on half time" they would
have a piece Of rich land which they
could tin and raise enough potatoes and
corr aud beans and cabbage to keep
them from starving 10 death. But the
packing trust-Mr. Ogden Armour and
other miliionaires and multi-milllon.
aires-would make less money: 1t
would decrease its dividends perhaps
several per cent. and that Is not TO be
thought Of. BY getting the best out of
n man. all there Is In him In a few
short years. this unnamable Thing can
turn him out and get new blood. III
Is evidently most profitable TO speed a
up to the wrecking point and
then get new men. This process OF
trafickine in human life. coupled with
the abominable and poisonous adultera-
lions and use Of diseased animals
which Mr.. Sinclair describes at first
hand. enables Mr.. Armour and the
others TO make very satisfactory per |
centaEes OF prolific pile up millions
OF dividends a year.
n Is all a very great story. THE
JUNGLE II not a beautiful one. and we'll
worth tho reading. simniy that the
reader may learn something about the
stun we eat. and at what cost OF suf-
fering II Is produced.