Reviews : LAIDLER, HARRY W. Boycotts and the Labor Struggle. Pp. 483. Price, $2.00. New York: John Lane Company, 1914
| Author | Alexander Fleisher |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271621405300145 |
| Published date | 01 May 1914 |
| Date | 01 May 1914 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
334
supplementary
chapter
of
the
greatest
value
is
added
on
the
study
of
prosti-
tutes
committed
from
New
York
City
to
the
State
Reformatory
for
Women
at
Bedford
Hills
by
Miss
Katherine
B.
Davis,
then
Superintendent
of
the
refor-
matory,
now
commissioner
of
corrections
in
New
York
City.
Altogether,
the
volume
forms
one
of
the
most
valuable
studies
of
this
disagreeable
but
in-
tensely
important
subject
produced
in
this
country.
It
would
be
easy
to
bring
certain
criticisms
to
bear.
It
is
obviously
impossible
for
any
one
investigator
to
cover
the
entire
field.
Mr.
Kneeland
was
therefore
obliged
to
depend
upon
the
reports
of
many
subordinates,
some
of
whom
might
easily
have
exaggerated
unconsciously
the
things
they
saw.
This
would
be
particularly
true
with
ref-
erence
to
the
conditions
existing
in
the
large
department
stores.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
certain
of
these
stores
have
rather
successfully
challenged
some
of
the
statements
made.
Such
weaknesses,
however,
are
probably
of
minor
impor-
tance,
and
the
information
may
be
accepted
as
generally
reliable.
The
second
volume
by
Dr.
Flexner
furnishes
a
complete
study
of
European
policies
and
results.
Dr.
Flexner
spent
about
a
year
in
Europe,
another
year
in
working
up
his
material.
He
traveled
from
London
to
Budapest,
and
was
given
opportunities
to
see
the
details
of
governmental
agencies.
He
found
that
everywhere
there
was
admitted
failure
to
secure
the
hygienic
results
that
had
been
anticipated
by
the
physical
examination
of
prostitutes.
Moreover,
in
most
places
he
found
the
laboratory
facilities
antiquated,
and
sometimes
so
meagre
that
the
examination
was
little
more
than
a
farce.
He
saw
that
the
time
given
to
each
patient
was
too
brief
to
give
definite
results.
Moreover,
in
contrasting
a
city
like
London
which
does
not
believe
in
the
continental
method
they
found
the
situation
quite
as
good
and
in
some
results
better.
Segregation
he
considers
a
failure.
He
found
everywhere
indications
of
a
progressive
policy
looking
toward
the
elevation
of
moral
standards
and
toward
the
suppression
rather
than
the
regulation
of
prostitution.
This
material
is
presented
in
agree-
able
and
convincing
fashion.
One
is
impressed
by
the
size
of
the
problem
and
the
terrific
misery
it
produces.
By
way
of
criticism,
I
might
add
that
one
gets
the
notion
that
Dr. Flexner
had
his
mind
made
up
in
advance
as
to
the
things
he
would
find.
The
tabular
arrangement
of
the
book
is
open
to
the
ob-
jection
that
the
material
with
reference
to
any
one
city
is
scattered
throughout
the
various
chapters.
There
is
today
so
much
sentimental
discussion
of
the
evils
of
sexual
im-
morality
that
it
is
very
encouraging
to
find
a
bureau
which
is
seeking
to
put
forth
plain,
unvarnished
facts
and
allow
them
to
speak
for
themselves.
The
two
volumes
here
considered
form
a
very
important
contribution
to
the
liter-
ature
on
the
subject.
University
of
Pennsylvania.
CARL
KELSEY.
LAIDLER,
HARRY
W.
Boycotts
and
the
Labor
Struggle.
Pp. 483.
Price,
$2.00.
New
York:
John
Lane
Company,
1914.
In
view
of
the
fact
that
bills
are
at
present
before
Congress
expressly
exempting
labor
bodies
from
the
operation
of
anti-trust
laws
and
placing
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