The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-03
An American Tragedy

How can Henry Ford be a tragedy? He IS a bill
uonaire He is by repute the master business genius
Of America. He is the idol of Russia. He long has
been the symbol of enlightened capitalism.
According to Jonathan Leonard in The Tragedy
of Henry Ford" putnam, So, he is tragedy for
much the same reason that western civilization is
tragic. Both combine oxcart ideas and ideals with
an automobile and airplane technology.
Ford still lives intellectually and emotiorslly in
the age of his youth. But he has done more than
any other American to create the new America which
he fears and detests. Leonard suggests that Ford
even diskes his cars after they have passed into the
hands of others
The whole spectacle OF Ford's career is eptomized
admirably in his experience with the Waysde Inn
He bought this famous Massachusetts, place and re-
stored it to the bucolc character of Fords early hfe
He then presented the state of Massachusetts, with
million dollar highway keep the Fords and other
cars away from the Wayside Inn
As a business genius Mr.. Leonard points out that
Ford hit upon a few basic ideas before others had
been bright enough to grasp them even though these
nations we're rather obvious Fords espousal OF them
does not so much reflect unique credit upon him as
discredit upon his competitors. These conceptions
we're efficiency mass production, Standardization Of
product high wages and the free advertising wncn
goes with humanitarian gestures.
IN his field for time He was the real mogul Of
the Model epoch But this has passed and so has
Ford's dominion whatever mis- wealth and product
todav. People finally demanded not only cheap
car hut one which would run without endless putter-
ing and repairs
The Dodge car supplied this need. Next there
came demand for diversity and beauty in cheaper
cars Competitors ret this demand. When Ford
rapitulated and put his Model on the market, 1t
was too late says Mr. Leonard, for him to recapture
his fading hegemony in motordom II he had made
the change four years earlier he would have taken
on another accretion Of prestige sufficient 10 nave
hovered over him richly TO the grave.
The greatest OF the Ford tragedies is probably
the colapse OF his humanitarianism. His apologst,
AR MARQUIS. once said: The impression somehow
has got around that Henry Ford is in the automoone
business. Mr. Ford shoots about $500 cars out OF
the back door Of his factory every day just to get
rid Of them.
They are but the by-products Of his real business
the making Of men"
In the light Of this assertion. Pages 22o to 2Se Of
Mr. Leonards book make very interesting and rele-
want reading
The great speed under which men have to work,
the fifteen minutes for lunch, the monotony OF the
work the fatigue at the end of the day, the fear OF
the stool pigeons and spies in the service department
AZ the shop the inquisorial shopping into the pri-
vste life OF workers after hours all tend TO make the
workers existence vast strain his physical being
and nervous system
Moreover Of late years the hard times so have re-
(suced the working period that high daily wages