TEE DISEASE AND THE REMEDY 451 



a form sufficiently authoritative and attractive to insure its reception 

 and assimilation. He does not know that if it were possible to pre- 

 cipitate upon society any of the millennial measures which are fre- 

 quently 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 au- 

 thorities upon pedagogy, medicine, economics, industrial problems, 

 finance, and similar interests which affect every citizen. In the in- 

 terest of convenience and economy the work of the department should 

 be divided between two bureaus. One for the accumulation and classi- 

 fication of knowledge valuable to the department, which might be 

 known as the Bureau of Eesearch of the Department of Public Better- 

 ment, 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, im- 

 migration, child labor, the length of the working day, the preservation 

 of the sabbath day, and extension of holidays ; the construction, ventila- 

 tion 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 pre- 



