Litchfield enquirer., 1868-02-20
Manual Labor.

Everything human dislikes steady, hard, manual labor, and avoids it as far as possi- ble, Yet most men and women have to
 earn living by such labor. In every country, however, there have arisen classes who, from hereditary position, superior in- tellectual ability, or superior business ca- pacity, are above the necessity of manual labor. These classes are constantly striv- ing to perpetuate this exemption through the formation of aristocracies of birth, of race, or of wealth. Generally, also, these aristocracies have framed the political in p stitutions and social habits of their respec- 7 tive countries in the interest of their caste
 Hence it is that throughout Europe labor
 is socially degraded, and practically denied political influence.
 o Upon the discovery of America, the por- tion over which Spain assumed control was
 conquered-not settled. The emigrants from Europe became an oligarchy, domina- ting the natives and throwing upon them the burden of all the manual labor. The result has been depreciation of both races, 2 which the present political institutions of South and lower North America, have never produced enough genuine democracy to arrest.
 Throughout the northern portion of the English colonies, however, there grew up an entirely different social system. Every man and woman of New England, especial ly, was, from the beginning, 8 worker. So few escaped the necessity of manual labor that no social degradation attached to it. Although nominal sovreignity remained In the English Parliament, the laboring freeholders of the colonies. in reality, gov erned themselves. For the first time in the history of modern civilization power full society grew up which was entirely con trolled by men who were not dependent upon the hands of others for the perform sance of their labor
 C" But, to the New England of the eigh- . tee teenth century, the New England of to day , bears far less resemblance than the Vest than Michigan, Iowa, or Minnesota. There
 are elements of aristocracy among us un
 known to our fathers Within the past f forty years an immense immigration from Europe has taken place. The emigrants [ chage been for the most part ignorant, un-
 skilful, and used to servitude. They have
 haltconverted the native New Englandel
 into an aristocrat. The present relation between employer and employee among us, T much more nearly resembles that of s'mas- 1' ter and servant" than the old relation ot 1t the farmer to his "hired help'' The evils
 arising from such state of things are man.
 ifest: Native New Englanders, male and ! female, refuse to hire out as formerly to dc farm and household labor; all the light la
 Dor avocations are overstocked; the moderr 'h Yankee is doubtful even of the propriety O
 his learning trade; while habits of idle ness and extravagance, the rush of oul young men from the country to the city, ant
 the dwindling of families, unmistakably in .q dicate the presence of the aristocrati : blight resting on our society. These evils however, we believe to be only temporary
 Another half century will make our foreign |. CTS into Americans, and the laboring clas 7a willresume its old social position with tn
 return of its skill, it's intelligence, and it manliness. 1.o. =. .' iE1 H'the Yankee, trained mp to manual la tz s, DOT shows such an eagerness to shirk it, le
 us imagine what his views and conduc would nave been, lad this been the aristo Ii' II ssHa cratic section of the United States Le .aan als suppose that our laborers had been of 'ood different race'and one consigned to shaver, ,L12 oy the practice of centuries--that, fesrins - interference ael with our aristocratic system id We had rebelled and only been conquered tremendous struggle, during which -four labor system, all our personal property
 and the flower of our youth. had been dea