y or the other about it three
hundred and sixty-five days in the year. Even voting days the rank and
file of us do not ponder overlong on democracy _versus_ autocracy.
Indeed, if it could be done silently, in the dead of night, and the
newspapers would promise not to say a word about it, perhaps we might
change to a benevolent autocracy, and if we could silence all orators,
as well as the press, what proportion of the population would be
vitally concerned in the transition? Sooner or later, of course,
alterations in the way of doing this and that would come about, the
spirit of the nation would change. But through it all--autocracy, if
it were benevolent, or democracy--there would be little conscious
concern on the part of the great majority. Always provided the press
and orators would keep quiet.

From my own experience, the same could be said of Industrial
Democracy. Autocracy, democracy, the rank and file of the workers,
especially the women workers, understand not, ponder not.

"Say," chuckled Mamie, "I could 'a' died laughin' once. A fella came
through here askin' everybody what we thought of the Partnership Plan.
My Gawd! when he got to me I jus' told him I didn't understand the
first thing about it. What ud he do but get out a little book and
write what I said down. Never again! Anybody asks me now what I think
of the Partnership Plan, and I keep my mouth shut, you bet."

Once an enthused visitor picked on me to ask what I thought of working
under the Partnership Plan. After he moved on the girls got the
giggles. "Say, these folks that come around here forever asking what
we think about the Partnership Plan! Say, what any of us knows about
that could be put in a nutshell."

And gray-haired Ella Jane, smartest of all, ten years folding pillow
cases, said: "I don't know anything about that Partnership Plan. All I
know is that we get our share of the profits and our bonuses, and I
can't imagine a nicer place to work. They do make you work for what
you get, though. But it's all white and aboveboard and you know
nobody's trying to put something over on you."

But the general spirit of the place? Could that be traced to anything
else but the special industrial scheme of things? One fact at least is
certain--the employing end is spared many a detail of management; the
shift in responsibility is educating many a worker to the problems of
capital. And production is going up.

* * * *