CHAPTER XLI 

 FATIGUE AND THE WORKER 



246. The hours of work. No matter how slowly one works, 

 it is impossible for him to keep on working indefinitely without 

 rest. How many hours a day should a person work ? How 

 many hours a day may one work and play and still maintain 

 his health ? There was a time when mill workers had to be at 

 their tasks sixteen and eighteen and even more hours a day. 

 They lived, but they died young. The shortening of the work- 

 day has certainly played a large share in the lengthening of 

 the work life. 



With an excessive length of working day the body never has 

 time to catch up with the elimination of wastes. Fatigue ac- 

 cumulates from day to day, and sooner or later the machine is 

 clogged beyond further use. It is, then, a question whether 

 it is more economical to work long hours for a few years or 

 to work short hours for a longer period. From the point of 

 view of making the other person produce profits for me, it has 

 often seemed best to work him for all he is worth, and then, 

 when he is used up, to get someone else. But from the point of 

 view of the worker and from the point of view of society this 

 is certainly poor economy. Especially true is this when it 

 comes to considering the work of children (see Fig. 81). 



The injurious effects of long working days upon the worker 

 is coming to be realized by the workers and by society at large. 

 This realization shows itself in two ways : 



1. The workers are constantly demanding a shorter and 

 shorter workday. 



2. Legislation is constantly readjusting the legal workday 

 on a shorter and shorter basis. 



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