The Detroit times., 1914-06-27
No Man With Tendency to Deny
Good Things of Life to Him.
self and Family Can Share
in So Wage Plan
WORKERS MUST FIRST
COME CLEAN" OF SLUMS
Auto Makers Staff of Social
Workers is Building Ameri-
can Citizens
BY OTTO McFEELEY
lConNrinhf 1q1AN

bul one oI lne/lateSt amazing things
he has done is TO establish a new
kind OF school
It's the strangest school in the
world This strange school has rs
teachers. Ford's teachers teach
Fords employees how to spend more
money and how to want more OF
lifes good things!
The work is mostly among the
foreign workers Ford told us about
this school and why he started II
during the conference between him
and Judge Neil, the crusader against
child poverty
I'VE want all our people," Ford
was saying, ito desire more and bet.
ter things, and demand a higher stand
ard OF life. They can't have a higher
standard until they demand IT,"
The ideas that have had 70 OPP
pose everywhere" remarked Judge
Neil, ARE that working people should
be taught TO live on less. The en-
ploynent agent OF Sears, Roebuck
Company told me that ne went
TO Hull house in Chicago and asked
the social workers there what amount
is necessary for girl to live in Chi
cago. Those social workers told
him that at that time no such know
ledge was available as they had been
striving TO teach the girls TO live on
less"
AS these two men talked about
teaching mothers and working people
Ito demand more and TO spend more
money, | thought OF the A-B-C con
ference at Niagara Falls. where Next
can peonage is in the balance
A man cannot be efficient" said
Ford, 'and do satisfactory work. If he
does not come 10 the job every morn
ing with health and happiness No
man can do his best work IL he is
worrying about an unpaid rent bill,
or with a loan shark in pursuit of
his wages
I'VE haven't an expert charity
worker in the shop" Ford said But
we have rs supervisors who are I'M
der orders TO go out 10 teach our
people 10 live better and TO want
more. These supervisors have all
worked in our office or shop. They
: have our ideas and are interested In
their work as parts of the shop or
ganization, which is producing ma.
chine, turning out automobiles and
better and happier people
One OF our supervisors can wash
boys face better than any woman"
Eighty per cent have come clean"
This means that they are out of the
slums, out OF the dark rooms. out OF
the starvation habit and on the road
/. 10 fuller and more complete life.
Ford led the way for Neil and my
self to the moving picture studio,
which is an important feature OF the
Ford automobile plant, and showed
us the movie pictures he likes best.
They show a Russian immigrant ar
irving in Detroit: locating in a slum
house. getting a job in the Ford
plant; finally coming clean" all in
year and never again to be satisfied
with less than enough wages for
health and happiness and never again
willing to live on the peon standard
Ford employees cannot get the s.
a day wage until they have come
clean,' as the teachers in this strange
school say In discussing their work.
Have you bought many famous
paintings?" asked Neil, as the pictures
Of the transformation OF the so-called
'wop" we're flashed on the canvas
showing how an American citizen was
created.
greatest painting in the world" re-
piled Ford. II would rather see live,
Dwell fed children playing around their
homes, with their own mothers there
Have you ever thought OF estab-
fishing public hbraries?" asked the
children's Judge.
II want to do what ! can to estap-
fish a library table and case ?
books in every home IN this Sountv.
Neil and I spent the remainder ~
the day with one OF the new school,
teachers. This instructor received
from his principal, the name Of man
who had applied for the So wage"
They went to the home OF this man.
II was a five-room house-two down
and three up.
The man who wanted IS a day lived
with his bride and they slept in the
kitchen. In the other first floor room
we're two beds and four roomers &C.
cupied these. Each of the three
rooms upstairs had double bed and
two roomers occupied each bed
Through the interpreter the bride
was instructed by the Ford teacher
as follows
Clear out the boarders and roomers
Use kitchen for cooking and eating
only.
Buy a library table and book case,
chairs and rug for the first floor front.
Buy rug and clothes-tree for front
hall.
Put her own bed in the front room
upstairs.
Buy bureau and dressing case for
the middle room upstairs.
Use second floor back room for
storage
The next family visited had come
clean" There was the husband, his
young wife and baby. Three months
before ne -hsd hannlied fa-.-'hD' az :
day- 1n,-.
found the family keeping r0ur ,,,,tru-
. ers in one room and the only other
roc in the place was occupied by
abe man. the wife and the infant.
Now there are no boarders. The
. family lives In fourrOom apartment.
The library table is there and book
case--part Of the Ford library move
. ment
Rugs are on the floor. a clean cloth
on the table. The beds are spotless.
a new chiTonier has been bought for
khe master Of the house" and he has