nceivable that a rotation of crops might be
carried on upon a dozen farms, while each farmer gives his attention to
his specialty. It would require, of course, a much closer combination in
credit with each other than has yet been found among farmers. At the very
best, however, farming must still remain the most prominent illustration
of limitation in the application of the great labor saving and capital
saving by minute division of labor.

_Disadvantages of extreme division._--The great addition to wealth so
distinctly traced to division of labor is not gained without some
disadvantages to the community. Almost certainly the inactivity of body
compelled by confinement to a simple portion of a trade induces physical
weakness. The health of workers in factories is often uncertain, and the
average of life is known to be reduced. While steadiness of employment
contributes to steady habits, the reduced activity contributes to
weakness. Perhaps even more perceptible is the tendency toward narrowness
of mind. Ingenuity is developed in the "Jack of all trades," although his
information in regard to each one may be limited. The man who knows all
about a very small part of one trade has little to stimulate his mind to
exertion. Indeed, habit is liable to make his very action and judgment
purely automatic. The fact that the raw hand can be quickly made effective
makes the stimulation to self-education even less than in ordinary
circumstances. The constant dependence of each laborer upon the routine of
his work and his absolute dependence upon authority for his employment
lead naturally to lack of self-control. A man may grow almost like the
machine he handles, responding only to the demand of his overseer. These
tendencies foster also a growth of class distinctions. Such workmen are
thought of as operatives, held in a class by themselves. They may be
expected to know little of the interests of community outside their own
circle, and are often distrusted in matters of common welfare. They
themselves distrust the leadership of those upon whose management they
depend for employment.

All these disadvantages may be overcome by more community of interest
among workers of all classes for their comfort and improvement outside
their tasks. It is a fact that associations for the advancement of workers
in social and political freedom and mutual self-support have grown most
rapidly in the neighborhood of factories, where division of labor is