Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 68.djvu/455

Rh a form sufficiently authoritative and attractive to insure its reception and assimilation. He does not know that if it were possible to precipitate upon society any of the millennial measures which are frequently advocated by a certain class of agitators, confusion, anarchy and woe would result. It would not be possible for man to adjust himself to new conditions so suddenly thrust upon him. He must be shown that only by advancing step by step along evolutional pathways already well defined, can permanent progress be made, knowing that any radical departure therefrom inevitably invites disaster.

We are confronted with a profound economic problem, and for its solution federal authority and machinery are necessary. There should be established by the federal government a Department of Public Betterment, which should consist of a board known as the Board of Public Betterment, appointed by the President, together with a cabinet officer known as the Secretary of Public Betterment, to be selected by the President. Their entire time should be devoted to this department, and a salary sufficient to insure this result should attach to the position.

In personal character they should resemble the personnel of the United States Supreme Court, and should be selected from the country at large with special reference to their high intellectual attainments, and with the view of associating together men who severally are authorities upon pedagogy, medicine, economics, industrial problems, finance, and similar interests which affect every citizen. In the interest of convenience and economy the work of the department should be divided between two bureaus. One for the accumulation and classification of knowledge valuable to the department, which might be known as the Bureau of Research of the Department of Public Betterment, and one designed to disseminate and apply the knowledge thus obtained, which might be known as the Bureau of Publicity of the Department of Public Betterment.

It should be the function of the former to ascertain the causes of diseased conditions, and search for the prevention of those causes. It should investigate, compile and supply data relative to the numberless problems associated with municipal government, crime, insanity, immigration, child labor, the length of the working day, the preservation of the sabbath day, and extension of holidays; the construction, ventilation and sanitation of public buildings, and the vehicles of common carriers; educational hygiene; modern philanthropic methods, idleness, divorce, marriages against public policy; public institutions, their character, establishment and administration; strikes, commerce and the like.

The Bureau of Publicity of the Department of Public Betterment should be empowered to institute such measures as seem wise to correct the evils above indicated. It should have authority to