The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-05-11
MODERN INDUSTRY
The Immense Debt 1t Owes to
the Science of Chemistry.
A VITAL FORCE IN BUSINESS.


Does Not Rest Fundamentally Upon
Chemical Control.
Six gentlemen gathered round a Ia
BILE on which were displayed a steel
rail-. waterproof shoe. fifty cent
necktie and q tin Of preserved beef.
Each claimed credit for creating these
commodities.
"All are products of our wonderful
factory system said the manufactur-
er. "My foresight built the factory,
and my management keeps 1t going"
How about money!" protested the
banker. where would your factory
be without my financial aid?'
The third man was an engineer.
Neither factory nor finance would
have been of much account without
my professional ability in working out
processes he asserted. Each Of
these articles embodies hundreds OF
engineering problems which | have
solved"
"All production rests ON labor" de-
ciared a workman In cap and over
hls. If | walk out of your factory
everything stops"
II built up the consuming demand
for your stuff" chipped in the sales
man.
Finally the sixth man spoke.
81 am chemist" he said, land
these are all chemical products All
industry today is three-fourths chem
ical. You may think that your steel
rail was made in furnaces and mills
by purely mechanical processes, but
from start TO finish it depends on
chemical exactness in materials and
manipulation. and If the chemistry is
lacking the rail breaks. That chrome
tanned shoe is chemical achievement
Chrome tanning is a chemically exact
process. The necktie is made of artif-
cial silk, chemical imitation that is
at once cheap, good looking and use
full As for your can of beef the lack
ing industry has been built up on
chemical research. and this meat was
probably paid for with chemical by
products. Gentlemen. three-fourths of
all our manufacturing today is chem
ical at bottom, and you must recognize
| tnat fact If you are going to extend
your business and continue to make
money"
Enter vital new factor in American
industry chemical control
| Look at our manufacturing plants
through the eyes of the chemist and
products that you had supposed were
entirely mechanical in their nature.
such as building materials, metals, ma
chinery, and the like, become products
of the laboratory The food you eat.
the beverages you drink, the clothes
! you wear. the tools you use. your
| playthings and studies and the power.
heat and light that keep you comforta-
BILE in the modern world-in every one
! Of them Is subtle chemical supervision.
1t is an exceptional process or plant
nowadays that does not rest funda-
| mentally on chemical control. and II
you find one that does not something
is probably the matter with 1t for that
very reason
Here Is another way of illustrating
chemical control:
Everybody knows that much has
| been accomplished In the past few
years by intelligent study of people In
| industry-the workers. A manager
understands that his people have diff
| ferences of temperament, education.
| brains. strength. likes and dislikes. He
uses their natural abilities as far as
i, possible and, when these are too pro-
nounced i'm certain direction, may
check one against another. as by har-
Messing careless energy and cautious
| experience together Even differences
/ Of nationality, politics and religion can
be harmoniZed to increase output, raise
! earnings, cut costs and abolish waste
and accidents.
Now comes the chemist and insists
that the materials Of industry are just
about like the people. They are tenn
peramentai They have warm likes
and dislikes for each other. Some are
energetic and some sluggish. They diff
fer with mass, temperature, time, and
| so on Their differences are as subtle
as human WITNESSES. being detected
only with the microscope or delicate
| TedCIiOuS III many SdoeS' 1he Sielh-
list aims to bring about with materials
! the same balance and working har
mony that the manager of employees
brings about with human beings.
We must all get acquainted with each
other on this new basis, says the chem
ist. Bankers and business men must
get the chemical viewpoint and learn
to pass ON chemical values. They now
call in the engineer for professional
guidance when they make Investments
and start new enterprises. They must
learn to call in the chemist in the
same way and use his knowledge in
clearing up technical problems. Their
relation with the engineer was not es-
tablished I'm day.
A similar relation with the chemist
will take time. For the present they
should cultivate an acquaintance with
chemist and chemical literature.
The chemist, on his part, recognizes
that he has been too closely absorbed
i'm his profession and that he must now