Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-01
An Experiment. m Cs-opera.,o..

th0S- BT HssoaE Xiun'S Herald
We 0eS1re 10 submit q outline vi l,le c ,rees
OF freLch gentleman, recently deceased rO
the consideration OF such ri our readers rs ART
employers OF worxmen. To that maa part;cu
ialiy no has thought seriously of tue POSSIBLE
outcome Of the struggles now going on between
capital and labor, tEis Freuchman'S p)lica
tion or the benevolent principle OF business viii
De 0eepiy Interesting and eminently Suggestts e.
rory -nVe years ago man nanlet Leclaire 8
house painter. who had raised himself By dill
geEce AID good workmanship from condition
Oh poverty 10 one OF marked prosperity as q
master painter, was told b, a thong tful friend
that the only way 70 get rid OF the antagonism
which existed between master and workman
vas oy the participation OF the Workmen Ia
the p'of's OF the master"
A Selfish man would have promptly put an
angry foot on this principle But Leciaire,
though lot a professor or Christian disci pleship,
had a benevolent disposition which led him 10
cherish this really grand and truly Christian
thought During the ensuing seven years he
va, as he tells us, constantly cndgeltng his
brains to Md the best means Of bringing the
idea fnso practical operation" This long della
hess and che principle. but by the difficulty OF
inNenting plan which he might adop; with
a reasonable prospect o! It's becomiag perma,
nent and successful. He WAS entering an un
trcdden path, and IL beh0oved him TO explore 1t
thoroughly.
III February, 1912, ne called meeting OF his
employ Z, for The purpose OF announcing his
purpose TO hencsfor;h divide among them
annually certain portion OF the profits of tbe
previous ears. Strangely enough, the p)!ic !,
forbade the meeting; wOrkinyman'8 plper
denounced his scheme, and even MS work neu
distrusfed him. fearing, for5ooth, that his ap-
parently benevolent announcement was m Ask
cOncealng some Interior purpose to inJur
them: Nothing daunted, however. he con-
Placing bag OF gold coins On tho table he told
them that their share OF the profits on the pre-
V1OuS year amounted to twenty-Jnree hundred
and seventy-tye dollars This sum he divided
NFNY ~ n lnht fn ma h
earned during the year. giving an average
to each workman OF fifty dollars and fraction.
This significant object lesson transformed the
distrust OF his employees into unbounded con-
fidence.
The SIX following years the average annual
payment to each man was about S45. Leclatre
then changed his plan. He organized his men
into mutual aid society. TO which ne paid over
the sums previously tributed.. that they
might be partly divii., md partly invested
for the purpose OF giy.:;g retiring pensions to
queDtly Incorporated in the firm. The results
OF this movement were such that after q few
years each or Leclaire's Workmen received: 1.
A yearly bonus OF l6 per cent on his aggreg ate
wages; g a lie pension OF $500 from the 50th
year OF his age and the Goth year OF work In the
firm. half OF which Is continued to his widow
for her life: 3. Two hundred dollars payable to
his family at his death: 4. The certainty OF
while on duty, and Of having his family pro-
viGed for II he be killed.
Inc elect OF ibis plan upon the WOrHmen
was rema .kabe. 1t made them careful. Goa
sciehtious and Industrious Ii elevated their
Characters, and made them SO cOntented witch
their condition that, instead OF being the ene-
mics OF capitalists, they identified their later
ests With them. To the fortunes OF the trm II
was advantageous. The reputation for good
work 1t gained through the fidelity OF the men,
brought IL the best business in Paris. J. made
more money than ever before. Leclairt s,ed
that his principle was profitable 10 n! III as
an employer. He said II was better for MIN to
earn hundred and nifty francs aud give nifty
OF them 10 his wOrkmen, than TO earn only
twenty five and keep them all for himself.
This Is very imperfect sketch OF LeclaiTe'S
pan, made so through lack Of Sp ace. The reader
may find fuller presentation OF 1t 10 the Sep
TENDER number Of the Nineteenth Century,
wherein he will also learn that its success has
lea to The adoption OF its principle OF part!cipa-
ton Ia over 46 establishments In France Al4ace
end Switzerland. We do not here affirm that
his plan ought to be adopted by every employer
or labor In this country. All we care to insist
upon Is, that Leclaire's success in working the
principle OF the participation OF the workmM
10 the profits OF the master. should lead every
Christian capitalist to seriously inquire whether
the solution OF the so-called Labor problem" Is
not contained In this principle. and also whe-
ther he law OF Christian charity does not de-
Inand this or some similar application OF be-
LeYoleIce to the machinery OF our modern In
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