New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-24
tn. arsanixnfion Of Labor.

GRO h~w-forki Wtlfsfn " IRA
hsm. Tribune Buildings. ls47 limo pp. lO9.
To many persons perhaps. the title at the head OF
our remarks ma seem devoid OF meaning What
they viii ask, lis the Organization of Labor 7
We will endesvor to explain
All men who are not ignorant must admit thai
since the commencement OF historical recorss 'nere
has been a vast progress In the human amy
this. in our belief has not taken place wi'nou' tne
ooenizance and action OF the Divine Providence
II has been four fold Material or Industrial Social
or Political. Intellectual and Religious IN these
four the whole growth Of Humanity is summed up
These four branches are most intimately connected
together: 90 much So indeed that step forward
in any one influences and imPeis the others Man
kind cannot make decided advance IN one OF these
spheres without pecessitsting advances IN the
others The four taken together form sort oil cone
Of which the Material il the base and the ehgious
the apex.
We'll. then. with this distinction in mind look
into History You will see that it is generally the
narrative Of two modes Of action namely Indl
vidusl action and Organized action. Ofthese the
individual always precedes the other but the or
ganized always indicates that there has been
progress. /, is always more powerful more com
plete and more permanent This is not surprising
Organization is the Law of Nature, OMAN ofGod.
All things seek it. Whatever possesses any VI
taity seeks 10 assmilste 70 itself what Is kindred
or adaptive and to organize the same into con-
sistent whole Ideas, truths, aspirations, embody
themselves and become efficient in this way.
In History. then, Organization indicates Pro
gress and progress requires organization. Tie
terms are corelatiye. To 90 little farther, we
may say that History, in far as it is the record
of Progress, contains two great facts These are
Organization and preparation therefor
Let us look at this more closely In the savage
horde there is no government, or or at least as
near an approach to that possible. Each brave
makes war for himself, avenges MS own wrongs
is bis own policeman, Judge and executioner.
Here is no Organization, but only the merest germ
oft 1t is, too the lowest state Of Human society
is. however a'state Of preparation.
After the Savage we find the Bsrbaric state
Here is an Improvement and what does it consist
in1 In the organization Of War and in the begin
ming of Industry. Barbarism is essentially mill
tary, and War is essentially barbsrous and nothing
else. The government in barbarism is despotic,
and this is the only government possible IN an
army. even if it be the army OF a Republic. But
as Warts necessity in the career Of Humanity
its thorough, scientific organization is something
gained Thereby it becomes coherent and efec-
tive and will the sooner have accomplished its
work and be done away with.
Take another example: Men given to thought,
the studious explorers Of former wisdom, the seek
ers after the laws Of Nature. nstinctively commu-
nicate the knowledge they have gained. Young
persons gather around them as disciples In due
course of time these isolated laborers in the field
of learning and science come together and the Uni
versity is organized not transient or; anization
like war, but, though from time to time modified
permanent one, because it subserves a perna-
nent want in society.
Again The Savage has one or two rudest
musical instruments. They are gradually improv ed
and others are invented. At last music u.s. so t.
say organized by the association Of all these per
fected instruments in complete orchestra and
the sublime Symphonies Of Beethoven are given
To the world which without such an organization
would be impossible
We might multiply these examples. In each OF
the four spheres of Mans dev elopment. progress
has been in proportion to the completeness of the
organization For instance One great glory OF
civilization in enlightened countries and especially
in this country. is the perfection and hbersity OF
our public charitable iistitutions. They are truly
noble. Go back to the savage state and you md
no such thing There the weak and aged are ieit
miseraby to perish. By degrees the bene' client
sentiments are ro0sed Good men and women GO
about relieving die distressed and pouring balm
into the WOUNDS of the afflicted. This is the pre-
psration The orgs nization comes in season. Wha'
makes the excellence Of the institutions when
among US are shown to strangers more proudly
than Crown jewels is the perfection in which they
arc organized. tho intimate association oil all ther
parts. Without that we could not boast OF them
They are, how YER still susceptible OF improve
ment both in,principle and practice.
No'S what we mean by the Organization
OF !. abor is the application to industry OF the prn
ci'Je OF Combination, of orderly Cooperation 10
INTO one of our townships and see each man tiilng
his little farm in isolation with one or two hred
/ aborers Here is no organic alton II Is ike He
savage fighting on his own hook compared 10
well ordered, disciplined army, it is like lonely
teacher of a single branch Of science compared 70
University it is like one instrument compared
to an orchestra good thing but comparatively in
efficient and imperfect In union there IS strength
Enter these farm houses and observe the domes
tic labors. Each family cooks, bakes' washes io'
itself Each has its own fire its own simple n'en
sis What waste, what imPerfection, IN oompsr'
son with an establishment for the accommodation
the same number Of persons where all these labor
are organized Who does not see that II woul'
be ridiculous because every way wasteiul 70 al
tempt to conduct an asylum for the bind io
instance with the inmates scattered about Il
twenty or thirty separate domestic estaolishmen"
A Cotton Factory occurs to US as an Illustration
There labor is to a good extent organized and "n'
does not know the vast improvements IN the manu-
fscture Of Cotton which have followed on that OF
gapization Similar Improvements are sure
take place in every branch Of industry into which
the principle of Combination or Association Is INTRO
duced. and the more thoroughly and entirely II
introduced the greater the consequent gain
To 20 farther. we hold the conviction that asri
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