The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-04-22
DETROIT AND CINCINNATI
SATURDAY. APRIL %, 1876.
Cardinal Manning on the Dignity Of
Labor.

His Enhance the Cardinal Archbishop
recently delivered a lecture to the mem
bers Of the Working Mems Club and Insti-
tute at HAggerston, England, the large
hall Of which was crowded on the occasion
with the working classes, nearly all of
whom were non-Catholics. The paper
from which the account is taken says
His Eminence, accompanied by the Rev
Fathey Lockhart, met with very hearty
reception, and was introduced to the meet
ing by MIR. James Lowe, chairman of the
above club. His eminence proceeded to
give description OF what constituted the
dignity and rights of labor. After de-
scribing many kinds Of work, showing the
superiority Of mental over manual labor,
he said that the dignity Of labor lay in the
honest e1ertion Of either mind or body for
ones own good, OF for the good of others
If man put forth honestly all the strength
Of his understanding and his arm IN any
kind Of skilled OF unskilled work, for his
own good or that Of others, that man was
worthy Of honor, and in his labor there
Was dignity, and though he might socially
be on the lowest rung Of the ladder, yet
honor belonged to him in degree. Ii a
man performs HIS allotted work to the
best Of his power in uprghtness Of heart -
doing 10 others as he would wish to be
done by-that he called the dignity Of la
labor. His emInence dwelt on the fact
that there Was no labor, even Of mutual
KIND, without a certain amount of brain
work. The first man that made a hook
must have had something in his mind be-
tore he put the hook in the water to catch
hsh. In the same manner lie who made
All arrow to kill bird, or Law a trap to
take it, must have thought before he
could have accomplished his skillful con-
trivance He could not understand any
LATER without some kind of mind going
before 1t, and that mind or understanding
how to labor was the cause Of making
labor more valuable. For instance, tInt
knives were dug up which showed how
very limited was the work accomplished
IN the ages when such articles were used
Let man IN those ages only have pos
sessed some Sheffield cutlery, and how
much more valuable their labor would have
been. Having given various examples Of
this, and having shown that machinery
and other useful inventions contributed to
the value and multiplication 81 labor. and
III Or 7aapiOJIGent ~ : great many more
persons than were employed before such
Inventions we're introduced, his eminence
proceeded to trace the origin Of guilds and
trades unions. He admired such protec-
tive societies both for capital and labor.
He remarked that skilled and unskilled
labor was just as much capital as money
invested in the three per cents, or laid
mi IL II.
man who exercised such labor had as much
right to protection as the man had to pro
tect his capital. He thought the working
classes had a right to possess their trades
unions as well as the masters had a right
to have their societies for benefit but he
hoped that both would work together for
the general good. all recognizing and up
holding the dignity and value Of labor and
capital In advocating free trade his EN-.
lnence objected to certain practices which
came enormously under that title For
instance, he did not think it right that
wives and mothers should be permitted to
work sixty or even hfty-six hours in a
factory every week when over time rightly
belonged, by higher law than any more
human law, TO the. husband and children
In the home. He thought such free trade
was an injury to the community at large,
and particular source of misery to the
working classes He also denounced the
practice Of sending children to work in
factories at tender age before their bones
we're properly set Abe this was partic.
ularly reprehenslble, when it deprived such
children Of that education which was nee
essary for them to compete with others in
life. His Eminence was frequently ap-
plauded during the delivery Of his very in
structive lecture, and cordial vote ui
thanks was unanimously passed to him at
the concluion of his address.