The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-05-18

/ Ol0 IAMeS Will S0On-cOm0 again
when they may indulge in "exploita-
ton by making negroes. restored to
their normal condition y of slavery,
toll for them they would confer inesti-
mable benefit on the people of the
South and Of the whole Union, and
could entertain for themselves a
greater self-respect: @
In the poverty which has befallen
us, it is essential that all 90 to aoork,
and in earnest. We SO nearly forgot
hoso to work in the easy times of the
ante-war- that we need to take
lessons from the example of our faith
ers. We must learn from the simple
habits of the generation that rose
early and toiled late, and practised the.
rules of economy and thrift.
1t is a curious matter of reflection
to call to mind the progress which IN
dolence has made, even among men of
business. Formerly, the labor of a
position was expected to be performed
by its incumbent. Now, every such
man must have his assistant or deputy
to do the work, while he himself
maintains the dignity of the position.
The consequence is, the work is badly
done, at double the just expense.
Men do so dislike to obey the apostolic
Injunction of L1b07ssng a0stIt their O1C71
hands, that they will avoid it if they
can. They devote themselves accord
ingly to the act of exploitation, as
George Fitzhugh. the Virginia phi
losopher, calls those devices by which
one man contrives to get the main
benefit of another mans toll. We
have known carpenter to set himself
up as a contractor, on the labor of an
apprentice and a hired negro. He
made his living either by paying them
an inadequate price for their services,
or by exacting high price for their
work, or by both. He necessarily ex-
plotted both from them and from his
own employers. We have seen assist
ants crowded about a place of bust
ness, each jealous for fear the other
might not get their share, and so the
work was often imperfectly attended to.
I Often, too, is it seen that persons
seek situations with an eye alone to
the salary They are likeethe cahtaid'
Irishman, except in his candor, who,
when informed by the gentleman to
whom he applied for situation that
he had no work to offer him, replied
that it was not the a0ork that he
wanted, but the money ;.he would will
ingly take the salary without the
work.
We must stop all this. All must
work honestly and faithfully, and with
their own hands. 1t is an evil thing
to be above ones business. Nor is
this any time for explorations. If
there must be contractors and super
| intendents and deputy superintend-
ents, to reap their successive profits on
journeymen's work, the journeymen,
| superintendent, contractors and all,
will stand idle all the day, for no man
| can hire them. The strikes for high
wages and for short time, which we
read of over the country, are practi-
cally but strikes for holidays. The
\ hard times are upon us, and every.
man, except favored few, must work
hard and practice economy to keep
man remain idle for want of oppor-
tunity for his accustomed employment.
Let him not be ashamed to dig;
ashamed of nothing but idleness; that,
indeed, will be his disgrace.
The majority of the Southern COM
munity have already learned the les
sons of their position. They are
diligently at work. They are battling
with the difficulties of the situation
doing the best they can now, with
hope in the future. Some farmers are
thus planting, and sowing, and equip
ping their farms, while others are mo-
ping. and repining, and moaning about
the hard times. Some merchants,
manufacturers and mechanics, are
adapting themselves to the circuln-
stances; some individuals who have
lost their former employments are
finding out new. even though less
eliglble-while others are occupied
with vain lamentations, and waiting
to be taken up just where they were
put down, by return of the old times
and the old condition of things, which
will never return again. Those who
are soonest at work-those who i'm
itate the ant that begins to rebuild its
house the moment it is destroyed
i will soonest be on their feet again.
They will be the menof consequence
and of property, waile the idle and
the repining will sink in hopeless pow
erty.
Let every one bestir himself. Let
the farmer remember Poor Richard {
maxim
a He who by the plough would thrive.
Must either hold himself or dr1ve;''
and also his injunction:
"Plough deep while sluggards sleep,
Il And you'll have corn to sell and keep"
Let mechanics remember to handl,