turned our attention
to labor outbreaks, to graft prosecutions, and to land steals. We
talked about "malefactors of great wealth." We even became interested
in Schedule K. And so, during the first decade of the new century a
whole train of revelations, incidents, and phrases tempered our regard
for business and brought many business practices under the ban of law
and hostile sentiment. Efficiency was in bad company and suffered in
reputation.

But efficiency was able to prove an alibi; we were told that the thing
which posed as efficiency was not efficiency, but special privilege,
and we were again persuaded of the great service a regenerate and
socialized efficiency could render. Just at this point came the
outbreak in Europe; efficiency was again caught in bad company, and we
began to hear such phrases as the "moral breakdown of efficiency,"
"efficiency, a false ideal," and others of similar import. In an
article bearing the title, "Moral Breakdown of Efficiency," published
in the "Century" for June, 1915, it was maintained that pursuit of
efficiency had led and was still leading civilization on a downward
path.

In addition to the reputation of keeping bad company, efficiency has to
bear the odium of many foolish and inefficient deeds performed by its
self-appointed prophets. The quest for efficiency has called forth in
business a new functionary known as the "efficiency expert." Many of
these men have done a vast amount of valuable work, but many others
have not. While the real expert has been raising the level of business
organization, the others have been piling up a large wastage of poor
work and lost confidence.

But these are side issues. The main fact stands out above them. We have
been steadily adding to the burdens on industrial and commercial
equipment; even more have we increased the stresses and the strains on
human life. A devastating war is now suddenly taking up the slack, and
the slow and painful task of making the world efficient must be
hastened in order that society may bear the load. In these
circumstances we need not apologize for making efficiency the main
support of business standards. Nor need we assume, as does the author
just cited, that the efficiency ideal in any way conflicts with the
ideal of moral responsibility and service.

Of course, if we reflect, the abstract and impersonal thing which
engineers define as the ratio between energy expended and result
obtained has no moral qual