The Washington herald., 1921-11-06
CLAIMS PRODIGAL
AMERICA STANDS
In EASY DLENESS
Well Being of Nation De
ponds Upon Extensive
Industrial Machinery.
BUILDING NEEDED
Civilization Could Not Exist
without the Results Of
Construction.

II you and were cast out today
upon q desert island we would i'm
mediately md ourselves confronted
by the three paramount needs of
life, food. clothing and shelter.
Granted satisfaction for these FUN
damentals IL IL probable that our
food would soon be consumed. our
clothing worn out, and our shelter
would be the only one OF the three
necessities to remain, says an edi-
torial IN the Bulletin.
The well-being OF any civilized
nation depends upon the amount OF
surplus energy stored in permanent
productive wealth. We, therefore,
need continually to recognize and
encourage the development of that
important part of our national in
dustrial machinery, which is neces-
ssry not only for building the
shelter, but also for building the
plants which produce the food ana
the clothing as well as the means
of transportation by which these
necessities are made available.
have in mind construction" If /
were to ask you to tell me what
YOU think construction really is,
one of you would probably reply,
housing another plant construc-
ton, commercial building" anoth-
er highways and bridges, railroads
or canals" perhaps Terminals for
rail and ship trafic. or irrigation
and reclamation projects" might
come to mind, while even the
thought of mines and power sta
lions, city sewerage and water sup
ply would be possible.
Yet all OF these are merely divis-
ions or classifcations of a single
industry, and should always be in
|cluded in the thought of the whole.
An understanding OF and q conf
Idence in the indispensable relation
fhtp Of construction TO the sources
Pr our prosperity, and its neces-
ary function In the development of
|ur national wealth IL therefore of
fundamental Importance.
The story Of construction 10 the
Ftory OF civilization. No more an
lent record Of civilized man exists
han was recently uncovered in Tur-
kestan on the site Of the prehIs-
oTic city OF Anau in North Kur-
Han Here, 1900 years ago, cities
rose and fell and other cities were
built upon their ruins.
Unemployment Ancient Problem.
Five thousand years ago EEyp-
Han rulers were struggling with a
problem of unemployed labor not
unlike that which EnglanPs states
men are confronting today and
which they may be compelled to
confront in the near future: they
arrived at the solution of their
power on government works, such
as canals, reservoirs, temples and
pyramids.
Rome added road-buildIng to the
great architectural and construc-
ton development which that ma
ton had in common with Greece,
Her famous roads knitted together
the entire empire and were the
basis of the power of Rome The
still famous aqueducts. vfaducts
COliseums, amphitheaters, and tenn
Piles. remain today the best evil
GPnces of the civilization Of the
world 1000 years ago.
No better example of this exists
than the present need for housing.
We are just beginning to see what
far reaching effects on the health.
the happiness, and the prosperity of
our people this single element in
can have. From a con-
Germ which we have been accus-
toned to think was the business of
the individual, 1t has become the
concern OF the nation. What f.
true of housing is true of every
other element in the industry. Let
our natural development in hign-