| Show B Ber er i A J 1 rBi ft f v Given to to FreeM Free Men n Not NotTo NotTo oJ To Enslave Them Ford i Unless Civilization Gives Ev Every ry Man Woman and Child Opportunity to Have Decent Livi Living Then H Hs s F Failed He says ys Mass of L Legislation De Declared Handicap Declared l red H Handicap to to Progress to-Progress Progress y 1 By HENRY HY FORD In I In with Samuel Crowther All Bights nights Reserved Copyright Cop 1926 by Doubleday Page CO TillS book has itself concerned itse with things with material material THIS I the supply of the material wants of humanity Man through the ages has sought has health wealth wealth and happiness Health docs does not flOt of itself bring wealth and Joes not n necessarily follow tho the obtaining of either cither health or wealth or bothof both of them Happiness is something for the individual lor but whatever may or may may riot hot be surely it is more apt to grow grow out of health and wealth than out of illness and poverty There Thero There There-Is Is 19 a II fairly general agree agree- agreement agreement agreement ment that If It civilization means mean a at all It it should should mean the opportunity to every overy man woman and child on earth to have at least decent shelter sheller food and clothing with as IlS much over as ns individual merit Individual merit may warrant Unless that bo ho accomplished we may say that civilization Is a 0 a- a failure Ii 11 matters not what books may be written what buildings put uP what works of art created noth created noth nothing ing leg matters mailers It Ie the opportunity b benot- benot not not- given for tor any one- one who wl to live JIve as ns befits a human being The Tho world has been baffled by poverty S Sometimes It If has been so baffled that It has made a virtue of po poverty and nod men have havo set up that they were proud proud proud to be poor The only only- only escape escape for poverty was held out by religion promising Heaven as IlS a surcease from sor- sor sorrow sorrow Bor row or or by various arlous thought out thought Ill communistic lea or out thought the theties les which while not promis promising InK ing wealth could promise an equal equal- equality II its ity of misery Trained 1 thought has hos avoided the one big of the tho worM World world Indeed anything that had to do w h the tha actual of or with goods goods with the mak- mak mak making ing In easier of the thu lot of what was called the common man had man been charged with having the taint of commercialism It was noble enough h to talk alk about bout the allevia la alleviation Lion tion of ot but quite Ignoble to do anything about It In a COil coal con concrete crete way Only now are we beginning beginning- to realize that any study which 11 1 has not as III Its end the welfare of the therne rne common man Is not flot worth worthwhile worthwhile while Take science philosophy philosophy and religion It is Idle to say that one deals with reality more morn than the other They nil all deal with real realities Illes iti Fat Farts are oro aol no all on one One plane Science Is not limitedly Matter and spirit are on Page rase Three Power Power Machinery Was Given to Free Men Not NotTo NotTo To Enslave Them Ford C Continued 1 rG rori Page rage One terms we use to make milr distinctions perhaps do not exist In the way wr we w commonly think they do They are the poles pole whoso whose opposition opposition means action and balance balance from matter the tir action to ma- ma ma materialize t spirit from spirit the tho ac- ac ac action lion tion to spiritualize matter Yet science and philosophy and religion to a degree have largely ely kept aloof from froni any ma- ma ma materialism which had to too o o 0 anything so commonplace as bread and butter butler The coming of the industrial era althou II it rapidly increased ac- ac ac no actual tuat wealth eaIth maue a new problem l lem nt m In its distribution and while It made the rich richer at It made c poor still poorer The by power Dower and machin and and- machin- machin machinery ery cry was waa far greater creator than by hand band but bilt the Industrialists had no eon con con conception that power and machinery machiner were ere destined to make a new world In the tho old terms ot of land and production and many of oft t em still think in those thoo terms Even Een reformers In the same terms We Ve hll had hail I the thc gold gol ge of sni oratory oratory wit wll words the cr cruelties of ot exploitation tion Io lost t of our economic and social conception conceptions dat date from this age There was much tall talk ot of good employers an and 1 bad Im I'm- em employers and lie ht disposition of the tho employer had a deal to do with the welfare of his No one thought of th the employer aa ns other than a man who ho gave cave gave jobs For Fora n ft long lone time it did not occur to anyone anyone one that the was quite as necessary to the employer ns as was the employer to the that the relation was not senti sentimental mental A who ven- ven ventured yen ven ventured tuned to correct the worst evils lIs In- In Incident incident in incident t to production was set down n as a that philanthropist that word having come to a 0 slight slight- slightly slightly ly ly senile tonne and eccentric old gentle gentle- gentleman gentleman man mm who went about distributing aid lo to people lacking the respect respect self to refuse it The word ord I has been applied to many manyI a a I project which la is social un- un uni unjust unjust un unjust i just and generally disastrous And Anda Anda a great many plans for making projects supporting self and ern- ern ef effi efficient 1 dent clent ivo havo been delayed or re- re rejected re rejected because the tho label vision nrY ary has been hung huns upon them Men fen talked of ot democracy end ond as- as as associated s with it liberty but When O Cr er they obtained government self when when-I which which was supposed somehow to tobe tobe tobe be tho same as ns democracy and lib lib- lib liberty Immediately erly erty Immediately they sought sous-ht autocracy under some other name They wanted the state stale to regulate under the conception that it could take the place of Individual lead lead- leadership leadership and that Industry being a a anew anew new thing thine needed reputation regulation when I the truth was that Industry had hod hadnot hodnot hadnot not found its function and needed freedom to find Itself The multi multi- multitude multitude multitude tude of laws which we have hav today a a wilderness of statutes and ordinances does nances-does nances does not Indicate an In in crease creaso In mens men's men rights and liber liber- liberties liberties ties Doubtless mankind's liber liberties ties tics will villi be greatly e expanded by growth of character and by rec- rec recognition I byI os of the tho nee need l for tor economic liberty not freedom from econ econ economic law but liberty within econ econ- economic econ econ- economic economic lire life But wo we are arc being dally daily I made mado aware that while anybody cnn can make a 1 statute ute It takes a wise wiseman man manto to makeI make nako I on one ona that roots In in basic rights Very Terr often otten a 1 statute hinders progress because I Itself will vili cause some som readjust readjust- readjustment ment m nt an and 1 people are naturally averse to readjustment even tor progress And then curiously legislation acorns capable In whatever form imay may be b cast of ot workinG opposite opposite- oppositely ly Iy from the Intention which corn eom- corn ed the best beat support for tor It it The tariff began in an effort to protectS jobs of ot workingman and andrender andrender render the the country dependent self it ended endel In the disgraceful spec spec- spectacle spectacle spectacle of o non competitive trusts against which the people had no remedy From From a fence to keep out harm the tariff became a stockade which kept out tho 1110 benefits of ot fair competition The I principle had elements which corn com com commended mended It to honest intelligence but the administration or of o It be- be became became be became came an oppression One could fill a 0 a- a volume with the legislation which has hils passe passed be- be because because be because cause of o Its good rood promise but which oneo once passed has been manipulated for tor private advantage nd-antage against ns the tho public rights But Dut all nil this time while we w were floundering and It was being truly said that government had tailed failed I ithe the men who put work before tall talk were working and they were ere work work-j work work- working work Ing with such large larce results that thaI 1 the they lve wo vo discovered the real moaning of or power and machinery and that It was brought into this world orld to free fre man not to enslave him and that there Is a new mor morality auty which Is a active tl e and not mere merely ly Iy passive ve mere mere-I 00 no- no |
