of this science, without the help of those who are over him.

The writer came into the machine-shop of the Midvale Steel Company in
1878, after having served an apprenticeship as a pattern-maker and as a
machinist. This was close to the end of the long period of depression
following the panic of 1873, and business was so poor that it was
impossible for many mechanics to get work at their trades. For this
reason he was obliged to start as a day laborer instead of working as a
mechanic. Fortunately for him, soon after he came into the shop the
clerk of the shop was found stealing. There was no one else available,
and so, having more education than the other laborers (since he had been
prepared for college) he was given the position of clerk. Shortly after
this he was given work as a machinist in running one of the lathes, and,
as he turned out rather more work than other machinists were doing on
similar lathes, after several months was made gang boss over the lathes.

Almost all of the work of this shop had been done on piece work for
several years. As was usual then, and in fact as is still usual in most
of the shops in this country, the shop was really run by the workmen,
and not by the bosses. The workmen together had carefully planned just
how fast each job should be done, and they had set a pace for each
machine throughout the shop, which was limited to about one-third of a
good day's work. Every new workman who came into the shop was told at
once by the other men exactly how much of each kind of work he was to
do, and unless he obeyed these instructions he was sure before long to
be driven out of the place by the men.

As soon as the writer was made gang-boss, one after another of the men
came to him and talked somewhat as follows: