Evening star., 1938-12-10


'iie hiaiioA"e'"1 David Lawrence.
erS:
"America's progress depends upon
a united effort of industry, COM
merce, agriculture and labor in CO.
operation with government. All of
these groups have made mistakes,
and we in industry admit our share.
All have learned that there is a
true harmony of interest between
them, and there is a growing de-
mand for intelligent teamwork. II
these groups work together for fu-
ture progress, more Jobs and better
living can be provided for the 3d.
100000 American families"
Now. that sounds like simple
thing for an organization to say.
But it is nevertheless true that
there were some who wanted to
omit saying it, or at least did not
relish the frank acknowledgment
of mistakes" Yet in that very
attitude of willingness to concede
wrong may be the beginning OF
really new era of cooperation. For
the word "co-operation" has been
used again and again without mov-
ing conflicting groups closer to-
gether, largely because the groups
were unwilling to revise previous
courses of action.
Confession Still Good.
The old saying that confession
is good for the SOUL has unfor-
tunately been applied as rule
mostly to personal behavior and
personal morality when, as mat
ter of fact, it applies even more
pointedly to groups and their lead
ers, who are responsible for the
action of thousands of persons in
their membership.
There can be no doubt that an
uncompromising position on the part
of groups and their leaders has in
the last few years made it difficult
to Surmount the barriers to mu-
tual understanding. Governmental
groups have hesitated to admit
error for fear of political effect.
Leaders of national organizations
have been reluctant to admit error
for fear of the criticism of their
own rank and file as we'll as out
side groups.
But to err is human, and the
frank confession of error is ex-
tremely helpful, not at all because
it enables the critic to note those
who have been responsible for mis-
takes and not at all because it gives
anybody the satisfaction of saying
Il told you SO" but primarily because
1t is a sign that future courses of
action are going to be corrected.
The fact that the manufacturers,
for instance, admit their share of
the mistakes made in the adjustment
Of our national economy can by
itself have no more than an aca-
demic Importance if it is only a
pious recitation of bit of unhappy
economic history. 1t becomes OF
great constructive value, on the
other hand, if it means that the
same mistakes will not be made
again and that consciousness OF
the pitfalls of the past has been
awakened.
Important, too, is the effect on
other organizations. Will labor now
frankly concede some of its mis-
takes? Will governmental leaders
concede and recognize the impract-
icality of some of their schemes?
Will agricultural groups be ready
now to allow their programs to be
weighed in the light Of a national
Interest?
Need for Honesty.
The profound effect of admission
of error as basic and fundamental
step in the evolution of national
policies can hardly be exaggerated.
For it begins to reveal that, to solve
the many complex problems in a
democracy where volition rather
than compulsion is the CUSTOM
there is a need for simple honesty
in the negotiations and intercourse
of groups with one another. Con-
fession of error is thus first step
toward the establishment of an
honest atmosphere. Pride some
times impedes revelation of error
and pride is often a form of lndl-
yidual or group selfiShnesS. When,
therefore, the manufacturers and
business leaders admit mistakes,
they begin to tolerate other points
of view than their own. II they
now will follow that up with a
recognition of what causes mistakes
of policy to be made-as for in
stance, the preoccupation OF busl-
nessmen with material rather than
human factors-the task OF per-
suading other groups to join in
cooperative endeavors for the ma
tional good will be correspondingly
made easier.
So, as the N. A. M. has begun
tn manly fashion to confess its
business sins, it should be applaud
"a for its courage and stimulated
to go farther in order that, by
power of example, other groups,
governmental, labor, agriculture.
will likewise confess to their self
centered if not selfish approach
and will join with the others In a
new era of honest cooperation in
the public interest.