Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-09-03
by Ada Patterson.

now hnd then We meet a word. or
combination of words. that can,urcs
Pur fancy as does a lovely face.
. met one this morninr. !, was
strong union OF words that stands
Tor mighty idea II was human
enGincorinE
engineering is the art OF construct.
ms ana using machinery. The human
being is machine. Human .ngI-
hecrinH is the art or using that ma
chihe IN" way tina, is best for the
machine and for the world
Human engineering Is Tn. manage.
m"nt Of a life. Think Of the six
persons YOU know hest. Are their
lives well managed? Are they. good
human engineers
Probably not more than half per-
haps none of them are good "x-
amplcs of the right use OF the hu-
man machine.
One OF my friends is a lively and
lovablc woman. hut IL poor engineer.
She has talent and energy. hut She
ncglccts one and misappli.s the
other. She has reached middle age
She is widow. The need for earn
ing her living has come to her She
Is not ready To meet that need.
Does Nothing RcnI We'll.
Charming though she is. CHEEKY ana
unselhsh though she be, she is like
Il locust that has hoped Eayly about
all summer and given no thought to
tho approaching winter. She had
done nearly everything well. hu,
nothing particularly well. She can
play little and sing IA little. but
not well enough to give public per
formanccs of music. nor thoroughly
FN.4r I,
not well enough TO open. Il dress
making shop. She can cook little
hut not we'll enough to operate Il
tea room. nor cake shop. She
can keep hoUsc passably. but her
household directing is inspiraiioual
rather than systematic She is no,
we'll enough organized to 10 a good
Ihousckccpcr on Il large estate or for
n hotel. She is not we'll enough
grounded in the rudments OF an cdu-
cation to teach a school
The trouble With her and with all
or her family j. that they never
formed the habi; OF earnest and con
s"cutive work" an old friend said
il with regret And now she will
Lay. to cat the salt bread OF de-
pcudcncc or OF half -dcpendcncc'
poor job Of human engineering
have another friend who IS less
lovely and less IOvablc and less tai
'ut"d. But how well She has bull,
ANA mad" use OF the human machine
81" lived lonely childhood on a
farm ten miles from railroad The
d Stancc ana the loneliness that
would have dishcartcncd many. She
turned into opportunities. The fam
ily had hundred or so Of good
books. Sh. read all these books.
More. She lcSOurpl tlc,u Art.r
well masticating them. she assini-
lated Them. Their wisdom became a
par, Of her. Any person who has
read hundred good hooks read
his or her way thoughtfuIlv through
them. Is well educated. This woman's
lonely childhood 50 VOL utilized fur
mishcd a rich background for her
life. II developed Il taste for read
ing and writing. |; stirred In her an
interest In the world ana in persons
Husband IL Fnilur~.
She married early ana her mar
rage was a failure. AZ tho time
when most women are ENJOYING IN"
qU."' of home and freedom from care
about the future. she was forced To
earn a living for herself and her
failure husband THEN her reading
OF the hundred hooks and h"r In
ic-cs; in and thoughts of life and
persons we'll served her.
Every one has I'm itch for writing
ii"rs went deeper than In most folk
she knew newspaper owner who
gave her a chance to write for the
paper She worked hard and long
on tn" newspaper She became one
OF IA" women lay preachers who
send out advice to women through
the press The husband whom sin.