The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1851-11-06
False Shame Of Labor.

from the address of DIR. f. Tuthill, recent
ly delivered before the Agricultural Socle-
ty of Suffolk County
1t cannot be denied that there are strong
symptoms of the proud Anglo-Saxon con-
tempt for labor apparent in the denzens OF
ou' more pre- ending villages and cities. we
all de to these weaknesses of our nature
not as grumblers or as if we were not our
selves as much as others blamable, but as
observers, bent in our weak way on reform.
There is no one thing more disheartcnlng to
an honest lover of republican simplicity,
than to witness growing fear among our
conntrymen of particular kinds of labor.
WHY, the clerk in some store in youder
great metropolis, who receives $l50 ayear
for his services, which sum is barely suffi-
cient to pay his board, leaving for pater-
nal remittance the bill for his spotless satin
and his finest of broad-cloth, is mortified
beyond measure if he is requested to carry
a bundle through the streets. His father
who is worth his thousands, never thought
of being ashamed to lend his back to lift
the heaviest stick of timber, or to carry his
two bushels of wheat, in open daylight; but
the son, who is worth no more than pau
per, would blush to be met with a carpet
bag in his hand in Broadway.
The day has already come in our cities,
that if man stout as Milo of old, has a
load of wood brought to his door, and he
really aches for the pleasure Of handling it
yet must he hire an Irishman to pitch it
into the cellar, while he stands idly by,
nor SO much as touch stick of it, on pain
of losing CASTE If "a stout and vigorous
citizen, whose muscles swell with an excess
Of strength, has load of wood lying on
the sidewalk, he may as well hang himseli
at once as be foolish enough to save dol
lar, and saw it up himself; yet if Paddy
has pitched it in, and the grate is down SC
that he shall not be seen, we are not sure
but he may saw on till doomsday, and nc
one esteem him less man and a gentle.
man. If he curry and tackle his own horse
or lead him to the stable when he has done
with him, he is unpardonably vulgar. Hi
would no sooner be caught carrying trunl
the length of a block, to an omnibus, thai
stealing body from graveyard yet b
will boast among his friends of the enor
nous weight he carries in the gymnasium
having paid fee of thirty dollars a yea
for the privilege. And his fIienis applau
his gymnastic expenditures as wise and e.
ceedingly judIcious, " for, surc," they sa
how shall man live without exercise
In short, labor, which promotes the en-
of economy, is an abominable thing tn
which advertises their imbccilitv is a sour
of pride. These soft handed gentry m;
be our sons and brothers; but we fan
they must feel ashamed of our comm
father, the old Adam, who farmed it
Paradise.
Had the first man. any of their spir
when he was set to dress the garden, al
to keep it, he would have respectfully d
clined. Till the earth not he. Ad,
was gentleman and wore gloves, and'd
not care to soil his hands. He would LOT
up some Irishman, if possible, being d
posed to accommodate. But he till t
ground' BY proxy, he might but pc
sonally, never. He'd no objection to be
gentleman farmer, indeed that would
rather pleasant; tut, personally to till
ground! to do his own ploughing to h
the garden himself! No, Eden might
to witchgrass, but he would ne,
touch it For was not he the father of
spruce clerks with scented hankerchiefs,
brieAess lawyers, uncallea physicians, a
young clergymen to smart to settle
That there exist such prejudices, a
that they are held by enough to make the
the prevalentsentiment among large class
of men, no one will deny. But that tn
are just, honorable or decent, no man "
pretend. Universal as is the sentimel
we never have met its first defender. A
this fact does much toward establishing t
inherent dignity of labor. Agricutu
labor especially, has the sympathies OF
univesal conscience Of mankind.