The mirror., 1919-12-18
ECONOMIC STAGES OF CIVILIZATION
Perspective Study of Economic Problems of Today Re-
curing Method and Action to Bring About Results.


instead of taking them as nature has
provided them, marks the beginning
of our so-called civilization or what
is known as the handicraft stage.
The first efforts were crude, but, as
man becomes accustomed to making
things, one developes skill along GER
tain lines and we find such artisans
as the blacksmith, weaver, and carpen-
ter, coming into being. At first
these trades were practiced only as
sidelines, agriculture being the chief
occupation of all. AS more skill is
developed, however, we find men de-
voting all their time to the making of
their speciality. This brings us to the
real beginning of trade and COM
merce, for as man begins to devote
all his time to the making of one
class of goods, he must exchange these
goods for the other necessities of life.
As it is not convenient or practicable
for tailor who wants pair of shoes
to find a shoemaker who wants a
coat, we find the merchant class de-
veloping which devotes all its time to
the making of exchanges for others
and with people of other localities.
Early in the history of hand man
ufacture, tradesmen began to organ
ize themselves into guilds. These
guilds regulated the affairs of certain
trade so that there was neither over
nor under the existing demand and,
as result, were able to maintain a
uniform price. There were three
classes in these guilds, masters, jour
neymen, and apprentices. All ex-
pected to be masters some day,
and generally all lived with the mas
ter as members of his household, the
apprentice receiving no other COM
pensation than his keep.
The changing from hand to power
manufacture, and the subsequent de-
velopment of machinery to displace
nearly all the old hand methods,
marks the beginning of our modern
era in economic development. AL
though we find some machines oper-
ated by hand or by some crude water
wheels or windmills before this, the
real beginning of power manufacture
comes with the invention of the steam
engine in 1869. 1t was then as In
gersoll says, "that science plucked a
tear from the check of unskilled labor,
converted it into steam, and created
a giant, which turns, with a tireless
arm, the numberless wheels of toll. |"
AS is true today men looked with
suspicion and antagonism upon any,
thing which threatened to displace
them in their work. Instead of get
ting together, and making the steam
engine work for them, the guilds
elected to fl fght it and anyone who
used it. Before this all were poten-
tial masters in their trade. Now,
every master could not buy an engine
and those more daring who did, soon
built up factories and had the others
working for them. Thus we have the
beginning of the wage system and the
creation of the classes, employer and
employee.
AS machinery and engines were
much more powerful than the old
hand methods, production began to
speed up and, as there was no regula-
ton of any kind, an over production
resulted. Competition developed so
that prices fell and wages had to be
reduced. Many factories were forced
to shut down while in others, the en-
ployment of women and children at
low wages caused riots and destruc-
ton of property. The government fol-
lowed a policy of nom interference
and the unscrupolous manufacturers
were enabled to force wages to a min
imum and avoid any expenditure for
the protection or comfort of their en-
ployees. These conditions were
much worse in England which was
then the principal manufacturing
country of the world, than in the u.
Is. In this country, the old system
was never fully developed, and the
abundance of free land combined with
the adaptibility of American labor,
lprevented conditions such as prevailed
| in England, where pauperism, suffer
| ing and starvation were the rule in
all large manufacturing centers.
/ The outstanding feature of the in
| dividual history of this country, espe-
cially during the last thirty years,
| has been that competition has resulted
in the destruction of the weaker and
| the consolidation of the stronger,
forming great monopolies. These
| have been able to maintain a price
(which gave them good profit, be-