Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1915-03-17
SCIENCE AS THE OVERLOAD
OF THE WORLDS INDUSTRY.
BY Frank Rooster, Consulting Engi-
neer, in The Fatherland.

neer, in The Fatherland.
The commanding position which
Germany occupies today in the field
Of applied science is but little real
lied by the general public in other
countries. Engineers and technical
men understand it to some extend,
but ostrich-like, they, for the most
part, seek to conceal the truth even
from themselves.
1t is humiliating for them to ad
nit their failure where German
scientists have succeeded.
Science and Politics.
Yet before scientists of other
countries can hope to compete
with those of Germany, and especial
ly before the scientists and inventors
Of America can hope to do so,
new political policy must be adopted,
AS has been pointed out, great
aggregations of wealth have grown
up in this country which find it to
! their interest TO discourage inven-
tion. Any change means the up
setting of the routine OF profit, and
their occupancy Of the field shuts
out the Independent activities Of the
| inventor and the scientist.
Progress is thus paralyzed, and
the commercial and industrial activ-
tiles of the whole country slackened
as a result Of the indecisive political
policy of the country in dealing with
the situation thus created. The
prosperity of all is affected through
the failure of the citizen to express
his view at the polls in ways which
are calculated to ensure a proper
governmental policy
The example of Germany demon
strates the tremendous result for
good of such q governmental policy.
Germany has long pursued the most
enlightened OF policies towards her
inventors and manufacturers, realiz-
| ing that the true source of her
| greatness was to be found in that
direction, since, wanting in natural
resources, there was no possibility
of her competing with other coun-
tries more literally favored by ma
ture.
Wealth is produced by labor, both
manual and mental, but the greatest
result Of mental labor is invention,
and by means Of inventions great
amounts Of manual labor are saved,
or equal amounts made TO produce
vastly greater results.
Labor multiplied by inventions
| produces greater surplus OF wealth
than that which existed before. This
permits the enjoyment by the whole
people of comforts and luxuries
which were not previously obtain
able. Before the invention of hayest-
ing machines, wheat was more eX-
I pensive to harvest than since and
! bread was dearer. Today tho
enormous daily saving in the cost OF
bread permits the public to enjoy
luxuries which would not have been
possible had no such machinery
been invented
The German Government Ecourages
Science and Invention.
The policy of the German govern
ment has been to put this obvious
but fundamental precept of political
economy into operation in every
possible field. II has created a
/ tremendous national force out af a
commonplace of the text books In
other countries the text has remain
ed in the text books.
Perhaps the most conspicuous
success of the policy is seen in the
chemical field. German chemists
under the stimulus OF governmental
announcement, both directly
through the offering of prizes, the
governmental support of technical
schools, the unbound provision Of
laboratory facilities and the protec-
tion of the inventor-chemists, and
indirectly, through the general policy
of ENCOURAGEMENT of new inventions
by the extension of banking credit
and otherwise, have out-distanced
the world.
The achievements of her chcmist2
have enabled Germany, from a lump
Of insignificant value to produce
coke, gas. coal tar. benzol, and
various coal-tar products such as
anilin and alazarin dyes, pharma-
ceutical preparations like aspirin
and phenacetin, saccharin and var
ious oils.
Thus, thanks to Germany's policy,
| the low grade raw material, coal,
once useful for fuel, now efforts the
world the most beautiful and useful
| dyes, important medicinal remedies,
super-sugar oils for various pur-
poses. a cheap and highly useful
| substitute for gasoline for automo-
bile and motors; besides. retaining
in the form of coke, all its values for
fuel purposes.
Countries without definite policy
Of governmental announcement OF
; the arts and sciences now pay tribute
to German progress. In the United
States, for example. over q million
men were thrown out of work in the
cloth endustry alone, at the beginn-
I ing of the war, by the inability Of our
chemicals used in the processes Of
various manufactures here. America,
is, indeed, far more dependent upon
Germany for materials Of manufac-
/ turo than Germany is on this coun-
! try for raw materials.
The politely of governmental in
! activity worked very well as long as
no country adopted policy OF
activity, but now that Germany has
, taken the initiative, other countries
must follow suit or be badly worst
ed in the struggle for commercial
! suDremacy which eventually results