Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/779

 766 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

and judgment in such cases must be cultivated, and when evil conditions exist in manufacture and sale of goods his ethical instinct must be aroused. This, then, is the position of the con- sumer a creator through demand, a guardian of workers through the power of influence and criticism. We shall see how well he carries out his duty.

In such a complicated industrial system many workers suf- fer from bad sanitation and low wages. Many more are made inefficient by the lack of nourishing food and proper care. Hundreds meet their death and thousands are injured by the poor protection from the whirring machinery of the factory, while thousands more are killed in the transportation of com- modities from place to place. Hidden from public gaze, men and women labor in dark and noisome places producing garments for the many, while in crowded factories, filled with dangerous machinery and illy ventilated, men and women work for their daily bread. Such in brief is a picture of production altogether too often seen in these days. It would be unjust to pass by in silence the struggles of the other side. In the strife of indus- trial contest merchants and manufacturers are compelled to look well to their safety. Competition sharp and excessive has increased expenses, added to the burden of producing, and com- pelled men to eliminate the seemingly unnecessary in order to place the commodity in the hands of the consumer at the lowest possible price. Quality and wages may and often do suffer in competition. The three parties to the final act, the capitalist, the laborer, and the consumer, suffer thereby.

In recognition of the many glaring evils now inherent in the industrial system, many of the state legislatures have from time to time enacted laws for the purpose of curbing the worse features of modern production. These laws have been enforced with a fair degree of efficiency, and, together with the united efforts of trades unions, much has been done to better the condition of the worker ; but the law thus far has been inadequate to secure far- reaching results. Recognizing the fact that law can be enforced only by the healthy condition of public opinion, men and women have attempted to form organizations for the purpose of