The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1906-08-14
A Great Revolution
Silent But Significant.

ur.ain +o memor ~ mem ow in middle life Or but little past it, vast and
farreaching changes have come in the methods of the industlala d e0m"ef'N a
achvit es of this country. These char gs amount o a EVOLUTION, and tmy al
feet every calling in which human Icing are engaged. This revolution has been
very rapid, ard yet so gradual ard silent that, while we all sec its eheets rev
perhaps rte its progress and appreciate its import. 1t has brought a pr0aglou
enlargement, not only hut a REIMBURSEMENT of the eure 0nmleN machinery
of the country and of every business ard pursuit which men follow.
And the change is lot merely industrial ard commercial; it is also profound
ly social and moral In a large part due to the mulhtudlnous Inventions "hph
the last few years. have brought. The forces of nature have been caught, tanned,
hameseda and made to do the work of man, and have SO multiplied nat work
that now m man, by the sknful use Of an ingcnnusy contrived DOL OF ma
would have REQUIRED ter, twenty, perhaps fifty men to do. In fact, he "a do
work which men could Tot do at all by their unaided strength.
One resut is that the little concern, whether shop store, mill, factory, rail
road or wbat rot. can II Ir ger live. The big concern eats it up The small
mar, in whatevtr lire of work, must give up or sell out to the big one and then
get a job with him if he cn A few years ago therew were tens o. thousands OF
little shops all ov the land, where individual mechanics IN various mes were
busy at work for themselves. Now they are out Of business. Great establish
like thoss of Wanramaker, Field and the like have put scores of smaller
merchants ut # business. The little shop, mill, factory, railroad and the like
car o longer dard alone. Even thu a1tle school an tn hue cnurchn mas a Dt
Ano.her r suit still is the evernarrovings specialization of every shape and
form of human activity. Every kind of industry, wen in thu socaned learned
Professions. is runnig to specnltes. Every ia who expects to accomplish
much in any lire must lie asort of expert. If not, tn n somebody else can do his
work bettert than he can, ard he vii. he out. He learns to do just ne thing, it
may tie a very little thing, and that only, and Don he is unable to do anything
else. The oldfashored village blacksmith could do almost anything in iron
work. He could shoe a horse, making the shoes and nails himself; he could make
or mend almost any tcoL implement or other article of iron used in the shop or
the home or farm. Now h. ear shoe a horse, using shoes and nails made for him
in the mill Ard that is about all he can do.
The shoemaker could take the leather and turn nut the finished product all
ready for the foot, ard all with his W hands. Nw in the big factory the shoe
from l. ather to the foot passes through a great number of hands, each doing
IN oe little thrg to it in its progress. Each is axle to do that ne thing and
nothing else in the word. The odfashoned shoemaker has egenerated into the
cobbl ], ard whore the next generation of cobtlers is ito come from W do not
know, as nobody is learning the trade Now if any new adjustment of the bust
nesso r a new invent on puts this specialist nut of his job he is helpless; he might
almost rs well have + o hands, as he car do nothing exetp thato ne thing, and
now that me thing is dore ty a new machine. This revolution hs. reached every
industry from the smal Tests shop where al individual tolls by himself up to Ia
great iron mill or railway. 1t reaches every IN who does anything, whether Dig
grg in the street or teaching school, or prachcing in court, or managing SOM
great corporations. He must lie allie to do that particular work as a expert, or
somebody else will get his job. And this very experiences makes him unable to
do anything ee. 1t narrows and dwarfs him. This means much. The only thing
we can do is wis b, patiently ard resolutdy to adjust ourselves to its stern
conditions and imperiors demards-san Jose Mercury