Evening star., 1923-09-03
Editors Doubt IL 4-Hour Day
Would Make Mankind Happy

If DIR. Charles Steinmetz is cor
rect in his deductions, and the cleo
trical wizard. usually knows what
he is talking about, then 100 years
from now the 'loafer" will have en-
tered his chosen state. Only four
hours day to work and only. 200
days a year is to be the portion OF
all humankind, while the, vast en-
gines Of production will be operated
by push-buttons~ and switches. But
some editors are just hard-hearted
enough to butt in and demand
what the people then will do to
keep busy"
The promise of universal unlim-
tied leisure answers a craving that
has never been Eratified since the
forbidden fruit was tasted in the
garden Of Eden" points out the New
York Tribune. but a moral equiv
alent for hard work has never been
discovered nor are electrical wizards
likely to hit upon 1T in many hum
dreds Of years To which the New
York World adds ito meet the re-
.ouirements of a generation TO come.
WltR- 1tS "OTkudN HdlNth anu iAS
playtime doubled. will necessitate
the invention of new forms of recre-
aticn to occupy the leisure OF those
who have no taste for study and self
Improvement. If it is not to pail upon
them" And the Worcester Telegram
insists "the spirit of competition will
have to go before the four-hour day
comes
Still. after. all, "it is a pleasant pic
ture thus presented" asserts the Chris
tiant Science Monitor. and that man
would be of a narrow and limited in
telligence. indeed. who would deny its
entire possibility. 1t is true that at the
moment civilization seems to have re-
ceived a check, as the result of the
discovery by governments that many
of the great physical forces which
Steinmetz would use for the regenera-
ton of ma nkind, could be used for the
destruction of men. Yet this Is but
ps ssing phase and one which should
not lead to encouragement of any
sort"
The Boston Transcript also holds
the year 2023 still lies a long way
ahead and the working day is still
sufficiently lengthy to absorb the best
part OF the efforts and the energies OF
most persons. There is still too much TO
be done today and tomorrow to Justify
worrying what we will do with the
spare time that Dr. Steinmetz promises
for us century hence" Because it
has been told. however. that the Henry
Ford plan to burn coal twice has
come true. the Pittsburgh Gazette
Times insists If one can believe 1t
uossible to burn coal twice one can
believe that a workleSs world is with
in the. range of possibilities. And we
are instructed that IL one will believe
hard enough what he believes will be-"
The Albany News. suggests moth
ing Is impossible. But why wait for
the year 2023 to have the conditions
DR.. Steinmetz says are possible? 1t
can be done in half that time, per-
hans a quarter Of that time" At
tention of the critics also is directed
by the. Albany Knickerbocker Press
to the fact that here is an example
of what Steinmetz. was getting at
the ultimate emancipation of the
world from the penalties of toll: by
the masterfulness of mans brain,
the conversation of natural resources
to such emancipation" OF course
this may all be true. at that, argues
the Port Huron Times Herald and
at will, be fine when we get UP. in
the morning. pull an eiectriG switch
or two. and have the days work
over, with nothing to do until to-
morrow. In the meantime. however,
perhaps it will be just as we'll to
hang on to the jobs we've got" to
which the Providence Tribune adds
that If drudgsrS is to- disappear we
irnISf ,.prepare. our children, to en-
JOY it through education. while the