The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-07-22


and thoughtless mining has enough to
stock fair sized nation; the tmberands, they
lie across Wisconsin and Michigan, hurt our eyes, the
jagged trunks off the line and the vast
of burned lands bring home the folly of eyersh
haste in the earlier days. and then find that much
of free land has been gobbed by sharks and synd
Gates and that have also been letting millions of
horsepower to waste at waterfalls. All this loss
of natural has given of remorse and
already showing the genuineness of pentence
by schemng elaborate plan of conservation Moth
ing could be admirable rebound to
credit.
But shall find, prophesy, that conservation
able stop these points; there is
kind of national resource which stands in need
conservation forests waterpower; that is
nothing less than social productive power This is
form of human energy that vastly to than
all the forests and rivers combined How to utilize that
force the best advantage the problem in the
economics Of any people. Our position and
nation depends that than anything else 1t
will not be constitution admirable that is
patriotism, much that is needed theories
as fine they all are, which will keep strong
nation, and fix place among the topine powers it
will be efficiency in properly and economically apply
ing social productive energy. Already send
ing out call for new science that of national eff
ciency and already feel the pressing need of the dis
covery of the laws that bear this problem If we
are exravagant in Of human resources moth
ing, constitution patriotism
theories. avail to us; nation will be
eliminated
This big problem will be by the
use Of simple analogy mechanics; physicist
has principle which reads work outwork in. I'm 9TH
words this is to that you can't power
of machine than have first put into it. This is the
principle but in actual use never gets much out
put transmission much of the power
lost. And the standard of efficiency in machines
is to the possible power proportionate
the amount put in.
Suppose we now think of society as machine human
DrOdu ia he into tho
of such clothing food houses, education music
pleasure, and what get out of it. The
great aim of craftsmanship then becomes
the social machine to get the maximum out with
minimum of waste. We may lay it down work
ing principle that the efficient nation will that
which produces the most with the least waste of
And may hazard it further principle that in
competition of nations the extravagant and will
be eliminated, inefficient business are
crowded out.
Up to we have left the application direction
of social energy in the hands of captains
dustry. Our theory has been that these are spe
cialists in that line social engineers speak,
would be ables for the task and have
by liberal stake in the outcome Under the circum
stances this the very wsest thing ex
pertinent has had many admirable fruitful results
But arises the question: is this disposal of the
problem adequate for the enlarged and complex
times into which have enlarged? social engine
has been increased in size and completely,
amount of social energy has prodigously,
method
of choosing and managing our social engineers ade
quate? Is not the whole method somewhat
archaic and extravagant like storekeepng in the days
before the cash register bookkeeping? we run
ming social engine like efficient, trained en-
gineers?
1t is interesting to discover that civilized ma
tons wrestling with this very question Those
understand social mechanics beginning to see that
there leakages of power meth
DDS Of utilizing human energy is wastefu in extreme
is of
unrest, which is at this time stirring things up every
where Take England in point; there is great
nation which trusted itself with unlimited confidence tc
its engineers, turned everything them, so tc
speak, and gave them free hand along line But
now that the returns coming in she begins question
the wisdom of all this. There good many million
unemployed there other millions unemployable
there still other millions in pauperism crime in
sanity imbecty, and disease ping up an alarm
ing The English becoming a nation of runts
All this is another of saying that Engand's human
energy power is being wasted rate Right
ly enough she is beginning For the I eat
the clothes and the shelter get, paying
altogether extravagant price"
There indeed is the of it all; the price We usual
ly talk with glib facility about this costing sc
much and much in dollars but dollars don't begin tc
give up real That forever enunciated BY
Thoreau when he said, The of thing is the
of life paid for it. Immediately, long run" That
the root of the whole
And the handspring of the social in this
nation: beginning 10 feel that We
big price in human life for the stuff get are
wasting our natural resources that is the mos
shortsighted all policies because the
goose that lays golden egg. If to have auono
bes and launches today means less intellectual
and moral stamina tomorrow, then tomorrow car
make fewer automobiles steam launches Those wht
protest against the waste of human productive
of the cutting brain are cried dowr
by practical persons sentimenalists;
so degrade national efficiency for private
gain he the Wis
ionaries fanatics they the enemies people
Society cannot eat its cake and have it too.