AUGUST 1, 1916 



685 



in his pocket. The bubbling' fountains we see 

 in so many jihne.s are all right; but with 

 sueh crowds as they have here it would be 

 next to impossible. These water-bottles are 

 not only located handy to everybody, but a 

 boy with a cart holding six bottles is all the 

 while traveling around the room ready to 

 replace any empty jar. I clip from one of 

 their books as follows: 



There is a department, enrolling about 500 men, 

 whose duties are to keep the floors swept clean, the 

 windows washed — in fact, to keep the sanitary con- 

 ditions surrounding the workmen as nearly perfect 

 as possible. The floors of the entire plant are scrub- 

 bed at least once a week with hot water and a strong 

 solution of alkali, which removes the fcrease. An- 

 other department, of about 25 men, does nothing 

 but paint the walls and ceilings of the factory, keep- 

 ing everything fresh and clean. 



As light is a verj'^ important matter, not 

 a pane of glass in that great institution is 

 suffered to get the least dustj'. My good 

 friend, let us pause a moment. How are 

 the windows to your barn, workshop, poul- 

 try-house, or any other building you may 

 have at just this minute? If this Ford 

 concern can afford to keep every pane of 

 glass scrupulously clean in their great es- 

 tablishment, how is it with you? 



Notwithstanding- the fact that Mrs. Flow- 

 er was with us on that trip, I told Mr. 

 McKay there wa.s just one thing" more that 

 interested me as much as anything else — 

 their public-comfort room or closet arrange- 

 ments for men. He made the remark that 

 if I saw one of them I saw the whole of 

 them. Said he, " Here is one right here. 

 Let us look at it." 



By the way, these toilet rooms are sup- 

 posed to be within a few steps of every one 

 of the 30,000 workmen. Shall I tell you 

 why I especially wanted to see the men's 

 toilet or lavatory, as it is sometimes called? 

 I especially wanted to see if there was any 

 tobacco juice squirted off in the back corners 

 where it would be a hard matter to get at 

 it with a broom or scrubbing-brush. I won- 

 ner if every man in the employ of the A. I. 

 Root Co. will read this. I hope so. Well, 

 I guess I did see a few traces of tobacco 

 or stains where there had been tobacco spit- 

 tle. But the room was far in advance of 

 what you see in hotels, railway stations, and 

 a dozen other places. You will remember 

 in that printed extract at the -beginning of 

 this paper there is an intimation that mak- 

 ing automobiles is a side issue. Now keep 

 that in mind while we go on. 



In such a gi^eat establishment, with com- 

 plicated and expensive machinery, it is al- 

 most an impossibility ^o prevent injury 

 entirely; and I was greatly pleased — in 

 fact, I felt like thanking God when I was 



ushered into a large spacious room beauti- 

 fully lighted, and kept scrupulously clean, 

 where were half a dozen physicians and sur- 

 geons provided with every up-to-date appli- 

 ance for caring- for sick or injured people. 

 While Ave were there two men came in, each 

 one having' a mangled or cut fingef. The 

 workman loses no time when he is acci- 

 dentally hurt in this way, and he pays no 

 fee to the doctor. I have not time here to 

 tell you all they do for the physical comfort 

 and for " safety first," as has been so often 

 expressed. 



Now hold your breath while I tell you 

 something else. They have in that great 

 establishment men from all parts of the 

 world, and, if I make no mistake, the guide 

 said that at least one hundred different 

 languages are spoken here, and they often 

 come to work with no other language than 

 their own. How can you teach men to work 

 with dangerous machinery if you cannot 

 talk to them? To remedy this handicap 

 they have an English school, and this school 

 is going on all the while. Pay-day is going 

 on all the while ; and as they work in eight- 

 hour sliifts a great part of the factory is 

 going on day and night. By the way, a 

 great and wonderful new factory is now in 

 process of construction to give place to 

 other thov.^ands besides the 30,000 already 

 enrolled. Well, that English school pleased 

 me about as much as any other one thing. 

 The teacher was one of the crowd. He had 

 on his overalls like the rest. While we were 

 there he gave them a sentence to repeat 

 after him, and I think it was this : 



" The Ford Motor Co. have in their em- 

 ploy 30,000 people." He spoke slowly and 

 distinctly, the most of his audience also 

 speaking slowly and distinctly, and manag- 

 ed to follow him pretty well. The word 

 " employ " seemed to be hard for their 

 tongues, or at least some of them, and he 

 said it very slowly many times over. Then, 

 pointing to a certain person, he said, " I 

 want you, my good friend, to speak that 

 word ewploif all alone;" and after he had 

 made him utter it fairly well he had the 

 whole crowd follow. Now. this teacher had 

 a special gift for teaching his fellow-men. 

 His gesticulations and shouts and comical 

 grimaces made me think of Billy Sunday. 

 Oh what a glorious undertaking is the one 

 I have just mentioned, lo take an average 

 crowd of foreigners coming from all part.s 

 of the world, and teach them a common 

 language, including old men! My good 

 father used to remark humorously, espe- 

 cially when he was getting old, " It is a 

 hard matter to teach old dogs new tricks." 

 Well, I begin to realize it just now, espe- 



