Untitled

76 THE SALARIED MASSES
Not infrequently, a sense of humane obligation may extend beyond
what is necessary. Many firms really do worry about the well-being of
their staff and show them a regard that, despite its perhaps paternalist
nature, must certainly be distinguished from those measures whose
intention is to harness the mass soul. Since the latter finds fulfilment
today mainly in sport, sports clubs are one of the most important
instruments for its conquest. Berlin university professor W. His seems
to be of a similar opinion, for he explains in a lecture that has, not
inappropriately, been reprinted in the organ of the sports association
of a certain large bank:
The importance in life of the instincts cannot be overestimated. They are the
steam that drives the machine. Repressing them means killing life. But as we
can see they allow themselves to be directed, for better or for worse. A good
society is one that understands how to direct the instincts so that they will
ensure its survival and progress. Physical exercise and sport are among the
right directions - so they deserve all support.
The lecture is naturally entitled: 'To Personality Through Sport' If
what is so repeatedly asserted in it were true, the world would be simply
Ie �ming with personalities. Perhaps it is on the way to that, fo r many
big companies do not shrink even from considerable expenditure for
sports purposes. They have created sports associations that are divided
into as many sections as there are types of sport. Football, athletics,
boxing, handball, rowing, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, tennis,
cycling, jiujitsu - nothing is forgotten. Devotees of sport have sports
rooms available within the building, and also their own sports grounds.
As these usually lie far out, the sports union of one huge enterprise
has had a bus bestowed upon it from some prominent source, in
order to ferry its members to and fro. The bus may also be requested
gratis for Sunday excursions with wives and children, whose destination
is often the boathouse. Thus are sport and family fused.
Another firm has engaged a special athletics coach for its staff. The
associations are usually autonomous, but without therefore being
removed from the overall supervision of the firms, which monitor
their financial conduct and are represented within the groups by
heads or delegates of the personnel department. Thanks to the high
subsidies, members need pay only a small subscription, for which they
could nowhere else gain admittance to such grand facilities for
exercise. Training takes place, competitions are fought out. The Berlin
Industrial Relay is famous. We find in a newspaper report on this
year's public activities: