The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-15
CHARLIE TON
SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 15, 1868.
Labor is Honorable.

One of the Rabbis of the Talmud, more
than thousand years ago, declared that
he who teacheth not his son trade IS as
though he brought him up thief. The
conditions of society have changed much
since then; but there is still deal Of truth
and force in this "ancient saw" "ln the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" Is
the divine decree; and until this mandate
ia revoked, man cannot emancipate himself
from labor True, with the progress OF 30
c;etv. came the demand for different kinds
of labor. New wants were developed, and
mora muscle soon became subordinate to
brain work. Talent, skill, industry and
frugality produced property, and property
asserted its rights, exempting its posSessors
from the more menial Offices. This has
been and is the case in every civilized COM
munity. A man is only emancipated from
manual labor, l. if he has wealth, either
amassed or inherited /; 2. if he is endowed
with some faculty, or has acquired skill in
some art or science, rendering his services
in that capacity peculiarly valuable to his
fellows. No man can be said to be exempt
from work because of his birth or station.
Yet, although this doctrine would seem
to lie at the very foundation of society in
republic, it has never been practically
admitted and acted upon to any great
extent anywhere in the United States. This
is due to many causes, Of which the abun-
dance and consequent cheapness of fertile
lands, the vast and constantly increasing
tide of immigration, and the institution Of
slavery, have perhaps been the chief. For
generations, the great bulk of the actual
labor, in city, town and country, in clearing
forests, digging bitches, building railroads,
and tilling the soil, has been performed
either by European immigrants or by negro
slaves. Nor is this all. Many of the more
arduous trades and handiorafts have had to
recruit their ranks mainly from these same
two classes Of our population. Now here
| in the United States is it common to see
uoor white girls of native birth, serve in
the capacity of housemaids. They will
starye as seamstresses, or, in their neees-
! :E-----i -.A-;n,,n-1una naatia an @ HI As"AA-
tions in the large cities, rather than secure
plenty and respeotability in the capacity Of
house servants. How rarely we 6nd ma
tive blacksmith, timer, locksmith, boot
maker, or even tailor. No, the genius Of
the American generally disdsins to stoop to
such pursuits. He prefers to live by his
wits-to ''get along" without work; to be
.scferk," book-kseper, a drummer" over
seer, shop-keeper, doctor, a lawyer, or,
in-default of all these-a gentleman.
In the days of slavery this was prac-
ticable. When there was acertainty that
moiety of the population atleast was
engaged in the cultivation of thesoil, it
was possible for the remainder to live as
non-produoers. But this is the case no
longer. Society has undergone a radi-
cal change. To all intents and purposes
we have been thrown back more than q CEN
tury in our civilization, 30 far at least as
the demands Of intellectual labor prepon-
derate over physical exertion. The source
of wealth is gone, and with it must 90 the
exemption from labor, and much Of the
luxury Of higher education. The learned
professions, so-called, always crowded,
have become 30 overstocked that in many
cases they yield but precarious subsis-
tence. The clergy are ill-paid; many Of
them are not paid at all. The physicians
find but little paying practice. Not over
one-fourth their number can now depend
on their profession for livelihood. The
lawyers, perhaps, have enough to do for
the present But once the suits, arising
from the war, are settled, we opine that
their ranks also will have to be greatly
thinned.
We all know how many at the close of the
war resorted to ira de as means of support.
Merchants sprung up like mushrooms over
night Every village had shops by the
SCORE; every railroad station, and every
country crossroads had its ''store." How
many of these are in existence now? How
many of their proprietors have filed peti-
tions for bankruptcy, and how many more
will do 80 in the course of the present year
"Clerks" we know are out Of employment,
by thousands, everywhere.
This sad array of facts should teach the
great lesson that society has undergone
radical change, and that we must adapt
ourselves to the new order of things or we
are lost. We must lay hold with our hands.
We must make the most Of the "labor" God
has given US, our own hands; and others
will soon emulate our example. The ss!-
walton of the State depends upon every
man going to work, and using all his infld-
ence to make every other man, white Or
black, 60 and do likewise.