(Excerpt from Man and His Health: Liquids
Health is neces...)
Excerpt from Man and His Health: Liquids
Health is necessary for happiness and there can be no well-being without the enjoyment of good health. Health is man's natural inheritance, and if he lives in harmony with nature's laws he will con tinue in health. Marcus Aurelius. Wrote, Man must live in conformity with the laws of nature and nothing can happen to you that is not in accord ance with nature's universal law. And Seneca enunciated the maxim, Take nature for your guide, for so reason bids you and advises you; to live happily is to live naturally.
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This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
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As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
(Excerpt from The German Obsession
Dr. Preuss, the theolo...)
Excerpt from The German Obsession
Dr. Preuss, the theologian, has written The Ger man people are the spiritual, the religious parallel of the people of Israel, they are 'the true Israel be gotten of the spirit.' And again, It was the hid den meaning of God that He made Israel the fore runner of the Messiah, and in the same way He has, by His hidden intent, designated the German peo ple to be His successor. What diabolical sacrilege! What insufferable national conceit and psycholog ical viciousness! But to prove that the sentiment is general, one has only to consult the German press, clerical and state utterances and Reichstag delib erations. Francke said, German craving for truth and German strength of faith working along Bib lical paths have attained to the true faith, the pure religiousness The Germans are the very nearest to the Lord and may claim that they have 'continued His Word.'
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
(Excerpt from Human Chemistry
All men are like chemical e...)
Excerpt from Human Chemistry
All men are like chemical ele ments in a well-stocked laboratory, and the manager, foreman, or handler of men, in his daily work, may be considered as the chemist.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The Diagnosis of the German Obsession (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from The Diagnosis of the German Obsession
There...)
Excerpt from The Diagnosis of the German Obsession
There is nothing new in this book; it merely represents an attempt to unbiasedly portray truth and record history, and it therefore deals solely with evidence and fact.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
(
This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
William Armstrong Fairburn was a noted American author, naval architect, marine engineer, industrial executive, and chemist.
Background
He was born in Huddersfield, England, the son of Thomas William Fairburn and Elizabeth (Frosdick) Fairburn. His father, a shipbuilder by trade from a seagoing family, immigrated with his family to Bath, Maine, late in the 1880's, where he was employed by the Bath Iron Works.
Education
Fairburn graduated from Bath public schools and became a mechanic apprentice at the iron works, acquiring master papers at the age of eighteen. During his apprenticeship he wrote articles for several technical magazines on marine engineering. In 1896 he entered the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and completed in one year a two-year program in naval architecture and marine engineering, standing at the head of his class.
Career
Returning to Maine, he became general superintendent and naval architect for the Bath Iron Works and at the age of twenty-three designed the first all-steel freighter built in America.
By 1900 Fairburn had become an independent engineering consultant. Both James J. Hill, 1900-1903, and Edward H. Harriman, 1904-1908, employed him to design and supervise construction of cargo vessels when they expanded their railroad enterprises into shipping.
Fairburn pioneered in applying the diesel to railroading, urging Harriman to adopt his design for a locomotive. Meanwhile Fairburn had served as a consultant for the Stirling Company and Babcock and Wilcock on steam boiler and marine manufacturing problems.
Executives in both companies, Ohio Columbus Barber and Edward R. Stettinius, Sr. , were also officers in the Diamond Match Company, plagued by rising manufacturing costs, losses in related lumbering operations, and negative public attitudes toward its matches.
The U. S. Bureau of Labor had publicly condemned the main ingredient of matches, white phosphorus, because it led to phosphorus necrosis among production workers and poisoned children who ate matches. Also railroad and insurance companies increasingly criticized match distribution and use because their handling posed a growing fire hazard.
A safety match, already available on foreign markets, was free of white phosphorus and nonpoisonous, but it would strike only on a special surface and the American consumer was unfamiliar with its use.
Additionally, American match producers had made considerable investments in white phosphorus by that time. However, public outcry to end the dangers of the white phosphorus match grew to such proportions that American manufacturers were threatened with loss of business to foreign producers of safety matches if they did not respond.
Public demand as well as declining profits led Barber and Stettinius in 1909 to place Fairburn in charge of Diamond Match operations to reorganize production and solve the marketing and public relations problems.
In moving from consultation to management Fairburn joined a new breed of corporate executive, distinct from both the founder-entrepreneur and the banker-reorganizer types.
His training in engineering inclined him to a systematic approach to business based on efficient use of technology. Given a free hand, Fairburn uncovered a company-owned, European-developed process for match production, using sesquisulfide rather than white phosphorus. Working with company chemists and using available patents owned by the company, Fairburn perfected the match in approximately two years.
In 1911 he announced the development of the Diamond safety match at the time Congress was considering a prohibitive tax on white phosphorus matches. Opposition to the tax, which benefited the new safety match, was very strong among domestic match producers.
President William H. Taft, therefore, intervened with Fairburn to waive Diamond's patent rights to the new process, to ease acceptance.
The tax, which effectively prohibited the white phosphorus production process, was enacted in 1912, but without an increase in tariffs on matches to protect domestic producers against foreign competition. Fairburn also worked out new, safer container packaging and altered components of match heads to increase consumer safety.
When Stettinius became a J. P. Morgan partner in 1915, Fairburn replaced him as the president of Diamond just in time to face the problems of World War I.
A German cartel controlled chlorate of potash, an essential raw material for matches. Fairburn guided Diamond research chemists into opening new domestic sources. While these sources were considerably more expensive than the German prewar supplies, domestic match production was able to continue.
Since the war also disrupted finished match importation, Fairburn moved quickly to expand production capacity. However, when peace restored international trade, foreign competition increased, leaving Diamond with an excess capacity.
Fairburn then addressed problems both of productive capacity and competitive pressures. He streamlined Diamond production, shutting down the most inefficient plants, reorganizing the administrative network, and diversifying into other household woodenware and paper products.
Diversification helped Diamond maintain its profits during the 1920's and 1930's despite the pressures of foreign match competition.
In 1915 all Diamond's earnings had come from match sales; by 1940 these constituted only half the company's revenues. To counter foreign competition Fairburn negotiated an agreement early in the 1920's with Ivan Kreuger, the Swedish "match king, " for marketing foreign matches. Kreuger, however, grew restive with the agreement and attempted to purchase production facilities within the United States.
Fairburn contained Kreuger's efforts to compete openly by reorganizing and recapitalizing Diamond in 1930 and selling Kreuger an interest in a Diamond-controlled subsidiary.
When the Kreuger empire collapsed in 1932, Diamond's major competitive threat ceased.
By 1939 Diamond controlled 90 percent of American match production and was very closely allied with major British and European match manufacturers. Despite Fairburn's inclination toward developing an efficient, regularized organization at Diamond, he retained a strong sense of personal independence.
He rarely worked at the New York Diamond headquarters, spending winters in Ojai, California and summers in Kezar Lake, Maine, yet he tightly controlled company policy.
He spent considerable time in England, where he was director of the British Match Company, among others.
Each Diamond annual report reflected his personal philosophy and concern.
Upon his death at his Maine home and burial in Center Lovell, Maine, cemetery, Fairburn's younger son succeeded him as president of Diamond Match Company.
Fairburn was a nominal Republican but inactive in public affairs. He abhorred New Deal labor practices, considering them destructive of his company's welfare policies.
Membership
In 1914 Fairburn and Diamond received the Gold Medal of the American Museum of Safety; and both received the Louis Livingston Seaman Gold Medal in 1915 for elimination of industrial disease and achievements in the interest of labor.
Personality
In private life he was a rugged outdoorsman and also intellectually inclined.
Interests
He rode horses and played softball; he was fond of music and literature, collected primitive artifacts and ship models, remained active in several British and American scientific and engineering societies, and privately published over a dozen books on philosophy, history, and economics.
Connections
On September 17, 1904, he married Louise Ramsey, daughter of a Perth Amboy, New Jersey, shipbuilder. They maintained a home in Morristown, New Jersey, and had two sons, William Armstrong, Jr. , and Robert Gordon.