The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-21
APPLICATION OF
GOLDEN RULE IN
BUSINESS URGED
c. B. Andrews of Chattanooga
Speaks at Meeting of the
UniVerSaIiStS-0utIined
Nash Plan

Declaring that the time to begin
putting the spirit of Christianity in
business is the present time, and
the place in the individual business
of each and every man in this coun-
try, C. S. Andrews of the o. B.
Andrews company of Chattanooga,
addressed a meeting under the au-
spices of the Universalist church at
the Strand theatre last night.
Arthur Nash of the Nash Clothing
factory of Cincinnati, was unable to
come to Birmingham, due to illness.
Mr.. Nash appointed in his place Mr.
Andrews who gave a general survey
of the application of the Golden Rule
to business as adapted by Mr. Nash
in his clothing factory.
Mr.. Andrews. who was presented
by DIR. Charles Clarke of the Univer-
salist church. opened his address by
Genouncing the statement of William
Jennings Bryan, made recently be.
fore a gathering of 1900 school
teachers. to the effect that the teach
luS VI the uOcLflnt Oh tNpiulion was
undermining the laws of God, de-
follow truth as pointed out by the
study of the sciences.
Submerged Tenth.
Does the modern church follow in
the footsteps of Christ in preach
ing to the downtrodden, to the sub
merged tenth that followed Christ in
the early days." asked Mr.. Andrews
I'VE do not want new Bible or
new church. We want feeling Of
Chrsts work in the hearts of the
people and of the teachers. The great
majority of the people that followed
Christ We're of the downtrodden
classes, of the poor. and of the people
in moderate circumstances. Fifty
per cent of the people will not at
tend church today because the mes
sag es preached in the churches are
for the benefit of fashionable pews
on Sunday and are forgotten during
the week"
He next reviewed the appleton Of
Christianity to business. reviewing
business from a historical standpoint,
beginning with the first year of
Christianity. According to Mr., An
drews, the church had the majority
of the wealth; next came the period
from the church by the law OF might.
and all of the riches of the nations
went to the soldiery The present
day methods of conducting business
began with discovery of the power
of steam about 400 years ago. STEAM
was the beginning of new and mod
ern business" said Mr.. Andrews. And
then came the development of the
modern sciences and with them man
has increased in strength from the
pigmy of 100 years ago to the giant
of today"
Industrial Problems
The Industrial problems of today
are more difficult of solving THAI
the question OF war. according to the
speaker. For" he stated, The pres
ent problems of war are based on
modern industry and make it diff
cult to apply Christianity. Business
is warped. Man cannot be success.
full under the present methods of con-
Quoting business unless he has the
fighting spirit"
1.-THE time to begin putting the
spirit of Christianity in business is
now. and the place is your own busl-
ness affairs"
Mr.. Andrews then reviewed the APP
plication of the Golden Rule to bust
ness as applied by MIR. Nash in his
clothing factory.
Golden Rule.
MIR. Nash formerly had his cloth
ing made by letting contracts until
one day he ran across a tradesman In
Cincinnati who operated a sweat
shop. Mr.. Nash made the tradesman
a proposition for manufacturing his
garments. which was accepted. Some
few days later he had occasion to
visit the shop and. after viewing the
distressing conditions under which
the people worked in the shop, de-
termned to adopt the Golden Rule
to this business and to the workers
He bought out the proprietor and
at once doubled the salaries of all
of the employees, asking them to treat
him as he had treated them. There
were representatives of 10 nations in
the shop, a small proportion OF whom
were of the Christian religion. The
employees assured him by the future
actions that they adopt the Golden
Rule policy.
MIR. Nash had no idea of reform
ing the world with his plan, and even
went so far as to begin legal steps
for the dissolution of his company
and retire to a farm. At the end
of four months he discovered that
the production of his company had
increased 200 per cent since the APP
plication of the Golden Rule, all be-
cause he had adopted the plan OF hu-
man relationship between employer
and employe.
Half of Profits
"At the end of six months he set
aside one-half of the profits of the
company for the stockholders and the
other half for the employees. He left
"a. 70 n G n
the method to be used in dividing the
profits among themselves, suggesting
that they divide 1t pro rata on
salary basis. This the employees re-
fused to do, having adopted the Gold
en- Rule system among themselves
and asked that the money be divided
on an hourly working basis.
"The Nash plant operated longer
than any other textile plant in Gin
cinnati after hard times set in. Many
Of the other plants were forced 10
lock out their employees. The Nash
employees, after several months of
work. sent a delegation to Mr.. Nash
asking that he grant them 30-day
leave and employ an equal number
of ex-employes of the other plants,
that had been out of work for some
time.
Follow Example
Again the Golden Rule was work
ing among the employees. The fore
men remained to teach the new oper-
atives the work for few days. At
the expiration of the time the opera
tives who had been long idle had
enough money to carry them over for
a few weeks, If necessary
THE Nash plant is not union
plant, and yet the unions ordered, in
the recent strikes of garment work
ers, that the employees OF the Nash
plant not be molested and be per-
n,itted TO work No time clocks are