Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-11-13
For the Spectator.
The Dignity Of Labor Morally Considered

''And the Lord God took the man, and put him
into the garden of Eden to dress it, and to keep
lt.'-Genesls, 2: 10.
The Book of Genesis is replete with interest
ing and important truth. 1t possesses interest
for the naturalist because it explains the origin
of man. It is interesting to the theologian be-
cause it contains the true history of the origin
Of evil and the fall Of man. The political econ
omist should study its pages with interest, for
it is the only treatise that presents clear view
of the occupation for which man was originally
designed by his Creator.
The designer of system of machinery best
understands the purpose to which the system is
adapted, so the Creator of man knows best his
adaptation. Whatever intination from the
Creator as to the occupation best for man, we
may rest assured, it is the most conducive to
his physical and moral welfare
By the phrase, And the Lord God took the
man and put him into the garden of Eden, !"
we are not to understand any physical means to
be used, but that the man was impelled by a
moral influence, Or sense Of duty to go to the
garden for the purpose of dressing it, and keep
ing it. This view is clearly sustained by cI1tl-
cal examination Of the verb yamaher, rendered
put into This remarkable passage in the his
tory of man creation informing us that the
first thing the Creator did with man was to I'M
plant in his heart a sense OF duty leading him
to labor, suggests a series OF observations lllu-
strating the necessity and dignity Of manual la
bor Let it be observed in the first place that
labor in itself considered is not a part Of the
curse. These words lead US to consider man in
his state of innocence, and at his creation he
was so constituted that labor was essential to
his personal comfort, and ere he fell labor was
a pleasant recreation. Had he been strictly at
tentive to the business assigned him and not
taken time to listen to his deceived wife, he
would have avoided the temptation to dlsobey
God and thus brought sin into the world and
all our VICE.
What was true of Adam, is true of every one
now When persons are involved In trouble,
and come to a bad end, it is because OF ldleness.
On the other hand, when individuals prosper
and succeed well in life, we generally find that
they are industrious and attentive to their own
affairs in connexion with some useful occupa-
tion When man FELL labor. like all OF his 9TH
er blessings, was involved in the curse, and IN
stead of being pleasing recreation it had now
to be performed in toll and sorrow, exhaustlng
and wearing out the physical energies, In fields
where thorns and briers infest the ground.
In the pursuit OF his calling IN keeping and
dressing the garden, the man would have his
attention directed to the workings OF God. S
hand, and thus been constantly reminded of His
presence and power, and not been liable to for
get to love, serve and obey Him according to
the provisions Of the covenant.
His mind would have been inspired by devo-
tional thought as the seasons changed. La the
pleasing spring he would have seen and heard
much to remind him of Gods tenderness and
love.
In summer the sun shoots perfection through
the rolling year, and the thunder speaks his
dreadful voice; then, in August, His bounty is
seen in spreading a feast for all that lives: In
winter, he would have stood in awe and sinned
not assGod revealed his terrible majesty with
clouds and storms around him thrown, moving
in triumph on the whirlwind's wing, and hum
bling nature with His Northern blast
fTc u n CONTJNTTFD !