There should be no question that "it is time that someone practical man should print his conclusions as an illustration of the business view of business conditions" (p. vi)-supposing, of course, that no "one practical man" has already done this civil duty to his unpractical neighbor. Whether or not the obligation has been properly performed one may well hesitate to decide, especially in face of the immense mass of conclusions on business conditions already printed, and the corresponding difficulty of determining which of them have emanated from men who may justly be called practical. Be this as it may, there is no longer room for doubt that the practical man has now absolved himself of his obligation. Mr. Draper is unmistakably a practical man and in the present book he has summed up his conclusions resulting from "twenty years of industrial activity in connexion with an equal number of productive organizations operating at various points between Eastern Canada and California," and including a great variety of manufactures and industries.
Within the compass of a modest volume he has condensed a goodly amount of sound practical reflections and judicious suggestions concerning Socialism, Unionism, Trusts, Tariff, industrial processes and methods, and kindred politico-economical topics. He anticipates disagreement of course with some of his conclusions- notably with those on monopolies-but he claims to write in " the interest of progress, growth, development" - hence the title of the book, More-and appositely points to "the folly of hampering activity because its methods are faulty. We must not shut down our industries because they fill the air with cinders. Keep them going while we find a way to prevent cinders."