Evening star., 1937-09-26
Filelle
Continued From First Page.)


scientific approach to business prob
lens.
He insugurated a policy Of employe
representation in his store. William
Filene Sons & Co.. and the fact his
employees voted themselves a holiday
in a busy season or had decided TO
close the store evenings during the
Christmas rush, stunned the business
world.
Yet the store prospered and became
one of the largest speciality stores
in the world.
His latest interest was organization
Of the Consumer Distribution Corp,
which he endowed with sl,000.000. to
serve as the central buying and service
unit for large chain Of cooperative
department stores and other types Of
retail business.
Planned to Run Greenbelt.
First attempt to operate the entire
business of modern American town
on non-profit-making basis will be
inaugurated by the Filene Corp. in
Greenbelt, Md, model" community
built with Federal funds.
Filene saw in consumer co-opera-
tives chance for abolition of poverty
and boom to business.
To compete with them. he once said.
private business must find ways of
eliminating the great wastes and ex-
cessive costs of distribution, thus en-
abling them to sell profitably at lower
prices: thus giving the consuming
public more for its money and thus
helping to increase the total volume
of distribution"
This was Filene's philosophy of
business.
He supported President Roosevelt,
who. he said. was attempting to get
"fairer distribution of wealth"
IF you elect Roosevelt" Fflene said
during the 1885 campaign, we busi-
ness men must become your servants
We cannot remain your masters any
longer"
A millionaire, he advocated higher
income taxes in the higher brackets
Il Took 1t From Them"
why should not the American
people take half of my income away
from me?" he once said, Il took ali
of it from them"
In the midst of the 1885 presiden-
tial campaign Filene resigned from,
the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States which he helped found
declaring it lis not an organiza-
ton of business but rather of busi-
ness man."
He was decorated by many foreign
countries, among them France, Aus
tria, italy and Czechoslovakia.
The elderly bachelor philanthropis,
and ideslist often sounded a warn
ing to business that this is q new
era"
Son Of Immigrant.
He presented his ideas on mass dis
tribution and its effects upon the
standard of living to the first Worlc
Social Economic Congress. held ir
Amsterdam. Holland, late in August
1881. He preached the gospel of main
tanning wages and lowering prices 6
few days later to a large audience ir
Leipzig, Germany.
II am under no delusions about the
social efficiency of our industrial
civilization" he once wrote. THE
days of the ma ajority of mankind are
still occupied in providing food, cloth
ing and shelter with little time fol-
lifting life to a higher level.
This is indefensible. The modern
business system is at present more OF
less lawless but believe that we are
now in the morning hours of period
in which business men, to succeed
will be compelled to adopt the sort o1
policies that will give us an increas-
ingly better social order, where the
average man will not be compelled te
exhaust himself in merely providing
food, clothing and shelter for himself
wife and children with virtually nc
energy left for the higher things OF
life"
Feline was born in the historic city
of Salem, Mass, on September 8
1860, the son of William and Clara
(Ballin) Filene. His father was an