The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-07
AMERICAN ECONOMIC LIFE
ARTHUR W. CALHOUN.

viewed the historic and economic
setting Of present-day life in the Unit
ed States. 1t is time now for fact
ual analysis of the American eco
nonic system in it's structure and OPP
erations.
Such survey is made a lot easier
by a recent book called American
Economic Life,' written by three
Columbian teachers, Tugwell, Munro,
and Stryker, for use in the freshman
course in Contemporary Civilization"
Yoy will not like the rather preachy
sentimental tone of the book and you
will think that the authors come to
rather tame conclusions about how to
proceed and what to do; but there is
no reason why you should not use
the book to great advantage on ac-
count Of the vast mass Of statistical
and other information which it pre-
sents. 1t will be easier to read this
book than some others on economics,
for it is full of pictures, charts, and
diagrams, which present things to the
eye in an impressive way. (There are
a few misprints in the first edition.
One is very bad: Discard the figures
on the diagram on page IL, and refer
to page 11S for correct data.
You will not find in the book any
separate treatment of Labor, for the
book was prepared as only part of the
course and Labor as such is treated
elsewhere in the Columbia scheme.
Perhaps that is just as well, for there
is a chance that you might not have
liked what the three professors would
have said about Labor; not that they
are unfriendly or unsympathetic, but
that they are professors! But suppose
you look at the frontispiece of the
book, copy of a painting of worker
that is exhibited in a certain steel
mill "as an expression of the mutual
faith and trust between employer and
employee" Why would professors
start a book on economics with the
picture of a worker? Does this work
er really look like a submissive wage
slave? Maybe the painter counted on
the employers stupidity and sabotag-
ed the job. At any rate think the
portrait of the laborer with folded
arms and firm face would make fac
strike poster. What title would you
give it instead of the motto, men
Are Square," with which the boss has
labelled it?
You will be able to get lots Of am
munition for the class struggle if you
read thoughtfuy Book I on Poverty.
Comfort, and Riches; Present Levels
OF Living" It's a good idea to have
a few facts and figures instead of 2
lot of general impressions about tbs
distribution of wealth. Suppose you
read these chapters with a view to
picking out and retaining a few of the
figures that are most impressive and
easiest to remember. We need to be
able to back up our case by precise
information.
When you strike the first part of
Book I-"Raising the Levels of Liv-
ing Through Efficient Production"
you may be inclined to throw the book
away as propaganda for class collab-
grafton; but don't be in too much of
a hurry. Even If it should turn out
to be propaganda OF that sort, 1t won't
hurt you, and you may be able to get
some insight into the thing you want
to fight. But don't be too sure that
this part Of the book is capitalist
propaganda. AS a matter Of fact even
in the United States, the richest coun-
try in the world, the annual product of
industry IL passed around equally
would not give the population decent
living; so we have to face the problem
OF increasing production. Whether II
can be solved to our satisfaction I'M
der the capitalist system is another
,...o-gton obouf which xnff ora an