Evening star., 1932-06-07
NEW BOOKS
lAT RANDOM
/. C.. NJ.

INDUSTRIAL LedQeI. by 1Qd M. 1AI-
bell, author Of History of the
Standard Oil Co." etc. New York:
The Macmillan Co.
Today, June 7, releases this biography
and sets 1t upon its way. Here is clear
instance where writer and subject unite
in an unusual harmony Of interest and
outlook, bespeaking for this study both
sincerity of purpose and adequacy of
fulhllment
For the past quarter century both
have been deeply engrossed in the
rapid industrial development Of the
country. In the rise Of combinations,
men and means. representing huge
transactions in money, leaders, workers,
production. Representing also an In
creasing completely Of situation and
process that has gradually imposed 4
special technic upon each OF the varl-
Gus great enterprises now grouped un-
der the general idea Of industrialism.
Industry is basic art, founded upon
the largess Of nature and the needs OF
man. Latterly. science, research. in
vention. applicat!on-an amazing COM
pany-have so lifted and difused IN.
dustry as to make plain the fact that,
at bottom, this spinning planet is an
economic institution. That having
spawned the human so prolifically upon
it, 1t is now pointing the way to sus-
tain its progeny. And. by implication
this supreme fact implies that the
earlier political devices of government
we're but makeshifts while man was
getting his wind. so to speak. for learn
ing the true lesson OF this teeming
earth. That the setting up Of kings
was childs play while the new lesson
was being learned That exalting the
few and degra ding the manv was early
juvenile stun. A new dominion has
risen. ie rising. The dominion OF work,
production, great commonalty OF en-
deavor. where crude and deep inequities
must fall away by their own self
destructive weight.
A new world, upon which these two,
with many another. have been looking
souarely for these years past. Ida M.
Tarbell has been q patient and fear
less investigator. bringing big industry
into the open fer more general under
standing Of its objects, its methods, its
benefits, its errcrs. its effects and need
Of certain measures of reform and
regulation Her History Of the Stand
ard Oil Co" a Casa notable case-in
point
One day. going up and Down her
newly pre-empted economic field. Miss
Tarbell came upon young Boston law
YER owen D. Young, whom chance had
brought into the way Of the Boston
street railways, as a possible deliverer
Street railways were young then. mere
city affairs. They weren't gcing Sc well.
Every sort of difficulty. financial. legal.
labor. beset them. Failures were too
frequent. receiverships too common. II
was here that the youthful Boston law
yer took hold. To the mind CT this
shrewd investigator of the methods of
big business. he looked like something
new and different in the way Of detect
ing inherent weaknesses of management
control, financing delivering A daring
patient reasonable. persuasive. ccncilia-
tory fellow, Miss Tarbell called him. So
she followed him. Followed him out of
that particular dilemma Of the Boston
street railways into the wider industrial
fielGs that opened before him. Fer these
utilities rapidly passed city limits
crossed State lines and gradually en-
meshed the Federal Commonwealth IN
system of public utilities" incon-
ceivably involved that called for ma
tional cognizance and regulation
At this or that point of industrial
problem and responsibility Owen D.
Young was likely to be found-still
daring, reasonable, persuasive, concili-
story" Later he became part Of the
General Electric Co., where troubles
internal and external. were Of . quality
to test the powers Of this man, who
clearly was on his way to be q new
type of industrial leader" Not merely
logician versed in corporation law, bit
primarily man, endowed with under
standing and rugged sympathy and
a deep conviction Of the mutualitv of
industry. Workers here, promoters there,
the two halves CT one whole inseparable
as to wellbeing and success.
From this point there is the story Of
the World War OF the part of the
General Electric Co. in matters of
equipment and transportation In the
remarkable labor policy developed by
that company during the war period
Then follows the record Of the Dawes
plan and. later. Of the Young plan.
Then the present. A present wherein
something like a panic of depression
holds. A depression more widespread
and deeper than those that have gone
periodic seasons Of financial distress and
moral de1ation that have within TIE
past half century beset this countrv,
testing the quality OF the people as :
whole. setting out here and there true
leadership.
Professionally. Owen D. Young ap-
pears to have been brought up on points
OF acute industrial distress. During the
war and since that event the field of
this man in industrial and financial ac-
commodations has become an interna-
tional field. Today he stands as a
great and greatly useful citizen of the
United States. and Of the world, in fact
Yet so simple a man, so human a
fellow that his story reads as un-
pretentious as Pilgrims Progress" it
self. That is the man. That is the
spirit in which Ida Tarb.ll has let him
stand throughout this book That is
the reason why this book at this time
should have, wide reading. Here is
some one behaving, under common dis
tress and difficulty, as YOU and I ought
to behave. As we would behave. doubt
less, if we knew enough. But We do
not know enough. We do not read
enough. We listen too much to any
thing that comes along. From such q
| book as this one-and there are others
we should hold it as our individual job
| to find out something of the A B C
| Of this dilemma before which We Shiver
and shrink and whimper However. I'm
no preacher, but it is high time for
the kindergarten class to assemble for
| its first lesson in today, for its own
, part in this today.
Here Is a simple colloquial. interest
ing story of man doing his work right
now. when the going is hard There is
| no performance about it. Nothing here
| that any one cannot do. And. besides,
here is a deal of national and inter-
| national common sense that it is good
| to come upon. One will hardly find a
more approachable outlook upon signifi-
cant and vital matters pertaining to the
industrial problems of the present, nor
with more definite rays of illumination
out Of past not essentially different
from this perturbing present, than will
come to you here by way Of this highly
competent and engrossing study Of a
modern American by way of his Serv-