The New York herald., 1921-02-13
Penalties of Industrial Progress

understanding of the subject he Indicates.
one must know something of all the indus
tries; it is his thesis that 'the industrial
world is as Yninutely connected as a spiders
web SO that contact anywhere means a
vibration everywhere and the rupture of a
single strand may jeopardize the whole
fabric" Accordingly he does not treat any
industry as a unit in itself, but deals with
each as but one of the threads in the eco-
nomic structure of society, and studies II
such with regard to it's effect upon that
structure as whole.
The volume opens with chapter on the
resources of the United States. Starting
with the rather obvious considerations that
national prosperity. to be enduring. must
be- founded upon natural wealth." and that
"the highest degree of opportunity is at
tained in large, wealthy country with a
scanty population" he proceeds to show by
means of statistics that our country is among
the most richly endowed by nature. and that
for that reason. and because of its vast area
it has in the past been "the land of oppor-
tunity." But he issues the timely warning
that It will cease to be such unless halt
is called upon the waste the increase of
population: and he urges that not only
devote more attention to conserving the
wealth we have but that we seek to sell
manufactured goods and keep our raw ma
america may remain what she always has
been. the place where opportunity knocks at
every mans door because the resources that
are the fundamentals of prosperity are
abundant"
Early in the discussion the author calls
attention to the fact that while manufactur-
ing is a new feature in our economic life,
the United States to-day is "the leading
manufacturing nation of the world" What
social changes have been attendant upon this
Transformation? Professor Keir answers the
question thus:
1T is evident that the growth of factory
enterprises has been responsible in a large
measure for the change in the distribution
Of population from rural to urban environ
ment and that the increased racial COM
plexity OF the population is due most fire.
quently to the demand for foreign laborers
On the part of factories"
Manufacturing has been responsible for
changes in the very character of our people
T. has stimulated movement from con-
servatism to radica1ism, for the reason that
the uncertain conditions OF livelihood at
present attendant upon the factory system
produce widespread discomfort among the
laborers. 1t has encouraged a drift from
habits of frugality to those of the spendthrift.
fer the reason that manufactured articles are
relatively so cheap that they are too readily
wasted
have aided In preserving illiteracy in our
industrial regions, where the child labor laws
are generally disobeyed, where the children
frequently receive little or no education.
where often they are too ignorant even to de-
sire an education and where the schools
T,lace such emphasis. upon manual and tech
nical training as almost to crowd out the
cultural subjects.
"One out of every twenty adults living In
the cities of the United States cannot read
or write: one out of every ten country adults
is illiterate." And so It happens that the
United States. first among the nations in
manufacturing, is eighth on the list in lit
eracyi
On the whole. the author is inclined TO re-
gard the situation gravely. I'VE are too
literal" he says. I'm adopting the teaching
OF taking no thought for the morrow Our
resources are squandered recklessly. our
property is not fully used and is carelessly
exposed to unneo~s.ary deterioration, our
time Is frittered away in unproductive rest
lessness, and even our energy has been dssi-
rated without thought OF reckoning Tho
poor have emulated the well to do so II is
doubtful IL our greater plenty of material
things has resulted in larger individual
happiness or marked improvement in wealth
rer capita II manufacturing has aided in
bringing about this situation 1t has not
proved an unmixed blessing"