4821 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Mrs. George N. Lsumsn 
 
Department of Social Economy - 
 
 ' FOR THE 
 
 UNrrEi) States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 
 
 
 ^, MONOGRAPHS 
 
 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 EDITOR 
 
 HERBERT B. ADAMS 
 Professor of American Miistory in Johns Hopkins University 
 
 THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 
 
 PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1900 
 
 BY 
 
 RICHARD WATERMAN JR 
 
 Of Department of Education a^d Social Economy for the United States Commission 
 '■ , to the Paris Exposition of i()00 
 
 This Monograph is contributed to the United States Social Economy Exhibit 
 BY the Commonwealth of Massachusetk 
 
Department qf -Social Economy 
 
 United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 
 
 Director 
 HOWARD J. ROQERS, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 MONOGRAPHS 
 
 ON , 
 
 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 - EDITOR ,J 
 
 HERBERT B. ADAMS ,' ; ~ 
 
 rProfessor of American Hi$iory' in yohns Hopkins UHiversHy_ 
 
 ASSOCIATE EDITOR 
 
 RICHARD WATERMAN JR ' 
 
 - I THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 
 
 ^ 1900 — ^iCoiATi'Vl Kt%VMk^ "Iv., of the Department of Education and Social 
 
 Economy for the United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of igQO ' 
 
 II THE COUNTRY AND THE, PEOPLE — Edward D. Jones, /«j;ra<r/b?- in 
 
 y , Economics and Stati^ics in the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 
 
 III RESOURCESANDINDUSTRIES — Edward D. JONES, /wrfrarfor «»\£««OOT- 
 
 ics and Statistics in the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin ^ 
 
 IV COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONS -^ WiLFREa? H. Schoff, ««/ of the Foreign: 
 
 Department in the, Philadelphia Commercial Museum, Philadelphia,i Penn- 
 'i' ■,; sylvania — ' ' : - , ' - 
 
 , ;,V BUREAUS OF LABOR STATISTICS — William Franklin WilloughSy, 
 '; Expert in the Department of Labor , Washington, D,_C. 
 VI EMPLOYMENT BUREAUS— ,V?ILliam Franklin WiLLOUGliBY, Expert in the 
 
 Department of Labor, Washington, D. C. ' _ 
 
 VII INSPECTION OF iFACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS — William Franklin 
 
 yiiLLOVGHVl,' Expert in the Department of Labor, Washington, D. C. 
 VIII INSPECTION OF MINES — William Fjianklin WiLLOUGHBY.^ff^ir/^r/ in the 
 Department of Labor , Washington, D. C^ - - 
 
 ^ JX ;REGULATI0N of THE SWEATING SYSTEM — William Franklin Wil- 
 X^VGOSX, Expert in the Department of Labor, Washington, D.'C. 
 X INDUSTRIAL ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION -^William Franklin 
 
 VfVLLDVGlcBY, Expert in the Department of Labor, Washington, D. C. 
 XI . BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS — William Franklin Willoughby 
 
 — Expert in the Department of Labor , Washington, D. C. 
 XII COOPERATION ANA PROFIT SHARIl^G -^N. P. Giluan, Meadville, Penn- 
 sylvania ■ 
 
 XIII THE HOUSING PROBLEM — LAWbENCE Veiller, Secretary of the Tenement 
 House Committee,' Charity Organization Society, New York city 
 / XIV RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL PROGRESS — Josiah Strong 
 President of the. League for Social Ser'viccj^ 'New York city ' 
 
 XV MUNICIPAL MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL PROGRESS — Frederick W 
 Speirs, Instructor in History and Economics, in the Northeast Manual 
 Training High Schooly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
 
 XVI INDUSTRIAL BETTERMENT — William Howe Tolman, 5«r^torv «/ T'/i^ 
 League for Social Service, New York city J J 
 
 XVII YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS -H. S. mm>^^ Secretary of 
 the International Committee of the- Young Men's Christian Associations New 
 York city . : ■. ' 
 
 ?fVIII TREND OF SOCIAL ECONOMIC LEGISLATION — Robert H. Written 
 
 Sociology Librarian in the New York State Library, Albany, N. Y. ' 
 
 ,:XIX -THE PAST AND PRESENT CONDITION OF PUBLIC HYGIENE ATsrn 
 
 : STATE MEDICINE IN THE UNITED STATES -Samuel W Abbott 
 
 Secritary of the Massachusetts State Board of Health, Boston, Massachusetts ' 
 
( 
 
 Department of Social Economy 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 
 
 MONOGRAPHS 
 
 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 EDITOK 
 
 HERBERT B. ADAMS 
 Professor of American History in Johns Hopkins University 
 
 THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 
 
 PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1900 
 
 RICHARD WATERMAN JR 
 <r 
 
 Of Department of Education and Social Economy for the United States Commission 
 to the Paris Exposition of i goo 
 
 This Monograph is contributed to the United States Social Economy Exhibit 
 BY the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
 
 \A' 
 

 Copyright 1900 
 
 BY 
 
 Richard Waterman jr 
 
 
 printed by the 
 
 Wright & Potter Printing Company 
 
 Boston Mass. U. S. A. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 
 
 PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1900 
 
 RICHARD WATERMAN jr 
 
 An Introduction to a Series of Monographs 
 ON American Social Economics 
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface 3 
 
 I The International Exposition as a Social 
 
 Economic Factor 5 
 
 II The Origin and Development of the Social 
 
 Economy Group 10 
 
 Paris exposition of 1855 ...... 10 
 
 Paris exposition of 1867 . . . . . . 11 
 
 Paris exposition of 1878 . . . . . . 13 
 
 Paris exposition of 1889 ...... 13 
 
 Columbian exposition, 1893 ..... 14 
 
 Paris exposition of igoo ...... 14 
 
 Official classification of exhibits at the exposition of 
 
 1900. ........ 16 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 III 
 
 UTLiNE OF American 
 
 Soc] 
 
 AL I 
 
 ECONOMIC 
 
 S 
 
 19 
 
 Plan for the social economy exhibit 
 
 19 
 
 American classification of social economics . 
 
 
 19 
 
 The country 
 
 
 19 
 
 The people . 
 
 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 Industrial institutions 
 
 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 Commercial institutions 
 
 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 Economic institutions 
 
 
 
 
 
 22 
 
 Social institutions . 
 
 
 
 
 
 22 
 
 Movements for improving 
 
 soci 
 
 al an 
 
 d industria 
 
 1 con 
 
 
 ditions 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 23 
 
 Domestic 
 
 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 Religious 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 25 
 
 Educational . 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 26 
 
 Social 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 31 
 
 Philanthropic 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 31 
 
 Settlements . 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 32 
 
 Clubs 
 
 
 
 
 
 32 
 
 Industrial 
 
 
 
 
 
 33 
 
 Municipal 
 
 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 Conclusion 
 
 
 
 
 
 36 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT AT THE PARIS 
 EXPOSITION OF 1900 
 
 Preface 
 
 The following discussion of the plans for the social 
 economy exhibit at the Paris exposition of 1900 is the in- 
 troduction to a series of monographs on American social 
 economics. The entire series will be used as a basis for 
 illustration in preparing the social economy exhibit for Paris, 
 and will be published under the authority of the United 
 States Commission in time for the exposition. 
 
 This introductory monograph is divided into three distinct 
 parts : 
 
 I A chapter intended to show by means of a few typical 
 illustrations that international expositions are a powerful factor 
 in social economic progress. 
 
 II A chapter tracing the history of the social economy 
 group to its origin in the classification of the Paris exposition 
 of 1855, presenting some of the salient characteristics of the 
 exhibits in this group in 1855 and at later expositions, and 
 closing with an account of the plans for the social economy 
 exhibit at the Paris exposition of 1900. 
 
 III A chapter containing a brief introduction to American 
 social economics. This chapter has been prepared with two 
 purposes in view : i ) to present an outline of the system- 
 atic classification which has been used in collecting the social 
 economy exhibit ; and 2) to present an outline of the plan 
 for the series of social economy monographs. 
 
 The Commissioner General for the United States is deeply 
 interested in the social economy group, and has authorized 
 the Department of Education and Social Economy to prepare 
 an exhibit which shall be worthy of comparison with similar 
 exhibits shown by other great nations. He realizes the truth 
 of the statement made by M. Picard, the French commissioner 
 general, that the social economy group " represents the result- 
 ant, and at the same time states the philosophy, of the great 
 
4 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 forces of production " which appear in all of the other groups, 
 and he intends to make this exhibit one of the most interesting 
 features of the entire American section, using it to bind to- 
 gether the exhibits displayed in other groups, thus bringing 
 them into the proper perspective. The officers of the De- 
 partment have adopted the following plan for preparing the 
 exhibit: i) to edit and publish for judicious distribution 
 to exposition visitors a series of monographs, each contain- 
 ing a brief systematic account of the institutions and move- 
 ments which should be represented in the social economy 
 exhibit; 2) to use each of these monographs as the basis 
 for an exhibit containing typical illustrations of the statements 
 made ; and 3) to include in this exhibit documents, maps 
 and statistical charts and summaries, and also photographs, 
 transparencies, lantern slides and other attractive forms of 
 illustrative material, so as to interest not only social economy 
 experts and members of the international jury of awards, but 
 those exposition visitors who belong to the general public. 
 
 In arranging and cataloging these exhibits, the Depart- 
 ment has followed closely the official French classification. 
 In collecting them, however, the officers of the Department 
 have found it necessary to use a scheme of classification that 
 would conform more closely to the usual American grouping 
 of the social economic elements. Accordingly, they have 
 rearranged the contents of the French classification, con- 
 densed some parts and expanded others, and formulated a 
 new classification, of which a synopsis is printed for reference 
 in appendix A at the close of this monograph. 
 
 In accordance with this plan, the social economy exhibits 
 are grouped under four main heads: i) the country; 2) the 
 people; 3) the social economic institutions and 4) move- 
 ments for improving social and industrial conditions. These 
 four groups are discussed at some length in chapter III of 
 this monograph, and each will be used as the subject of one 
 or more separate monographs in the series. 
 
 Richard Waterman jr 
 
 Albany September 27, iSgq 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 5 
 
 I The International Exposition as a Social Economic 
 
 Factor 
 
 The modern international exposition is a powerful factor 
 in social and economic progress. It stimulates invention, 
 encourages industrial enterprise, and promotes international 
 commerce. It brings before the nations of the world a pict- 
 ure of the world's progress in art, in education and in every 
 important field of social economic activity. 
 
 The first great international exposition was held in London 
 in 185 1. Previous to that time the doctrines of the "mer- 
 cantile system " of economics were very generally accepted 
 and many statesmen believed that when two nations engaged 
 in extensive international commerce, gain to one must of 
 necessity result in loss to the other. For this reason the 
 leaders in nearly every European country had no desire to 
 arrange for an international division of labor or for any con- 
 siderable international commerce. They were perfectly will- 
 ing, however, to follow the example which had been set by 
 their predecessors since the time of Charlemagne, and to 
 hold great national fairs each year, where merchants might 
 gather from all parts of the country and sell their goods ; 
 and after the close of the i8th century they began to hold 
 national expositions for the purpose of displaying objects 
 illustrating the latest advances in science, industry and art ; 
 but as these expositions were intended to promote purely 
 national interests, they did not allow any foreign nations to 
 participate. 
 
 It was very unexpected, therefore, when Albert, the English 
 Prince Consort, invited all of the nations of the world to take 
 part in a great industrial exhibition to be held in London in 
 185 1. Prince Albert had from the first a prophetic con- 
 sciousness of what this exhibition might mean in advancing 
 the interests of England and other countries, and the results 
 achieved entirely justified his expectations. His invitation 
 was accepted by nearly all of the great nations of Europe, 
 
6 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 Asia and America, and before the exhibition closed it was 
 acknowledged by all to be a splendid success. It opened a 
 new era in the history of international relations. The old 
 mercantile theory was completely disproved, and international 
 commerce received an immediate and powerful stimulus. 
 
 Other nations soon followed the example of England, 
 and similar expositions were held in New York in 1853; 
 Paris in 1855; London in 1862; Paris in 1867; Vienna in 
 1873; Philadelphia in 1876; Paris in 1878; Melbourne in 
 1884; New Orleans in 1885; Paris in 1889; and Chicago 
 in 1893. In every case these expositions exerted an impor- 
 tant influence on social and economic progress. A few 
 typical examples may serve to illustrate this statement. 
 
 In 185 1 the English were greatly impressed by the artistic 
 excellence of the French exhibits shown in London. It was 
 clear that if they desired to compete successfully with France 
 they must encourage the teaching of industrial art. Under 
 the leadership of the Prince Consort, they secured many of 
 the exhibition collections, and with these as a nucleus estab- 
 lished the South Kensington museum. Additional exhibits 
 have since been secured at various international expositions 
 and from many other sources, and to-day the South Kensing- 
 ton museum, with its splendid collections, its schools of indus- 
 trial art and its branches in all parts of the United Kingdom, 
 is one of the strongest forces in English industrial life. 
 
 In 185 1 the American machinery displayed in London at- 
 tracted wide-spread attention among the European peoples. 
 Yankee ingenuity had developed, in the fields of agriculture 
 and manufactures, a great many labor-saving devices, which 
 were at that time practically unknown on the continent. Many 
 of those which were displayed in London brought immediate 
 orders to their manufacturers, and since that time each great 
 exposition has resulted in a further expansion of the world 
 market for American machinery. The social economic result 
 of exhibiting American machinery at foreign expositions has 
 therefore been two-fold : It has contributed to the growth of 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 7 
 
 an important group of American industries, and it has pro- 
 foundly influenced the social and economic life of the foreign 
 countries into which the machinery was introduced. 
 
 In 1876 Russia taught the United States the value of labora- 
 tory methods in the training of engineers. Previous to that 
 time American engineering schools had first instructed their 
 students in scientific theory and then sent them into the facto- 
 ries and shops to learn the practice before entering upon their 
 professional career. A great deal of time was thus wasted in 
 doing work which was merely mechanical and added nothing 
 to the knowledge or the experience of the student. At the 
 Philadelphia centennial Russia displayed exhibits represent- 
 ing the work of the imperial technical schools at Moscow and 
 St Petersburg, and showing that in the training given at both 
 of these institutions mechanical laboratories played an im- 
 portant part. Shops for wood-working, forging, casting and 
 metal-working enabled students to gain a knowledge of actual 
 industrial methods, and even to develop a fair degree of man- 
 ual dexterity during the time of their engineering course. 
 President Runkle of the Massachusetts institute of technology 
 saw this exhibit in Philadelphia and realized the importance of 
 the idea which it represented. He secured it, placed it on 
 exhibition in Boston, and within a short time succeeded in 
 developing in his own institution a series of mechanical labo- 
 ratories along the Russian lines. The presidents of other 
 great engineering schools followed his example ; the move- 
 ment spread to private secondary schools, then to public high 
 schools, and finally to public elementary schools ; and to-day 
 there are towns in the United States where all of the children, 
 both boys and girls, commence with constructive work in the 
 kindergarten and continue with some form of manual training 
 as a part of their regular course of study in each year of 
 school life. The centennial was thus directly responsible for 
 launching the manual training movement. 
 
 At the Columbian exposition in 1893 Philadelphia secured 
 the material with which to establish the Philadelphia com- 
 
8 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 mercial museum, an institution which is now truly international 
 in scope and exerts a very strong influence in promotmg 
 commercial relations between the United States and the lead- 
 ing foreign countries. The inception of this great under- 
 taking was a very modest one. In September 1893, Dr 
 William P. Wilson of the University of Pennsylvania was 
 authorized by the city of Philadelphia to secure material for 
 a system of municipal museums. He at once entered into 
 direct relations with the foreign commissioners to the exposi- 
 tion and also with the governments which they represented, 
 and before the exposition closed he had secured, partly in the 
 form of gifts and partly through purchase, a splendid collec- 
 tion of material. He returned to Philadelphia, and with the 
 cooperation of Provost William Pepper and the leading manu- 
 facturers and business men of that city, he launched a move- 
 ment which resulted six months later in the establishment of a 
 great system of commercial, educational and natural history 
 museums, of which he became the director. In the five years 
 which have elapsed since that time he has achieved truly 
 marvelous results. The great mass of disorganized exhibits 
 representing the natural resources and the manufactured prod- 
 ucts of nearly every country in Europe and America, has 
 been sifted, arranged and interpreted by competent scientific 
 experts. Manufacturers' associations and chambers of com- 
 merce in all parts of the United States and in nearly every 
 foreign country have entered into direct relations with the 
 museum because of the practical assistance it can give them in 
 accomplishing the aims for which they are organized. The 
 state department in Washington has instructed the United 
 States consuls abroad to report directly to the Philadelphia 
 museum on some of the most important commercial questions. 
 Special representatives have been sent to all parts of the 
 world to gather information and material. The city of Phila- 
 delphia, the state of Pennsylvania and the national govern- 
 ment in Washington have all made generous appropriations 
 for the support of this great institution. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 
 
 The leading countries of Europe and America already rec- 
 ognize that the Philadelphia museum is a strong force in pro- 
 moting foreign commerce, and Germany proposes to follow 
 the American example and establish in Berlin a similar insti- 
 tution under imperial auspices. Could any one ask for a 
 more striking illustration of the social economic results 
 achieved by international expositions than is furnished by 
 the foundation and growth of this great commercial museum ? 
 
 The Paris exposition of 1900 is certain to exert a stronger 
 influence on social economic progress than any of its prede- 
 cessors. It will provide not only for the usual exhibits of art 
 and industry, but also for an exhibit of social economy, which 
 will bind together all of the objects displayed in other groups 
 and bring them into proper perspective ; and for a series 
 of international congresses, which will serve to still further 
 interpret their meaning. The official classification of exhibits 
 which has been formulated with great care by the French ex- 
 position authorities gives special prominence to the social 
 economy group. It may be well, however, before discussing 
 in detail the social economy classification, to present a general 
 statement in regard to the classification for the entire expo- 
 sition. This has been summed up by M. Picard, the French 
 commissioner general, in the following words : 
 
 " At the head stand education and instruction, because 
 through them man enters into life. They are also the origin 
 of all progress. Immediately after come works of art, those 
 products of genius for which should be reserved the place of 
 honor. Similar motives have caused the third place to be 
 given to appliances and general processes relating to litera- 
 ture, science and the arts. 
 
 "Then come the great factors in contemporary produc- 
 tion, the most powerful agents in the industrial situation at 
 the end of the 19th century: material and general processes 
 relating to mechanics, electricity, civil engineering and trans- 
 portation. 
 
 " Then one passes to the working of the soil and its surface 
 
lO AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 and underground products: agriculture, horticulture, forestry, 
 hunting, fishing, the gathering of wild products, food stuffs, 
 mining and metallurgy. 
 
 "Further on are the decoration and furnishing of public 
 buildings and dwellings; threads, textile fabrics and cloth- 
 ing ; chemical industries ; and diversified industries. 
 
 "Social economy, forwhich have been reserved developments 
 worthy of its present importance, should naturally follow the 
 different branches of production — artistic, agricultural and in- 
 dustrial — since it represents their resultant and at the same 
 time states their philosophy. In accordance with views ex- 
 pressed by two very eminent authorities, M. Leon Say and 
 Dr Brouardel, we have added to this group hygiene, which 
 safeguards the health of man, and charities, which come to 
 the assistance of those who have been disinherited by fortune. 
 
 " A new group has been reserved for the moral and material 
 aspects of colonization. Its creation is amply justified by the 
 need for colonial expansion which is felt by all civilized peo- 
 ples. Finally, the series closes with the group for armies on 
 land and sea whose glorious mission it is to guarantee safety 
 and defend the property gained in peaceful occupations." 
 
 II Origin and Development of the Social Economy 
 
 Group 
 
 M. Picard's broad conception of the function of a social 
 economy exhibit, namely, that it "represents the resultant 
 and at the same time states the philosophy, of the great 
 forces of production " represented in all of the other groups, 
 is the product of nearly half a century of French exposi- 
 tion experience. It appeared in embryo at the Paris exposi- 
 tion of 1855, where two eminent French economists, MM. 
 LePlay and Chevalier, were prominent members of the impe- 
 rial commission. LePlay was intrusted with the organization 
 of the entire exposition. In his official classification of ex- 
 hibits 'he included a class for "products of domestic economy " 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT I I 
 
 by which he meant those articles of food, clothing and house- 
 hold furniture which were worthy of special recognition be- 
 cause they would satisfy at a very moderate price the real 
 needs of the people. 
 
 M. Chevalier was president of the jury of awards for this new 
 class. In nearly every instance the articles for which awards 
 were given had been manufactured for the avowed purpose of 
 improving the condition of the masses by reducing the price 
 of necessary commodities. One of the most significant ex- 
 hibits displayed in this section was a series of drawings and 
 plans representing the homes erected for workingmen by the 
 " Societe des Cites Ouvrieres de Mulhouse " in Alsace. The 
 jury voted this society a grand medal of honor in recognition 
 of its successful efforts to improve the social condition of 
 workingmen. 
 
 At the London exhibition of 1862 the official classification 
 did not provide for a social economy exhibit, but LePlay, who 
 was commissioner general for France on this occasion, and 
 Chevalier, who was president of the French section of the in- 
 ternational jury of awards, both took a keen interest in the 
 social economic aspects of other groups, and in their official 
 reports they confined their attention almost entirely to this 
 phase of the exposition. 
 
 At the Paris exposition of 1867 social economy for the first 
 time occupied a prominent place in the official classification. 
 LePlay, who was appointed commissioner general by the em- 
 peror Louis Napoleon, determined to emphasize the social 
 economic aspects of this exposition by installing as a sep- 
 arate group " objects shown with a view to improving the 
 physical and moral condition of the people," and by creating 
 a special system of awards in recognition of "localities or 
 establishments which have developed harmony between per- 
 sons cooperating in the same work and have assured for 
 workingmen a greater degree of material, intellectual and 
 moral well being." 
 
 In the new group LePlay included : i) educational institu- 
 
12 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 tions of every grade, especially those intended to prepare 
 children or adults for special fields of industrial or commer- 
 cial activity; 2) articles manufactured with a view to providmg 
 workingmen and people of moderate means with comfortable 
 homes, nourishing food and proper clothing at very moderate 
 prices ; and 3) documents presenting the plans, methods and 
 results of efforts to improve the social and economic condi- 
 tion of workingmen. 
 
 In the official reports of the jury of awards, M. Le Roux, 
 the reporter for the new group, says : " It is the first time that 
 after having brought to light the merits of production and 
 crowned with honor the marvels of industry and agriculture, 
 an exposition commission has desired to find out whether the 
 physical, intellectual and moral well being of all who have 
 cooperated in these industrial activities has advanced at the 
 same rate ; and whether the magnificent development of our 
 time along practical lines has for a solid foundation the ameli- 
 oration of life conditions, the elevation of intelligence and 
 the existence of harmony between employers and working- 
 men." 
 
 In making awards the international jury for this new group 
 aimed to give especial recognition to institutions and move- 
 ments possessing the following characteristics : 
 
 i) Institutions for preventing improvidence and relieving 
 destitution; 2) institutions for preventing vice; 3) institu- 
 tions for improving moral and intellectual conditions ; 4) 
 arrangement of work and wages tending to improve the 
 condition of workingmen ; 5) subventions tending to give 
 stability to the condition of workingmen ; 6) formation of 
 habits of thrift ; 7) harmony between persons who are work- 
 ing together; 8) permanency of cordial relations between 
 persons who are working together; 9) close relations be- 
 tween agriculture and manufactures ; 10) ownership and 
 permanency of workingmen's homes ; 11) respect shown for 
 the moral character of young girls ; 1 2) respect shown for 
 the moral character of the mothers of families; and 13) 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 1 3 
 
 Other meritorious features, such as the encouragement of a 
 reHgious spirit, soHcitude of an employer for the health of 
 his employees, and efforts on the part of the employer to ad- 
 vance the interests of the community in which his establish- 
 ment is located. 
 
 Sixteen countries of North and South America and Europe 
 were represented in the social economy group. The jury 
 awarded 13 prizes and 24 honorable mentions, and made 
 special reference in its report to a considerable number of in- 
 stitutions and movements in all parts of the world which were 
 worthy of special recognition but could not be given an award. 
 
 One of the institutions which received the highest prize 
 given was the Pacific mills at Lawrence, Mass., where the 
 proprietor, Mr William Chapin, had commenced in 1853 to 
 develop a model industrial community. The jury report calls 
 special attention to the methods by which this company en- 
 couraged the employees, both men and women, to save and 
 invest their money ; to purchase homes ; to buy an interest in 
 the business ; to elect from their own number each year rep- 
 resentatives authorized to take an active part in conducting 
 the business ; to establish a mutual benefit society, a free 
 library and a lecture club ; and to establish boarding houses 
 for the young women employed in the establishment. 
 
 Another American institution which received an award in 
 1867 was the Agricultural colony at Vineland, N. J., to which 
 the international jury gave an honorable mention because by 
 means of careful supervision its leaders had developed a cor- 
 dial spirit of cooperation among the colonists and had helped 
 them to increase their material prosperity and at the same 
 time advance their moral and intellectual welfare. 
 
 At the Paris exposition of 1878 social economy exhibits 
 were not assigned to a separate group, but were distributed 
 in all parts of the exposition grounds and used as an aid to 
 the interpretation of commercial and industrial exhibits. 
 
 It is evident, however, that the French authorities did not 
 regard this policy with favor for in 1889 after a careful study 
 
14 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 of both plans for Installing these exhibits they again made 
 social economy a separate group in the official classification. 
 Before the exposition opened they conducted an elaborate 
 investigation extending over a period of two years in order to 
 collect the documents and the various forms of illustrative 
 material which would represent the social economic institu- 
 tions of France and the French movements for improving 
 social and industrial conditions. These collections were dis- 
 played in the social economy section and were supplemented 
 by a large amount of valuable material sent by various foreign 
 nations. The exhibits were reviewed by international juries 
 composed almost entirely of eminent statesmen, economists 
 and university teachers. 
 
 After the exposition closed many of the social economy 
 exhibits were retained in Paris and used as the nucleus for 
 a permanent social museum. This institution, the Musee 
 Social, has since been richly endowed by the Comte de 
 Chambrun and other wealthy Frenchmen, and has secured 
 many additional exhibits from all parts of the world. It 
 has gained recognition as one of the strongest forces in 
 France for improving social and industrial conditions. 
 
 At the Columbian exposition in 1893 the social economic 
 exhibits were arranged in seven distinct groups : r) govern- 
 ment and law; 2) commerce, trade and banking; 3) social, 
 industrial and cooperative associations ; 4) institutions for 
 the increase and diffusion of knowledge; 5) religious organ- 
 izations and systems; 6) charities and correction; and 7) 
 physical development, hygiene and sanitation. These groups 
 contained many Interesting exhibits and were a constant 
 source of Information and suggestion not only to the experts 
 who visited Chicago, but also to the general exposition public. 
 
 At the Paris exposition of 1900 the social economy exhibit 
 will be made a more important feature than at any previous 
 exposition. It will constitute a distinct group in the official 
 classification, and will be installed in a separate building 
 erected for the purpose on the banks of the river Seine. The 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 1 5 
 
 first floor of this building will be devoted entirely to the social 
 economy exhibit, and the second to a large number of halls 
 and assembly rooms in which will be held a series of inter- 
 national congresses where the leaders in every field of thought 
 and of action can meet for conference and discussion. 
 
 M. Jules Siegfried, the president of the French committee 
 for the social economy group, is a member of the French 
 senate and a prominent leader in movements for improving 
 social and industrial conditions in France. In an article pub- 
 lished in the " Moniteur des Expositions" for June 1899, 
 M. Siegfried discussed the plans for the social economy ex- 
 hibit in the following words : "The universal exposition of 
 1900, celebrating as it does not only the century that is just 
 closing, but also that which is about to open, will sum up as 
 if better to bequeath it to future generations the work of our 
 epoch, an imposing work, for in every department of activity 
 this century has been one of fruitful revolutions and of prog- 
 ress. There is no doubt that one of its surest titles to glory 
 will be furnished by the considerable growth, specially during 
 the last few years, of social and economic science. 
 
 " The grave questions involved in social economics are as 
 old as the mind of man, but it is only in recent times that 
 they have been discussed in a scientific spirit, that is, that they 
 have been taken from the sterile regions of dreams and senti- 
 ment to enter into the fruitful domain of rational study and 
 practical experience. Formerly, beside the mental wander- 
 ings of humanitarian philosophy, society greedily pursued 
 its own ends, interest alone directed social forces, while a 
 vague mysticism led generous minds astray in the search for 
 an easy method which would enable them to achieve universal 
 happiness by means of one sudden reform. 
 
 " Certainly it belongs to our nation, which first proclaimed 
 the ' rights of man ' to take the lead in this grand work of 
 emancipation. She owes it to herself in this great celebra- 
 tion at the end of the century to sum up before the eyes of 
 the world that which has been done in every country to im- 
 
l6 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 prove the social condition of the individual. Such is the 
 object of the exhibit of social economy. Surely there will be 
 few parts of the universal exposition of 1900 which will be 
 of such general interest, few where the public may so easily 
 instruct itself. Visitors will need no technical knowledge in 
 order to appreciate and understand. The exhibit concerns 
 society, that is, man in the most general relations that he has 
 with his fellow men." 
 
 The official classification adopted by the French exposition 
 authorities as a basis for the social economy exhibit shows 
 very clearly the breadth and comprehensiveness of the French 
 definition of social economics. It provides for a careful rep- 
 resentation of all of the social and economic factors which 
 enter into the lives of workingmen. Each step in the prog- 
 ress from childhood to old age is provided for in one or an- 
 other of the classes outlined below. M. Siegfried's article 
 contains the following observations on these twelve classes : 
 
 " Class 10 1 Apprenticeship and the protection of child 
 labor. Here we take the workingman at his entrance into 
 economic life. We see where he received the technical in- 
 struction fitting him for his trade ; and the first contracts 
 that bind him. We learn that already society concerns itself 
 with his fate and that the law protects his youth and his 
 feebleness from abuses of all kinds. 
 
 "Class 102 Wages; other forms of industrial remunera- 
 tion; profit sharing. Here is the question of the working- 
 men's living — upon what basis the contract for labor is made. 
 All systems of remuneration figure in this class. There is a 
 special place reserved for profit sharing, that superior form 
 of remuneration which makes the workingman an associate 
 of the employer instead of a hired laborer. 
 
 "Class 103 Large and small industries; cooperative 
 associations for production or for obtaining credit* trade 
 unions. This class includes everything relating to the labor 
 of industrial workingmen. It throws into relief specially 
 the fruitful results of association whether it be for the pur- 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT I7 
 
 pose of freeing the workingman from tutelage on the part of 
 his employer, or simply for augmenting the force of the indi- 
 vidual through the grouping of interests. The grave question 
 of strikes here finds its place. 
 
 " Class 104 Farming on a large scale and on a small 
 scale ; agricultural unions and banks. Little is known about 
 the economic revolution going on in our fields through the 
 influence of agricultural associations {syndicats agricoles). 
 The workingman of the fields, not less interesting but more 
 silent than his brother in the factory, is unknown to the pub- 
 lic, but he is only the more active in his efforts to advance 
 and achieve independence. Nowhere have the benefits of 
 cooperation appeared with more striking force than here. 
 
 "Class 105 Protection of workers in factories; regulation 
 of work. In addition to the contracts which govern labor, it 
 is submitted to far more general laws — mathematical laws 
 which statistics reveal for each profession. Accidents during 
 labor merit above all to hold the attention. What responsi- 
 bility falls upon the employer and the laborer? What means 
 have been used to insure both against the definite probability 
 of this risk in each trade ? What regulations govern this mat- 
 ter ? So much for questions of the greatest interest in this 
 connection. In this class are also included hours of work, 
 superintendence of work-shops and inspection of factories. 
 
 " Class 106 Workingmen's dwellings. Who does not 
 know what a profound influence our dwelling exerts on our 
 character, our life and our habits ? To improve the condition 
 of the workingman in his dwelling is to work for morality, to 
 strengthen the family and to develop among workingmen a 
 sense of personal ownership. One will see in this class how the 
 modest worker can acquire a comfortable, attractive little home, 
 and also what material and moral results may thus be achieved. 
 
 "Class 107 Cooperative stores. By suppressing interme- 
 diaries, cooperative stores permit the individual to secure pro- 
 visions more economically. Remarkable results have been 
 achieved through this form of cooperation. 
 
1 8 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 "Class 1 08 Institutions for the intellectual and moral 
 development of workingmen. Educaticn of the people is 
 the first duty of a democracy. But education given at 
 the elementary school is a comparatively small affair. To 
 continue and develop it is the object of numerous insti- 
 tutions to which we should certainly wish prosperity and 
 success. 
 
 " Class 109 Provident institutions. To aid the working- 
 man in his efforts to secure a patrimony for himself; to pro- 
 vide for his old age the security of a retiring pension ; to 
 provide for his family in case of sickness, unemployment or 
 death ; such are the objects of numerous societies having sav- 
 ings bank, insurance and mutual benefit features. Do they 
 not free the individual and shelter him from chance and from 
 accidents? This important aspect of social economics Is very 
 properly one that is studied with great care. 
 
 "Class no Movements under public and private auspices 
 for the welfare of the people. A comprehensive table here 
 presents to us the most general problems of social science. 
 We see the various socialistic systems, the state intervening 
 in relations between private citizens, substituting its initiative 
 for private Initiative, and Imposing obligations which some- 
 times go so far as to restrain individual freedom. Finally, we 
 find In this class documents on the social state of various 
 nations. 
 
 " Class 1 1 1 Hygiene. One easily divines all that is In- 
 cluded under this simple title. Since hygiene Is useful to 
 every individual In society, it becomes an imperative duty for 
 the state to Intervene and oversee and develop It. In re- 
 cent years science has given us a marvelous equipment, which 
 helps us to avoid contagious diseases and to diminish the 
 rate of mortality. Its principles should be familiar to every- 
 one, and the public authorities should supervise their applica- 
 tion. 
 
 "Class 112 Public and private charities. Here we find 
 again charity, of which we spoke above, but no longer vaga- 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 1 9 
 
 bond and subject to no rules. In this class are included all 
 public and private institutions having for their object the re- 
 lief of misery in all of its forms ; the assistance of children and 
 adults ; and of the infirm, the sick and the insane." 
 
 Ill An Outline of American Social Economics 
 
 The space assigned to the United States in the social econ- 
 omy building is very limited in area. For this reason the De- 
 partment has been obliged to follow a plan of rigid exclusion 
 in preparing the social economy exhibit, and to accept only 
 material representing typical institutions and movements. 
 The exhibits which have been accepted will be interpreted 
 with great care by means of labels and catalogs in English 
 and in French, and will be supplemented by a series of mono- 
 graphs describing not only the social economic institutions 
 represented in the exhibit, but also many of those which would 
 have been given a place if the amount of time and money at 
 the disposal of the Commission had been sufficient for the pur- 
 pose. In arranging and interpreting social economy material 
 the Department has followed the official French classification 
 very carefully. In collecting this material, however, it has 
 seemed advisable to use an outline that would be more easily 
 understood by American exhibitors. Accordingly, a system- 
 atic classification has been prepared which is sufficiently 
 comprehensive to include all of the exhibits that may be 
 accepted by the Department, and all of the institutions and 
 movements that may be described by the monograph writers. 
 
 This classification, of which an outline is printed in ap- 
 pendix A, groups the social economic elements under seven 
 main heads: i) the country; 2) the people; 3) industrial 
 institutions ; 4) commercial institutions ; 5) economic institu- 
 tions ; 6) social institutions ; and 7) movements for improv- 
 ing social and industrial conditions. 
 
 The country. There are two important factors which enter 
 into the production of social economic conditions in any coun- 
 
20 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 try, namely nature and man. Nature provides the raw materi- 
 als which are used in the various industries, and the environ- 
 ment in which they occur ; while man contributes the labor 
 and the intelligence needed to transform these raw materials 
 into useful commodities, and thus give rise to social and eco- 
 nomic life. 
 
 The first step, therefore, in preparing an exhibit of Ameri- 
 can social economics is to present a clear picture of the coun- 
 try itself as the seat of an economic society, showing its actual 
 size and its size when compared with other countries ; its loca- 
 tion with reference to other countries, to important commer- 
 cial routes, to densely populated districts, to parallels of latitude 
 and to climatic belts ; the division of its area into portions 
 available for habitation and those available for pastoral, for 
 agricultural and for industrial pursuits ; the length and char- 
 acter of its coast lines ; the climate of its various sections, 
 with special reference to conditions which are healthful for men^ 
 and for animals and plants ; its topography, with special ref- 
 erence to transportation routes and drainage areas ; its eco- 
 nomic geology, showing mineral resources and the character of 
 the soil ; its economic biology, showing regions especially 
 fitted to be the homes of those animals and plants which are 
 useful to man ; and its economic geography, showing where 
 the various classes of raw materials may be found and which 
 regions are fitted by nature to be the seat of particular indus- 
 tries. 
 
 The people. The next step is to represent the people who 
 live in the United States, showing their number ; the density 
 of the population in each section of the country ; the race, 
 age, sex and distribution of each important element in the 
 population ; and the industrial efficiency of each, including not 
 only adult and able-bodied persons, but also the aged, the 
 children and the defectives, dependents and delinquents. 
 
 Industrial institutions. Then should come a representation 
 of the industrial life of the country in its social economic 
 aspects. This exhibit may be grouped under three main 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 21 
 
 heads: i) social economic aspects of extractive industries, 
 such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, 
 fisheries and mining; 2) social economic aspects of manufact- 
 uring industries, which may be divided into two groups, those 
 which are simple, since they are based upon only one of the 
 extractive industries, and those which are composite since they 
 are based upon several of the extractive industries ; and 3) 
 the social economic aspects of industries connected with trans- 
 portation and communication, including highways, railroads 
 and other means of land transportation ; canals, rivers, lakes, 
 coast routes and other means of water transportation ; and 
 posts, express, telegraphs, telephones, cables and other means 
 of communication. 
 
 The exhibit representing extractive industries should refer 
 in each case to regional maps showing the location and the 
 physical characteristics of every important district where one 
 of these industries is carried on, and should contain a docu- 
 mentary, statistical and pictorial presentation of the important 
 facts in regard to the products sought, the machinery and 
 other tools used, the condition of the laborers employed, the 
 amount and value of the commodities produced, and the mar- 
 kets to which these commodities are sent. 
 
 The exhibit representing manufacturing industries should 
 also be based iipon regional maps, and should contain supple- 
 mentary information similar to that presented in connection 
 with the extractive industries. 
 
 The exhibit representing industries connected with trans- 
 portation and communication should present a clear picture 
 of the industrial facts and the topographic features which 
 determine the location of railroads, highways, canals and other 
 main arteries of trade and commerce. It should also describe 
 the social and economic forces which affect the development 
 of local, national and international systems of intercommuni- 
 cation. 
 
 Commercial institutions. The commercial activity of the 
 American people has resulted in developing a distinct group of 
 
22 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 commercial institutions which should be represented m a so- 
 cial economy exhibit. In this group may be included trade 
 journals, which enable merchants at home and abroad to keep 
 in touch with progress in every important field of industry ; 
 modern commercial methods, which have helped to develop 
 wholesale and retail trade far beyond the point which had been 
 reached a few decades ago ; local merchants' associations and 
 national manufacturers' associations, each of which exerts a 
 strong influence in its own peculiar field ; chambers of com- 
 merce in each of the large cities, and bureaus of commerce in 
 Washington, which are a controlling force in developing and 
 regulating commercial relations ; commercial museums, which 
 have become a powerful factor in diffusing information in re- 
 gard to the resources and the manufactures of home and for- 
 eign countries and in creating a market for home products ; 
 and the means by which the enterprise of the American people, 
 aided by the various commercial institutions and by the con- 
 sular system maintained abroad by the United States govern- 
 ment, has brought certain parts of the world, notably the 
 South American republics, within what may be called our com- 
 mercial sphere of influence. 
 
 Economic institutions. There are many distinctly economic 
 activities which have an important social influence, and should 
 therefore be given a prominent place in the social economy 
 exhibit. The preparation of children for industrial life ; the 
 various methods of industrial remuneration ; the efforts made 
 by employers and by employees to reach a satisfactory basis of 
 agreement through cooperation, profit sharing, or some form of 
 prosperity sharing; the protection of workingmen in factories, 
 in mines, and elsewhere ; institutions providing for the work- 
 ingman or his family in case of sickness or old age or death ; 
 provisions for making the homes of workingmen healthful and 
 attractive, and at the same time moderate in cost; all are among 
 the economic institutions which should be represented. 
 
 Social institutions. As a rule the social institutions char- 
 acteristic of American life are not well understood by foreign- 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 23 
 
 ers. It is therefore certain tliat an adequate presentation of 
 what is meant in America by the home, the church, the school, 
 the community and the state would attract wide-spread atten- 
 tion and arouse deep interest among thoughtful foreigners who 
 visit the exposition. It has not been possible to prepare such 
 an exhibit for the Paris exposition, because the Commission 
 lacked both the time and the money needed. The purpose 
 in view has been partially accomplished, however, by group- 
 ing the exhibits representing movements for improving social 
 and industrial conditions under five heads, corresponding to 
 the five great social institutions enumerated above. Wherever 
 possible the Commission has included in this exhibit a repre- 
 sentation of the social institution as it is side by side with 
 movements for improving it. 
 
 Movements for improving social and industrial conditions. 
 The various movements for improving social and industrial 
 conditions should occupy a very prominent place in the ex- 
 hibit. They may be grouped under five main heads : i) move- 
 ments for improving domestic conditions, i.e. for developing 
 the home ; 2) movements for improving religious conditions, 
 i.e. for increasing the social influence of the church ; 3) 
 movements for educational extension ; 4) movements for 
 improving social conditions in the community ; 5) move- 
 ments for improving political conditions, i.e. for increasing 
 the efficiency of the town, county, city, state and national 
 governments. 
 
 Domestic movements. The family is recognized as the fun- 
 damental institution in society. For this reason any move- 
 ment which develops family life and helps to build up healthful, 
 happy homes is of vital importance from the social economic 
 standpoint. This is specially true of a nation whose mem- 
 bers have come together from many different countries and 
 brought with them widely differing social standards. A city 
 like Chicago, or New York, for example, is exceedingly cos- 
 mopolitan, and is a veritable whirlpool of social and economic 
 currents. 
 
24 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 The most important unifying force is the pubHc school. It is 
 therefore a very hopeful sign when the board of education in 
 any one of our large cities faces the situation and makes the 
 teaching of the household arts — cooking, sewing, housework 
 and home decoration — a part of the regular public school 
 curriculum. Steps in this direction have already been taken 
 by the school boards of Boston, Brookline, Chicago, New 
 York, Philadelphia and other cities. To meet the demand 
 thus created for competent instructors, special training schools 
 and training departments have been established in all parts of 
 the country, and are doing very effective work in preparing 
 women to teach the household arts. 
 
 Another important influence which makes for better home 
 conditions is the movement for improved housing. The con- 
 centration of large numbers of people in cities has resulted in 
 many cases in crowding the poorer people into uncomfortable, 
 unsanitary tenements where there is little opportunity for pri- 
 vacy or even decency in home life. For a time philanthropists 
 tried single-handed to improve tenement-house conditions ; 
 but now business men as well as municipal authorities 
 have come to their assistance, and have demonstrated that it 
 is sound business policy on the one hand and sound public 
 policy on the other to insist that every building occupied as a 
 tenement shall conform to at least a minimum standard of 
 healthfulness and decency. 
 
 Municipal systems of rapid transit have been developed to 
 the point where many of the people who were formerly com- 
 pelled to live in cities in order to be near their places of busi- 
 ness can now move to the suburbs, or even to the country, 
 buy their own homes and live in the midst of far more whole- 
 some surroundings than the poorer districts of large cities can 
 ever afford. 
 
 Art schools and art museums in all of the larger and many 
 of the smaller American cities exert a strong influence on 
 domestic conditions. They accomplish a great deal towards 
 developing the public taste to a point where it will demand 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 25 
 
 that clothing and household furniture, even when sold at a 
 very moderate price, shall be attractive in both color and 
 design, and they offer industrial art courses with a view to 
 training the designers needed by manufacturers who are striv- 
 ing to meet this demand. 
 
 There are in addition numerous local institutions for im- 
 proving domestic conditions, e.g. social settlements, dietary 
 kitchens, sewing classes and neighborhood guilds. The social 
 economy exhibit should represent each of the larger move- 
 ments mentioned above, as well as typical examples of the 
 local institutions, in order to show how strong and practical 
 are the efforts made by the American people to maintain a 
 high standard of comfort and morality in the American home. 
 
 Religious movements. Some of the most important move- 
 ments for improving social conditions are conducted by 
 churches and by various organizations which are religious or at 
 least denominational in origin. Thoughtful members of these 
 religious bodies have come to recognize that social conditions 
 are changing very rapidly at the present time, and that if the 
 church would remain the chief source of help and inspiration 
 for the people, she must adapt her methods to these changing 
 conditions. Churches of all denominations have therefore 
 developed in recent years a wide range of institutional activ- 
 ity by encouraging those phases of church work which tend to 
 build up community life and insure the health, the happiness 
 and the material prosperity of the people. 
 
 In addition to the institutional church and the national 
 denominational organizations, there are certain other religious 
 bodies whose social work should be represented. Among 
 these may be mentioned : Young men's Christian associations, 
 Young women's Christian associations. Christian endeavor 
 societies, Epworth leagues, the Volunteers, the Salvation 
 army and many others. The work done by these organiza- 
 tions is very effective, and its careful representation would 
 form an exceedingly interesting part of the social economy 
 exhibit. 
 
26 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 Educational movements. Movements for educational ex- 
 tension exert a tremendous influence on social economic 
 progress. They may be grouped under five heads : i ) 
 educational extension under the auspices of national, state 
 and city governments; 2) educational extension through 
 museums and libraries ; 3) educational extension through 
 popular institutes and free concerts, lectures and exhibitions ; 
 4) educational extension through summer assemblies and 
 vacation schools ; and 5) educational extension through 
 clubs. 
 
 Educational extension under the auspices of the national 
 government. The United States government does more for 
 social economic progress through popular education than is 
 done by any other single agency. It expends more than 
 eight million dollars each year for the educational and scien- 
 tific work done by the bureau of education, the Smithsonian 
 institution and national museum, the congressional library, 
 the department of agriculture, the department of labor, and 
 other governmental departments. 
 
 The bureau of education gathers and publishes each year 
 a splendid collection of material, dealing with every phase of 
 educarional activity at home and abroad. These reports of the 
 commissioner of education are sent to all of the public libra- 
 ries in the country and to a large number of normal schools, 
 boards of education and individual teachers. In this way the 
 bureau is directly instrumental in stimulating progressive 
 teachers and patriotic citizens in every community to maintain 
 in the local school system and in other local institutions a 
 high educational standard. In addition, the bureau has built 
 up in Washington an educational library which is acknowledged 
 to be the finest in the world. This library is not only open 
 at all times to students who visit the bureau, but its books 
 may be drawn out and kept for several weeks by students in 
 other parts of the country who desire to consult the published 
 authorities but are unable to go to Washington for the pur- 
 pose. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 27 
 
 The congressional library is rapidly gaining recognition as 
 a truly national institution. The rich collections which it 
 contains are now open, not only to members of congress, but 
 to the general public, and even to children, and every citizen, 
 young or old, may at all times use them freely. The progres- 
 sive library policy which the national government has followed 
 in recent years has already resulted in making the congres- 
 sional library the finest institution of its kind in, America, and 
 a worthy leader in the forward movement of American libra- 
 ries — a movement whose educational results entitle it to rec- 
 ognition as second only to the public school movement in 
 social economic significance. 
 
 The Smithsonian institution and the national museum 
 together constitute a great clearing-house for the scientific 
 ideas of the world. By means of a system of exchanges the 
 Smithsonian secures all of the important home and foreign 
 publications on scientific questions as soon as they appear. 
 These are summarized and the results published in a series 
 of official reports which are distributed, together with copies 
 of the original publications, among the public libraries and 
 the leading scientific institutions of the country, where they 
 may be consulted at any time by the general reading public. 
 The government thus places within the reach of every Ameri- 
 can citizen an opportunity to keep in touch with the scientific 
 progress of the world. 
 
 The department of agriculture exerts a direct influence on 
 social economic progress by helping the farmers to utilize the 
 natural resources of the country to the best advantage. It 
 conducts elaborate investigations to test the fertility of soils, 
 the value of natural and artificial fertilizers, the desirability of 
 the several methods of culture, the effects of climate and the 
 food and commercial values of various natural products. The 
 results of these investigations are published in official reports, 
 of which large editions are distributed among the farmers, 
 The national government also supports an agricultural college 
 and an experiment station in every state, and thus through 
 
28 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 scientific research, combined with practical demonstrations, it 
 becomes the true leader in the progress of agricultural 
 industry. 
 
 The department of labor also exerts a profound influence 
 on social economic progress. It maintains a corps of compe- 
 tent experts and statisticians who investigate important phases 
 of the labor movement in the United States and certain foreign 
 countries and then place their results at the disposition of the 
 public through a series of carefully edited reports. The con- 
 ditions which surround workingmen in the home, in the field, 
 in the mine, in the factory, and amid the complex social con- 
 ditions of modern industrial life — all are studied and discussed 
 by this department in a broad scientific spirit. 
 
 Educational extension by state and city governments. 
 Each of the state governments maintains a similar group of 
 departments and carries on certain lines of scientific and edu- 
 cational work which are of great value to the people of the 
 state. A list of these departments would include boards of 
 health, education, agriculture, forestry, labor statistics and 
 charities, a state library, a state museum and a state univer- 
 sity, with numerous professional and technical schools. 
 
 City governments also do a great deal for educational ex- 
 tension. They maintain public school systems where the 
 children of every citizen, without regard to race or religion, 
 social standing or political belief, may obtain an elementary 
 education. They support free public libraries and museums 
 where all of the people can use the illustrative material and 
 the books which have been bought with public money to be 
 used for public education. They provide free lectures and con- 
 certs and exhibitions of art and industry in order to form the 
 standards of public taste and raise the level of public intelli- 
 gence. They conduct vacation schools where the children may 
 use during the summer months the splendid buildings which 
 really belong to them, instead of spending their time on the 
 streets where they will be constantly exposed to the demoral- 
 izing influences which are characteristic of modern city life. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 29 
 
 The children are the hope of the nation, and no effort 
 should be spared, summer or winter, to develop in them the 
 intelligence and the power which will enable them when the 
 proper time comes to take an active part in the social, indus- 
 trial and political life of the nation. One of the vacation 
 schools conducted in Chicago in 1897 made a special effort to 
 develop among its pupils a desire and an ability to perform 
 well the duties of American citizenship. There were 19 
 different races, or race combinations, represented in a single 
 room in this school. In many cases race antipathies had been 
 retained by the families of these children, even after leaving 
 their old world homes, and had caused endless strife in the 
 new neighborhood to which they had come. It was specially 
 important, therefore, to try to give these children a clear idea 
 of the meaning of the words citizenship and patriotism. The 
 plan adopted was as follows : They were offered an oppor- 
 tunity to gain some practical experience in performing the 
 duties of citizenship through an organization known as the 
 clean city league. They were gathered about the national 
 flag every morning, and taught to sing our beautiful national 
 songs. They were also taught to repeat together each day 
 the following civic creed : " God hath made of one blood all 
 nations of men and we are his children, brothers and sisters 
 all. We are citizens of these United States, and we believe 
 that our flag stands for self-sacrifice for the good of all the 
 people. We want, therefore, to be true citizens of our great 
 city, and we will show our love for her by our works. Chicago 
 does not ask us to die for her welfare, she asks us to live for 
 her, and so to live and so to act that her government may be 
 pure, her officers honest and every corner of her territory a 
 place fit to grow the best men and women who shall rule over 
 her." Where can we find a finer expression of the ideal of 
 American patriotism, or one that strikes a truer note in refer- 
 ring to the duties of municipal and national citizenship ? 
 
 Educational extension through libraries and museums. 
 Next to the public school system the educational agency 
 
30 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 which exerts the strongest, influence on social economic prog- 
 ress is the public library and museum. Nearly every city 
 has made a beginning in the development of a free public 
 institution, to which the citizens may go as often as they like 
 and find the best books, magazines and newspapers, and often 
 interesting collections of natural history material and of 
 objects illustrating the local history of the community. Many 
 ' of these institutions have advanced beyond the stage of en- 
 tirely stationary collections and have organized systems of 
 traveling libraries, traveling museums and traveling pictures, 
 so that the public schools and other local centers, and even 
 neighboring towns, may have an opportunity to obtain the use 
 of public collections of books, pictures and exhibits. 
 
 Educational extension through popular institutes and dubs. 
 Popular institutes are becoming very important factors in edu- 
 cational extension. They conduct classes and lecture courses 
 on a great variety of subjects, give free concerts and free exhibi- 
 tions of fine and industrial art, and provide technical instruction 
 along any industrial line for which there is a sufficient demand. 
 In short, they aim to give the masses those forms of popular 
 education which will broaden their sympathies, add to their 
 stock of knowledge and increase their industrial efficiency. 
 
 Educational clubs are also very prominent among the move- 
 ments for educational extension. In some places they take 
 the form. of study clubs organized primarily for the benefit of 
 the members, in others of public education associations which 
 either devote their attention to encouraging every form of 
 educational extension in city, state or nation, or else select a 
 more limited field, such as kindergartens or public school art, 
 or the teaching of domestic science, and concentrate on that. 
 The women's clubs which are established in every city and in 
 nearly every village are among the most efficient of the edu- 
 cational clubs. Their members take a keen interest in social 
 and industrial questions, and by their great activity have made 
 these organizations one of the strongest forces in social and 
 economic progress. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 3 1 
 
 All of these movements for educational extension might 
 very properly be represented in the social economy exhibit. 
 Many of them, however, will be given a place in the educa- 
 tional section or in the space devoted to libraries and mu- 
 seums, and only those which are special or technical in 
 character will be grouped under social economy. This divi- 
 sion of the exhibits is necessary because of space limitations, 
 but here, as elsewhere, the gaps in the exhibit will be partially 
 filled by the insertion of cross-references to material displayed 
 in other groups. 
 
 Social movements. There are some movements for im- 
 proving social and industrial conditions which are not intended 
 primarily to influence any single group of the above-named 
 institutions — domestic, religious, educational or political — but 
 rather to influence all of these groups and thus raise the gen- 
 eral standard of community life. A list of these movements 
 would include a wide range of social economic activities but 
 they may be grouped under five main heads : i ) philanthropic 
 movements; 2) social and university settlements ; 3) clubs; 
 4) industrial movements; and 5) municipal movements. 
 
 Philanthropic movements. There are a great number of 
 philanthropic institutions in the United States. Some are 
 maintained by public appropriations and others by private 
 charity, but all, whether public or private, are designed to 
 give protection and help to those members of society who are 
 for one reason or another unable to help themselves. In 
 arranging the charities exhibit these institutions have been 
 grouped under eight general heads as follows: i) institu- 
 tions for the care of destitute adults ; 2) custodial institu- 
 tions for defectives, including the insane, the feeble-minded 
 and epileptics; 3) hospitals, dispensaries and nursing; 4) 
 institutions for the care and relief of destitute, neglected and 
 delinquent children ; 5) organizations for the care and relief 
 of needy families ; 6) institutions for the detention and treat- 
 ment of criminals ; 7) supervisory and educational move- 
 ments; and 8) organizations for preventive work. 
 
32 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 These various philanthropic institutions exert a tremendous 
 influence on the social economic welfare of America, since 
 they are forced to grapple day by day with those forces which 
 retard progress by interfering with the health of the social 
 Organism. 
 
 Settlements. Social and university settlements also exert a 
 very strong influence among poor people who live in the 
 crowded districts of the larger American cities. The resi- 
 dents in these settlements are earnest men and women who 
 have given themselves up to the effort to help their neigh- 
 bors in every possible way. The settlement is their home. 
 They identify themselves as completely as possible with the 
 life of the neighborhood and take an interest in the homes, 
 the schools, the occupations, and above all, in the daily lives 
 of the people who live near them. They strive to make the 
 settlement a center for wholesome social activity and to create 
 an intelligent public opinion in regard to the important ques- 
 tions of every-day life. If it were possible to measure the 
 results of their work and to show it by some method of sym- 
 bolism in an exhibit, it would form one of the most striking 
 features of the social economy section. 
 
 Clubs. One of the most active of the forces which influ- 
 ence social economic development is the club life carried on 
 by men and women, boys and girls, in all parts of the country. 
 The club when properly organized is a very effective social 
 agency. It brings together people who have certain interests 
 in common and affords them an opportunity to work together. 
 Clubs which have a social economic significance may be 
 grouped under four general heads — educational, social, in- 
 dustrial and political. 
 
 The educational clubs include those which have been de- 
 scribed above under this head, and also numerous scientific 
 organizations, such as the American historical association, 
 the American economic association, the American association 
 for the advancement of science, the National educational 
 association, the American library association and many others. 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 33 
 
 Social clubs are as a rule organized for the purpose of 
 bringing their members together for social recreation, but 
 many of them add to this function a social economic aim 
 which makes them important factors in advancing the inter- 
 ests of the city in which they are located, and frequently of 
 the nation as a whole. Under this head may be included the 
 great social clubs in cities, such as the Union league club of 
 New York, the Cosmos club of Washington, the Manufactur- 
 ers' club of Philadelphia and a number of others which bring 
 together men who are prominent in every walk of life, and 
 give them an opportunity first to discuss questions of public 
 interest, and then by united action to exert an influence in 
 shaping the public opinion in regard to these questions. 
 
 A list of the industrial and commercial clubs would include 
 such organizations as the National manufacturers' associa- 
 tion, the National association of factory inspectors, the trades 
 unions and all of the great labor organizations, as well as 
 many smaller local clubs whose interest centers in questions 
 affecting a single industry or certain special phases of com- 
 mercial or industrial life. 
 
 Political clubs are also influential in shaping social economic 
 development. It is true that some of them, including the 
 great party organizations, are frequently willing to sacrifice the 
 larger interests at stake for the sake of achieving a merely 
 partisan success ; but this is to be expected in a democracy, 
 where national politics are necessarily organized on party 
 lines. There are, however, many organizations, specially in 
 the larger cities, whose interest centers in purely municipal 
 questions, and in whose work party politics plays a subordinate 
 role. In these clubs many of the most vital questions in the 
 field of social economics are carefully studied and discussed, 
 and the conclusions reached are given a wide circulation 
 through the daily and periodical press. 
 
 Industrial movements. None of the movements for im- 
 proving social and industrial conditions are of greater signifi- 
 cance than those which have grown up in connection with 
 
34 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 certain large industrial establishments, where employers try 
 to improve the condition of their employees, or the employees 
 themselves make a systematic effort to improve their own 
 condition. Industrial movements of this kind may be grouped 
 under three heads : i ) those affecting the condition of work- 
 ingmen in their homes ; 2) those affecting the condition of 
 workingmen in the factories where they are employed ; and 
 3) those affecting the community in which the workingmen 
 live. 
 
 Among the movements affecting home life may be men- 
 tioned the erection of model cottages and improved dwellings 
 which workingmen may rent or buy at a moderate price ; 
 training in the various household arts, not only offered to girls 
 and women employed in the factories, but also to members of 
 the families of men who are employed ; encouragement and 
 direction in making the home surroundings attractive by 
 planting flowers and vines in the front and back yards ; and 
 care for the physical health of the workingmen and their 
 families. 
 
 Among the movements connected with life in the factory 
 may be mentioned : i) those affecting the physical health of 
 employees, including protection from accident by means of 
 safety devices attached to dangerous machinery ; opportunities 
 for obtaining nourishing food at a factory lunch counter, a 
 restaurant or a dining room ; encouragement of physical exer- 
 cise by means of athletic clubs organized by the workingmen 
 themselves ; opportunities for exercise afforded by those em- 
 ployers who furnish a bicycle room in their factories or provide 
 that calisthenics shall be conducted each day during a brief 
 recess in the morning and again in the afternoon ; and pro- 
 visions for free baths and for a rest room where men or 
 women may be cared for if injured or taken sick during work- 
 ing hours; and 2) educational activities, including kinder- 
 gartens for the younger children of employees; industrial 
 classes for older children and adults; illustrated lectures 
 given in the factory hall ; a library and reading room open to 
 
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY EXHIBIT 35 
 
 employees at all times ; a traveling library sent through the 
 factory on a truck during the noon hour ; publications issued 
 by the employer for the information of his employees ; and 
 clubs formed by the employees for purposes of study and 
 discussion. Some employers also furnish a strong incentive 
 to careful thought and study by offering prizes each year to the 
 employees who make the best suggestions in regard to im- 
 provements which might be made in the administration or the 
 methods of the factory. 
 
 The movements which affect the life of the community in- 
 clude : I ) efforts to make the neighborhood beautiful by 
 planting trees and vines near the factory and along the streets, 
 and by encouraging employees to form local improvement 
 associations ; 2) efforts to develop habits of thrift by con- 
 ducting penny provident banks, forming mutual benefit socie- 
 ties and relief associations and encouraging employees to save 
 and invest their earnings ; and 3) efforts to develop a whole- 
 some social life by providing a hall where employees may 
 gather for games, dances, concerts, lectures, musical re- 
 hearsals and various other forms of healthful social recrea- 
 tion. 
 
 Municipal movements. Nearly 40% of the entire popu- 
 lation of the United States live in cities having more than 
 8000 inhabitants. It is, therefore, necessary for American 
 municipal authorities to deal with some very important social 
 economic problems. Each city taxes its own people for the 
 support of municipal activities and expends the money col- 
 lected : i) in protecting the lives and property of the citizens 
 by means of a police force, a fire department and a group of 
 bureaus which control the cleaning of the streets and the 
 sanitary regulations of the city ; 2) in educating the people 
 by means of a public school system, a public library and 
 various forms of educational extension ; 3) in providing the 
 city with streets and sidewalks and the necessary water and 
 light ; and 4) in performing such other functions as may be 
 given the authorities by a majority vote of the people. 
 
36 AMERICAN SOCIAL ECONOMICS 
 
 Among the newer features of municipal enterprise may be 
 mentioned: i) those which care for the health of the people 
 by establishing public baths, public comfort stations and public 
 gymnasiums; 2) those which provide the people with oppor- 
 tunities for healthful recreation in public parks and play- 
 grounds and on recreation piers ; and 3) those which affect 
 the domestic life of the people through the influence of public 
 laundries, municipal lodging houses, tenement-house inspec- 
 tion and food inspection. 
 
 Conclusion. For obvious reasons it will not be possible for 
 the Department to represent in the social economy exhibit all 
 of the institutions and movements mentioned above. It is 
 already certain, however, that the exhibit will contain material 
 of considerable scientific value ; and will enable even the 
 casual exposition visitor to gain a clear idea of the important 
 social and economic aspects of the United States, i.e. of the 
 country, the people and the social economic institutions. 
 
Cornell University Library 
 HD4821 .W32 
 + 
 The social economy exhibit at the Paris 
 
 3 1924 030 072 916 
 olln Overs