Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/275

 WHATS IN A JOB 269

year was only fifty accidents per thousand workers, and none of the accidents resulted in permanent injury or death. On the other hand^ in the Bessemer steel works the accident rate was more than eight times as high — 423 per thousand; and of these three resulted in per- manent injury to the victims and 4.36 were fatal.

In addition to the frequency of accidents, one should consider whether the accidents result from the nature of the processes or ma- chinery, from the worker's own carelessness, or from the carelessness of fellow workers. Many industrial accidents and diseases are avoid- able through ordinary care on the part of the worker; in other industry special safety devices are available — although not always used.

The fire danger differs greatly with different occupations, as does the danger from explosions, special diseases, etc. A great deal of study has been given to this subject, especially in Germany and England; but the results of our own studies in this country are not yet available to the people most concerned, namely, those who through ignorance of the dangers annually enter upon these occupations in large numbers for no other reason than because jobs happened to be open just at the time when they happened to need jobs.

Even more important problems, but some that have received but very little consideration, are those that bear on the moral conditions of work. Take a dozen occupations with which you are acquainted, and answer for each of them this question: ''Is the work justified mor- ally, or does it rest upon the exploitation of vanity, or stupidily or ig- norance or helplessness?''

In the middle ages, when the ideals of craftsmanship reached the climaz of their development, men put religious zeal into the hammer blows that went into the building of a cathedral; and women worked with fervor upon the tapestries for a shrine. Such work was done for the glory of God ; other work was done for the service of man. And even where it was not voluntary or enthusiastic work, the end of it was fairly clear. But to-day most industrial and commercial workers have lost the connection between the particular processes in which they are engaged and the service or glory that are to come from the work. As a result of the many fine subdivisions in the world's work, the carpenter may one day be placing wainscotting in a church, and the next day finish up the card room of a gambling club. He can not ask any questions either as to the denomination of the ultimate worshippers, or as to the legitimacy of the card games. Neither may the printer in the card factory ask whether the cards he makes are to be used for domestic euchres or for three-card monte.

Yet there are other occupations whose results contribute more di- rectly to morally unacceptable ends. There is the making of all sorts of imitations of use and beauty : from gold bricks and coxmterf eit coin

�� �