The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-30

II there Is any problem that more
than others should he kept out OF .he
chiaroscuro OF academic" discussion
and the m!asmatic mist of socioloGic
theory. is not unemployment It?
Viewed as a casual. individual form
OF distress. 1t has been treated with.
more sentiment than sense by the
apostles OF uplift: while the doctors
Of civic medicine sit at the patients
bedside and choke him with statistic.
A businesslike handling Of this sub
ject. with intent to prescribe for pre-
vention as well as cure. will be found
in out Of Work. "a study OF unemploy-
ment." by FRANCES A. KEILoR put
nams), a pretty complete revision of
a ten ear old book with special refer
ence to the recent hard times In
the last year or i've the shadow of
e has fallen upon many a home
where the uncertainty Of the job had
never before been felt, and in a lam
entably large number the apprehen-
sion has leaped into reality from the
formless realm OF platonic idea" The
old careless American attitude may
we'll be changing under stress OF close
conformation with developing indus
trial conditions. As competition In
the labor market becomes more Sc
we're the easy philosophy of There's
a good time coming always room at
the top" my turn next" suffers In re-
spect Of sustaining power. The essen
tial differentiation between private dis
tresses calling for charitable relief and
industrial phenomena requiring gov
ernmental supervision is the ground
work Of this treatise:
Unemployment Is not yet regarded as
one OF the factors that must he taken into
account In the problem Of Industrial or
ganization, and no adequate provisions
have therefore been made for its repre-
sentation, such az credi, has in the bank
ing system. Investments in the stock ex-
change and capital In boards OF trade.
$50 The unshaksble belief Of the
American In the prosperity OF his coun-
try and the prevalent delusion that every
man willing to work can find steady work
have prevented him from taking stock.
The contention IS that instead Of
localized, scattered cases We have
reached that stage in the relations Of
capital and labor In productive in
dustry where supply and demand do
not flow in easy. natural channels:
where labor now in migratory
masses. influenced by such factors as
seasonal variations in enterprise and
specialization In work: where involun-
tary idleness demands public attcn-
ton even more perhaps than the con-
dition of the unemployables: where
causes rather than results need to be
studied, and where distribution Of the
supply needs some form az economic
assistance. direction and controls: bust
ness. labor and government cooperat-
ing in a task utterly apart from police
dealings with vagrancy. The bread
lines of last winter in New York were
not an isolated social phenomenon,
and even riots and battles elsewhere
arc not the essence of the record:
Had II been possible to take a birds
eye view Of the industrial map of the
country there would have been dis
closed a less obvious, but more con-
slant and more sinister manifestation
In the struggling, confused and dis
organized lines Of casual and seasonal
workers ceaselessly picking their way
over the face Of the United States"
IL the movement sadly different from
the old time, retrospectively romantic
westward ho"? Is 1t true that mo
where else in the world Is there SO
much ground covered in the blind
pursuit of work as in these United
States? The statement. pretty stoutly
REINFORCED with specifications, is some
thing OF a check to the natural pride
in having 50 much ground 10 &c yer"
Some OF the authors findings
and recommendations: Uncmploy-
ment among women. less serious In
volume but more serious in effect than
unemployment among men because of
Its domestic contact. Ia not open to
tho same remedies because Of the lack
Of standards and Industrial organiza-
tim Vocational troiriuu Sor ,nu