Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-05-10
THE PICTURE GALLERY.

FROM TIE NEW roRK JOURNAL OF conMrRcx
Near the vertabs portrait Of the pcevish gentleman la
noticed hangs fancy sketch, which the less true
nature was painted BY promising young artist who "a
hered HE materials during late excursion into he country
and has but recently been admitted to occupy its
position. Il is called "The Strike" and illustrates seen
which in these days is striking than novel and which
despite the gay humor in which the FAINTER has portrayed
is pregnant with instruction The story is brief one. A
Of genius, whose want of sound principles ant
correct judgment had neualzed the influence which b.
might otherwise have eIered had become thoroughly dis
gused with the order Of things which kept him the foo
of the hill he ambitious of climbing, and had assum
ed the vocation Of rermer. He became fully impressed
with the belief that nothing would the world but turn
ing upside down, and he therefore applied himself vgor
ousy sap the foundations of social order His first ain
to make every dsconented with his present lot and
in thissuch is human naturehe eminenty successful
particularly among the poorer classes The next step was
to induce all the restless and dcontented Join him in the
task Of uphea.ng every thing friendly 10 stability and order
In this labor too he had many parsans and adherens
few Of these auxliaries really believed ia the possibility
universal physical and social equality, the rest knew better
joined in the disoganzng scheme with the determination
that when the overturn accomplished they would
place at the top where they might look down upon those
whom they both envied and hated for their elevation
Unwilling to hide his light under bushel, our reformer
travelled from place to place. sowing broadcast be went
the seeds Of disconten whose termination led to much
sore travail and bitter fruit In the Of his peIsgna-
toDs he 10 country village inhabited chiefly by an
little success to his abors. ButhHman nature is the same
every where and the preacher of discomfort will always find
an audience SO fatsring to pide grateful
menis failures in life owing, to Incidence
mbecy, but to the tyranny Of the social system which
keeps US out Of our proper position.
The principal employees in the place milk -mads or
darywoen, who in the service Of the larger farmers
engaged in making butter and cheese for which the village
had quite favorable reputation Having stirred up the
mlnds o. these dases 70 The proper pitch be called pub
Lie meeting for redression Of their grievances.
The village school house was the place Of assembling. and
the taow dips, suspended from the tin reecors about the
ROOM threw fickerng ghosty light the faces Of the
audience Mingled with the group Of feKaes, were a few
Of the stude and quite number Of ragged urchns and
overgrown boys The 1former, who surprised the
number IN attendance, felt unusual inspiration Of genius
and made one 6f his happest addresses,
he commenced; Fellow citizens and gentle friends
come among you for your good Them assist you in erad
eating or ameioatng evil under which you have long
suffered until orbearance ceases to be virtue Monopoly
OF all kinds is odious, but appears than when
i drives those who have been born with all the privileges Of
eeuen to serve askmasers and opprsssors II is the
law Of man may sanction your submission, but the laws Of
nature cry out against it. Where is the law Of nature which
requires Of you, my fair counywomen that you should milk
another What except the tyranny Of statutes
Of human invention, prevents each of you having
Of your own, and drinking your mlk under your
and fg.tree From my heart pity your wasting toll;
there the speaker drew forth his bandannal compelled as YOU
to rise early to labor beneath the midday SUM- to eat
the bread of all for WHAT Why that your
cruel taskmaster may riot In butter and accumulate cheeses
on his groafng shelves Faint sobs and cheers Who
right to the soil which here surrounds you Voice from
the crowd whove earnt the money and bought t
No! my friend, thousand times, Money has no right
to buy and own the SOIL Labor alone entitled to it. He
before whose swinging the forest disappears has right
to the land he has cleared He who sows he seed alone
entitled TO reap the harvest And she who mks the cow
Is entitled both to the and the butter, spose !"-
said an old farmer, who sat near the speaker.
This interruption caused little disturbance but the
old gentleman having Immediately started for home the
speaker went on. tn
"My friends, you the temper Of these yrants whdm
you have served, alas faithfully but the day Of you
deliverance draws You have the power in your
hands combine together for mutual support and dictate
own terms Taking the question in the abstract, you
entitled to the ownership Of all the property upon which you
labor and have natural right seze each of you cow
and set up dairy your account But YOU cannot
perhaps secure the whole Of your rights at Tyran
customs have rendered the serve that wait
few days for 'the good time coming, before the millennium
Of social equality will be fully established But one thing
you can do At determine that you will work these
harpies only on such terms that all the profit Of your employ
men shall accrue to yourselves Demand greater privileges
raise the standard Of wages
Here squeaking voice. supposed to be from female
one OF the rear benches, called out, What if they won't
give i,."l
"They cannot help bu. give it Can their cows go long
withou. milking the without churning Let the
pans remain unified the milk curde unskimmed then
shall employers learn that they alone in the position
Of dependents and that labor when it rises in its strength
is mighty as truth, and must prevail !"
The speaker down covered with glory The audience
were carried away by his eloquence, and the mk-maids
scarcely felt the wrongs which he had vvidy pictured in
their joy the prospect of such speedy deyersnce The
younger already began to picture their umphs when
adorned with the bands be purchased with their in
creased and 10 enjoy in prospect the long intervals Of
leisure, now to be secured them. They would 20 longer
be obliged steal few minutes at twilight for ely
ing with faithful swain but would be able choose their
own hours for this sweet pastme. ~ .
Determined 10 strike while the iron hot, the refome
moved that bill of rights be immediately agreed upon,
which the employers should be compelled give their assent
The motion prevailing, he drew from his pecet paper
which, to time, he had previously prepared and which
read as follows. 4 4 .ra.f
"Whereas it is the inalenabe rightof every woman en-
gagged In laboous occupation to have all the comforts which
she requires and Whereas the better 10 these comforts
ought occupy s necessary that there should be union OF
effort among all engaged in the description Of toll
Resolved, That the following rules and regulations shall
be nsisted and firmly maintained until the good time
coming shall do away entirely with such thing as srice
and render obsolete the very name Of employer.
sl Every mk-maid, who shall labor within the limits
Of time set forth below shall be entitled receive On addition
Of ten per cent to the paid for such service and
shall have lien upon the butter and cheese Produced long
as her wages remain unpaid. .ts+8
2 The hours of service shall extend from suitable time
after SUNRISE to such time at before the operative
may select with proper inefmson for recreation and intel
lectual Improvement. bs Q
tt3 No mlk-msid shall be required to 20 more than ten
rods from the accessible door Of the house to reach the
of abors and when dew s on the ground