Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-07-20

and worry, the boss sized him up at a
glance and there was no work for him
in Packingtown, and Ona. whom he had
married meantime was about to be-
come mother.
Then is recited in THE JUNGLE, tale
of gradual and heart-rending downfall
in the wearing out by inches, Of a
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 to work, ankle
deep. 0na, the beautiful, the once
blithe young bride succumDs to the
hateful System" and Jurgis, powerful
man that he is, his strong spirit broken
by the brutality and irresistible power
of the bosses. becomes a great gaunt,
hollow eyed ghost of his former self.
The story is tale Of the gradual
determination Of a splendid, virile
European family, ground to death by
System" by a pitiless monopoly,
which cares no more or not as much
for its workers than it does for the
carcasses Of the animals it converts in
to food. Incidentally the description
of this process is sufficiently revolving
to turn the stomach Of the sIoutest
beefeater.
Oh! could Jurgis, and Ona, and the
rest Of them, with their frugality and
their Drawn, and their love of life and
work, and joy Of home, have gone
into some rural district to work out
their salvation, what different story
would have been THE JUNGLE. Some
other name for the book would have
been necessary, What If they could
have gotten dozen acres, or five acres
Of good land somewhere and bought it
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 if 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 half acre,
out on the great fertile prairies of
Illinois, quickly reached from the stock
yards by modern trolley, so that when
they were of necessity, perhaps, "laid
off" for a period Of a week, or six
weeks, or on "half time" they would
have a piece of rich land which they
could till and raise enough potatoes and
corn and beans and cabbage to keeu
them from starving to death. But the
packing trust-Mr. Ogden Armour and
other millionaires and multi-million
aires-would make less money; II
would decrease its dividends perhaps
several per cent, and that is not to be
thought Of. By getting the best out oil
IA man, all there is in him in few
} short years, this unnamable Thing car
turn him out and get new blood. Il
is evidently most profitable to speed {
} man up" to the wrecking point ant
then get new men. This process o.
traficking in human life, coupled will
: the abominable and poisonous adultera
lions and use Of diseased animals
. which Mr.. Sinclair describes at frs
hand, enables Mr.. Armour and tn,
others to make very satisfactory per
centages OF prolific pile up million
. OF dividends year.
It is all a very great story, TIL
: JUNGLE If not beautiful one, and wei
D worth the reading. simply that tn
: reader may learn something about tn
, stuff we eat, and at what cost OF SUI
!. fering It is produced.