America Marching On

Lowell Thomas offers a screen editorial on American progress. He asks if there's a pattern. He takes us back 100 years to a mill; the miller and his helper convince neighbors to invest in expanding the mill: they sell shares. Reinvestment leads to more expansion. The miller, the helper, and the investors prosper, as do local farmers. Machinery improves, labor becomes easier, hours shorter, profits greater. The motor car arrives, then the depression of 1907. But they keep to the model of progress: make better goods at lower prices. We see it in cars, in radios, and in travel. Thomas sees higher standards of living in store for all.