Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-09-28
The Labor Problem-Class Ora
ton for 1871 at Yale.

| duction of far more than the usual merit.
| The graduate who delivered it, Orville
Justice Bliss, of Chicago, Ill, is evidently
man of brilliant promise. 1t israre that
in such production SO much thought is
displayed.
The subject of the Grafton was "The
Educated Man in American Society"
After making general inquiry into what
constitutes society, and glancing at its
imperfections, the assertion is broadly
made, that disguise it as we may, society
at large has not yet been taught a genuine
respect for labor" The subject OF the re-
lations OF labor to capital is then taken up.
Labor parties" it is forcibly said, "may
not prove that eight hours day ought to
be legal days work, but they do prove
that something is rotten in American So
! cietE" And here the orator makes the
strong point of his address, viz, that po-
litical economy having failed to relieve
the Burdens of the laboring classes, so
! ciety has adopted the charity system. He
says:
At the risk of glittering generality, l
pronounce this the age of poor houses
Hospitals for the sailor, asylums for the
inebriate, and retreats for the spinister
spring up in night, and open their doors
to the unfortunate Never was society so
thoroughly nursed as il is to-day. Now
no one would disnaragcs these enterprises.
! They honor the head as much as they do
the heart of their authors. But they do
not meet this great social problem Of pov
erty, and they never will For they are
not philosophical. The best gift you
could bcstow on Il cripple would be to set
him on his feet; and if some disease is
crippling society, crutchea will nevcrmake
it walk straight VIII i; develop into
life and vigor the scltreliance Of an able
bodied man 10 feed him like child with
his daily bread: The truth is, there must
appear in society some miracle worker,
personal or inlpcrsonal which shall bid
these crippled, hating, and helpless
thousands lise up and walk
If, then, our institutions cannot be
trusted, if fpolitical economy has proved
,i.selT fdtilc, and if charity, however broad
in lis reach or multiplied in It's form, can
work no permanent cure, to what shall
we turn? Must we abandon the qucs-
tian in despair: Must We accept as q fact
! the existence iii America of an isolated
class: While England is manfully fight
ing her way 10 justice in the face OF ira
| diction and law. shall VIC ignobly sur
render this very fortress Of human rights ?
| do not believe it, That same political
! economy for which so much is claimed,
teaches that man Niti, his muscle alone is
| able 10 produce more than he can con
sUnle. And if he can DO this unaidc,l,
there is Tie bo;,stctl bcnc1cclcc cf ilrca
ton, il i; j. to carry only physical and
moral poverty il It's path: Given com
munily OF ten persons, with one hundred
bushels of corn, and they ought 10 enjoy
greater material prosperity, than the same
number of persons with fif y bushels
and does any one doubt that We can pro
ducc the one hundred bushels with our
labor saving appliances, where VIC could
produce fifty without them. IT, then, it
has been demonstrated that destruction is
not Il necessity among savage and untu-
tored race is it inevitable here, where art
has doubled and trcbled nature? Does
not the contemplation of these facts force
us back to the truth with which we start
ed, namely that society fails to distribute
family It's labors and its rewards?
Mr.. Phillips would reduce the amount
Of prediction, and th;.- b.ing capital 10
terms. There could not be a greater fillacy.
The bane of society is not that the rich
live in palaces, but that the poor live in
huts. Rather, if il were possible, increase
production ten, twenty, yea hundred
fold, until the rich are fairly surieitcd and
gorged with luxury, and when they can
neither eat, drink, nor waste any more,
some will overflow and find IFS way into
the novels of the poor. But that is a
chimcra. Once more we are compelled
to ask: What shall be done with the Ia
Dor problem? | began the study of this
subject with no preconceived notions, and
utterly uncertain as TO the conclusion
which would be reached But truth com
pels me to sum up the answer in word
old indeed, and monotonous;In sound, but
gathering fresh meaning from this new
connection. 1t is the word education
We must educate two classes, the poor
and the not poor, which you will admit tC
be pretty exhaustive subdivision o1
American society.
We must educate the laborer, first, fol
his own work. Ii knowledge is power
much mere so is skill. In this respect {
, lesson may be learned from France. Fol-
example, drawing is taught in our school.
merely as an accomplishment, and in mos
instances very imaginary accomplish
ment at thai in France, on the contrary
it is an art, and when the French peasan
, boy leaves the school for the work shop
he is able to sketch The machine befor,
| which he stands. Hence a certain inde
pendence; and Independence breeds self
respect. The workman should be taugh
not only how to work, but also how t,
f manage. OF all the blessings which th
genius ofman has bestowed upon labor,
: believe that cooperation is greatest art
E best, for this reason: 1t makes the en-
1 ploye his own employer, and thus capita
: and labor cease to quarrel. 1t is destined
: to throttle monopoly, and to be the leve
e upon which the working class will rails
4 itself to power But hitherto it has bee
d almost useless to them, because they hay
: no competent. managers. Our duty is, b
n industrial schools, by institutes of tech
nology, By free commercial colleges, 0
by some other means, to put them in pos
/ session of those requirements which wi