going on--going on, seemingly by themselves, with a sort of
mad, mechanical, majestic, molten sweep.

* * * * *

At this time, when the great efficient organization started by Bismarck
is being devoted entirely to destruction, it is interesting to recall
that the idea of industrial welfare work originated in Germany during
the period of Bismarckian reorganization. So, paradoxically, the very
forces which, on one hand, were building towards the new records for the
extinction of life established in the present war, were, upon the other
hand, developing plans for the safeguarding of life and for making it
worth living--plans which have enormously affected the industrial
existence of the civilized world.

The broad theory of industrial welfare work was brought to this country
by engineers, chemists, and workmen who had resided in Germany; but,
where this work developed over there along cooeperative lines, it has
remained for Great Britain and the United States to work it out in a
more individualistic way.

In this country welfare work has come as a logical part of the general
industrial development. The first step in this development was the
assembling of small, weak industrial units into large, powerful,
effective units--that is to say, the formation of great corporations and
trusts. The second step was the cooerdination of these great industrial
alliances for "efficiency." The third step was the achievement of
material success.

When our great corporations were in their formative period, effort was
concentrated on making them successful, but with success came thoughts
of other things. It began to be seen, for example, that whereas the old
small employer of labor came into personal contact with his handful of
workmen, and could himself supervise their welfare, some plan must now
be devised for doing this work in a large, corporate way.

Thus welfare work developed in the United States, and it is interesting
to observe, now, that many of our great corporations are finding time
and funds to expend upon purely aesthetic improvements, and that, in the
construction of the most modern American industrial plants, architects,
landscape gardeners, and engineering men work in cooeperation, so that,
instead of being lopsided, the developments are harmonious and
oftentimes beautiful.

On work calculated to prevent accidents in mines, not only the Tennessee
Coal, Iron, & Railroad Company, but all