The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-05-10
What Others Say.

IMuSlC AS A LABOR STIMULUS.
A manufacturing company in Cana
joharie has introduced music as a
means of provoking its employees into
activity. 1t was noticed that about
four o'clock the men got tired and
listless, and allowed their work to
drag. The difficulty was not in their
disinclination tN earn wages, but to-
ward evening the labor became mon
Iotonous, and mental depression was
followed by mental inertDess. One of
the managers, who was something Of
an expert and philosopher in music,
discovered the tendency to lassitude,
and employed a band to furnish en-
ltertainment in the last hour or two
OF each days work. The effect Is
said to have been marvellous. The
workingmen. found a delightful COM
bination Of labor and entertainment.
The sweet sounds encouraged them,
and their physical vitality was MAIN
tanned to the "knocking-off" time.
This was not, however. an original
device. 1t perhaps came from the
glorious old steamboating days when
there were eight or ten first class
sidewheel steamers plying regularly
between Pittsburg and Cincinnati, and
many others doing local trade between
towns on the great waterway. There
were the Buckeye State, the Keystone
State, the Brilliant, the Hibernia, the
Pittsburg, the Cincinnati, and a num-
ber of other first-class steamers.
whose whistles could be recognized
mile away by the boys all along
shore. from the iron metropolis to
the Queen City.
Steubenville was the home of many
,steamboatmen, Captains, mates,
clerks, stewards, pilots and deck
hands hailed from that town in great
numbers, and there was always a
depression there when the water got
too low for navigation or the river
was frozen up. The landing of n
good boat was never a thing of in
significance, but the craft generally
had fine reception along the water
front, no matter how often 1t came
IThe Buckeye State. a splendid float
Ing establishment for that time, bet
ter than any we have nowadays.
would land at Steubenville on her
down trip every Sunday afternoon
about five o'clock. The wharf and
water street would be congested
with all sorts of people, to witness
the majestic landing of "the fastest
boat that ever went to Pittsburg. The
skillful man in the pilot house knew
me exact spot at which to commence
rounding her up so that she would
gently and gracefully bump against
the wharfboat with her bow I'D
stream. He usually accomplished the
landing without backing. or sputter-
ing, and always got away I'm good
shape, IT was then that the writer
OF this article was as resolute in his
purpose to be "a steamboat pilot as
Roosevelt is In his avoidance of a
Itlird term. How he was diverted in
10 the printing and editing business
-Tfes'-'~ ~ Wv iiybttl ND vi Ine nl1I-
tafions OF time. Perhaps he was
|lHerted from his original desire by
The temptation to become the driver
|of 2 locomotive when the5 railroad
came to town" 1919. 80
The most picturesque life was thei,
on the river. Trips were a novelty.
Society often went afoat. and the
provender was fine. There was al
ways music on big boats, and an al
most permanent feature was the sing
Ing OF the crew as the steamer land
ed or resumed her course In tho
channel. Wheeling had rampant
ambition to share honors with Pitts
burg as a head of navigation. Her
capitalists built splendid craft and
named her the Thomas Swan. Soon
afterward she and the Allegheny en-
gagged In dead away" and prear-
ranged race both leaving Cincinnati
at almost the same momement. II
was Z clO5e ana axcitinU confa.<