Professor Reuleaux was sent to the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876, as representative of the German interests in industry, to investigate and report about German products exhibited there.

Contrary to all German expectations, his report said that the goods of German origin were "cheap and bad". This was a terrible blow, but it helped, and since than German industry is busy in raising the standards of its goods. America had excellent products on exhibition at the same fair, but they were very much higher in price than similar German articles.

Since then, an important turn has come to our industry.

It required only 12 years to flood the American market with junk articles manufactured by American industry. Today's slogan for American products of industry is, in Reuleaux's wards: "cheap and bad".

There are substantial articles made but the price is too high for the average man, in comparison with the multitude of seemingly similar articles, which 2only appear substantial as long as they are new and unused, but which grove worthless as soon as put into use.

As only wealthy people can afford to buy the really substantial goods, there is no great demand and therefore little production.

The workers, formerly employed in the manufacture of substantial goods, are now forced to do the bungling jobs too. No new help is being provided for really good achievement.

The old craftsmen have died or changed their roles. The national working ability for excellent achievements is diminished and consequently industry, in spite of its outwardly same appearance, goes down. Cheapness and shoddiness are the cancers from which American industry is suffering. The nation as a whole pays the unaccountable damage which grows out of this perverted direction of the production process.

The second serious phase in this matter comes up when a buyer has to replenish poor goods with the same junk, just as cheap, made of the same short 3lived material. These cheap and rotten goods are the most expensive because the population is forced by this erroneous direction of manufacture to buy cheap junk over and over again, and is being cheated hereby of millions of dollars every year.

Every worker knows that expensive tools prove to be the cheapest in the long run, although their original appearance may be the same as cheap ones and only an expert can distinguish among them. And this goes for all products, affecting every trade and commerce. Our whole industry is based on swindle.

Regarding this whole matter from a national-economic standpoint we notice a criminal waste of material and labor, but who among the hypocrites cares for national-economy? Their science stops at their private interests and therefore at their private economy.

This is figured from day to day and only for the most intimate circle, while conditions change when you consider a broader field and a longer period of time.

Out of these images, a picture is constructed, a false image, which is being 4formed in the eyes of the masses. As with the goods of the market so with mental achievements the same principle reigns here: "cheap and bad", the only difference being that the consequences are much more dangerous to the general public than on the market of merchandise.