The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-26
The Story of An Elusive Personality

Henry Ford has his own ideas. They
are not of the conventional sort.
Few of his ideas are. His theory
that wealth should be amassed in 4
way that will not create poverty,
and SO make charity necessary; that
the profits of industry are not 50
much of a private and personal af-
fair as to justify any one man in
making even a philanthropic distri-l
button of them; that the proper dis
position of such profits is to put them
back into industry for the benefit of
labor. is a theory so near funda-
mentally sound that I can not see
much to justify the criticism that is
made of it. Its weakness. it appears
to me, is that it overlooks the fact
that we have. not yet reached the in
dustrial millennium in which there is
work for all all the time; that ac-
cident or old age may render even a
Ford employee helpless in the strug-
gle for existence that there are
thousands of people in this world
now, and thousands more will yet be
born. mentally and physically I'M
equal to do anything that will give
them adequate support. Charity OF
the kind that Henry Ford decries,
and which we oil decry. for that
matter, is as things are a necessity,
and there seems to be no good reason
why he should not bear his portion
of it. His failure to do so, how
ever. should not blind us to the great
good he isldoing in his own way. We
could even afford to have few
more billionaires like him. But until
the millennium arrives We need a few
people of means who. will accept our
modern organized charity as one OF
ha ne axrits viu ~;
support.
In accordance with Mr.. Ford's idea
as to the best way to help the other
fellow TWO rules were fundamental
in the sociological department of the
company The first was that no
problem was to be solved by the use
of money when the solution could
be reached through work. The second
was that no case should be under
taken that could not be put ulti
mateIy upon self-supporting basis.
Relief by Employment
Thousands of cases of destitution
were relieved by giving the head of
the family, or some member of IL,
employment. There was a time when
all applicants for employment were
looked up before they were hired in.
and preference was given to the most
needy to men of large families
rather than to men with few de-
pendents. and to married men rather
than to single men.
The fact that special consideration
was given to old men and cripples
brought hundreds of applications
from these classes. 1t was impos-
sible, of course, to take on all who
applied, but every effort was made
to find places for as many as pos
sible. 1t was necessary to select
speclal jobs for the old and the ply
sically handicapped. The work must
be light and as far removed from
danger as possible. ! do not recall
that a cripple ever received an adj
ditional injury while in the employ
of the company. and the only IN
stance on record or inquiry to an old
man was the case of one who went
to sleep and fell off his chair.
Over LOO cripples were in the en-
ploy of the company at the outbreak
of the war. In addition to these,
some four or five thousand more
men. disabled more or less by dis
ease. and who for that reason would
be rejected by industry, were on its
pay roll. After the war the company
agreed to take thousand ,handi-
capped men as fast as they came out
of hospitals.
Let no one suppose that all this
was done as charity in the ordi-
nary sense of that word. The COM
pany prided itself on the fact that
it could place these men so that they
could earn the wages paid them.
Cripples. because of the difficulty
they experience in getting a job, as
a rule show their appreciation by
doing we'll the. work given them. BY
Of a blind man hired in. and put to
work. A few days later his foreman
brought two men with perfect vision
and sound of body to the employment
manager. Here" said the foreman,
take these men and transfer them
TO some other department. / don't
need them. That blind man you gave
me the other day is doing their
work and his, too. and they are only
in the way. And what's more he
keeps singing all the time he is
working" He had been piano tuner.
He came 10 my office and told me
his story. He had been able to make
enough money to buy food. but
friends or family had to help out
from time TO time in the matter of
clothes and room rent. He would
like chance to make his own way
in the world 1t was given him. And
he made good.
Lifted To Seif-Support
Mr.. Ford lifted to the level of self