The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-30
The Demand Of Capital.

In one of Moliere's most celebrated
plays the hero is an old man who, hav-
ing large fortune, desires above all
things to appear like a nobleman. To
this end he removes to Paris, and en-
cages masters of all kinds to make him
perfect in the arts which become a
gentleman. Among others, he studies
the art Of fencing, and his master
teaches him q certain motion by means
of which, SO he assures him, he can
always and infallibly prevent his ad-
versary from killing him, and certain
thrust by means of which he will al
ways be sure of killing his adversary.
Thus furnished with certain rules, M.
Jourdain offers to exhibit his valuable
knowledge to his servant, whom he
invited to fence with him but he soon
finds himself in danger of being run
through the body. In his simplicity
he had not considered that there are
always too sides, and the direction
which he imagined was to be of SO
much use to him could be used quite
as much to his disadvantage.
NJ. Jourdain is only type of that
class of minds who seize Immediately
one side of question, and do not look
comprehensively enough to discover
that there are two sides to be consider
ed, and that in trying to rid themselves
of one evil they may be only precipatat-
ing another.
In this class must be counted the
workmen who take into consideration
the fact that eight hours labor will
fatigue them less than ten, but who do
not also see that there must be less
produced from eight hours labor than
from ten that smaller supply will
raise the price directly of all articles of
their manufacture, and indirectly of all
produce; and that, consequently, If for
eight hours work they receive as much
wages as for ten, they will be poorer
and not richer nen at the end of the
year than they are now.
Society is 80 inter-dependent that
the miners on Lake Superior cannot
stop working for three days but the
price of copper goes up along the At
lantic shore on both sides. The manu- |
facturers of all kinds who use copper
can no longer afford to do their work at
old prices, and demand more for their
labor. Every other trade feels the in
fiuence, till the wave returns to the
spot from which it started, and the
laborers in the Hecla and Calumet
mines find the price of their groceries
higher than formerly. No one can
observe how close are the ties which
bind together all parts of the great
social system, without recalling the old
that if one grain of sand on
the sea-shore could be destroyed, utter
ly and entirely, nothing in all the
universe would be unaffected by the
hess.
But the capitalist, who sees this side
which the laborer forgets to notice,
overlooks side that is
quite as important, for labor is not
more dependent ON capital than capital
is upon labor. Capital furnishes the
means for sinking the mine-shafts, for
smelling the ore, for building the
or the railroads and rolling
stock, for manufacturing the goods
but labor plies the shovel and pick,
packs in the powder, applies the match,
builds and tends the fires, makes the
moulds, rivets the plates of the boilers, |
works the iron for shaft, walking beam
or driving wheels, runs the engine and
pilots the boat it fits the foundation
stones of the massive warehouse or
factory, adjusts the girders and lays
the fooOs. Can the capalist afford to
have this laborer, to whose hands he
thus trusts his slowly accumulated
gains, O simple tool-to have HIM un-
educated? Can he afford the waste of
material inevitably resulting from un-
skillful workmen-the depreciation of
value which follows in the train Of ig-
norance?
Only where science leads the way,
announcing the laws which should be
obeyed, and intelligence obeys her
commands, can economy of material and
thrift follow in her train.
If capital would not see its ventures
wrecked, its investments paying no
it must demand, first of all,
educated labor. 1t must insist upon
trained intelligence in the laborer. 1t
must do this for its own sake, not for
tat of the laborer.
The clergyman may tell us, Sunday
after Sunday, that it is right for US to
work for each other. The political
economist, with no less uncertain
sound, tells US that it is necessary for
us to work for each other. The lesson
is the same, though the motive appeal
cd to may be entirely different.
The Public Schools, as the means of
educating the mass of the population,
do not appeal to the taxpayer as if
they were asking charity gift from
his bounty to support, and his ready
word to defend them. 1t is the spirit
of the age-of that civilization by
whose means and through whose power
alone his property is Of any value
that says to him: The Public Schools
are your surest means for raising the
value of your Investments making
secure, and thus valuable, your pro-
perty. Guard them and watch over
them for your own sake, and perpetuate
them.