Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-03-26
ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST.
GEAHAN LfBKAKK AssOOlATfuD,s
IWhLFTH ARHEVERsARP.
The Lecture OF Alexander X. Meefure
Supporting the EsesneetsBtIisy or
Honest Labor and Dcnonn cfnx
DFessy Idieness

Another large audience was present 10
Institute Hall on Saturday eesuiisx. nj
the second Of the popular entertsfrmcnta
tnauauratsd last week. After two excel
lent and spirited selections had been
| plRyed by the Opera House orchestra. the
assemblAge under the leadership Of II. r.
Pickles sang "Columbia the Gem of the
Ocean" The First Pres byterlan Church
choir then sang two selections with much
grace and taste, and after reading by
Henry c. Conrad, Rsq the lecturer Of
the evening, Alexander K. Mcclure.
editor of the Philadelphia Tunes, ,spoke for
over an hour on the subject, "From sh.rt
sleeve TO shirt sleeve"
The speaker said that industry is tina
source Of all wealth; Il 10 . bare truth,
that there is not o thipg but what is the
result Of industry; there ia not 3 monu.
ment Of wealth or beauty but what 10 the
result Of labor. Men dream Of scauirins
wealth without labor, bu, ninety. nine
ont Of . hundred fall by the wsy. side,
while the remaining one enjoys but
seeming wealth. No laboring man, mot
even tramp, need envy the wealth Of .
Vanderbilt or Gould, for they know
nothing OF the contentment and happi-
ness that labor gives. One Of the potent
causes that hRstens the transition from
the honest Lirt sleeve to the shir: sleeve
OF shame and misery, is the mistake that
eduoAtion and labor cannot 60 hand
In hand. The prevailing impression to.
day 10, that man who has received an
education is unfit TO labor with his
hands, and that success and happiness
are to be obtained only In more Renteel
employment. In contradiction of this, the
speaker said that Of 1900 practicing
lawyers in Philadelphia, not more than
10 had an annual income Of $20, 900, 20
received about s10, 900 yearly so reoeivsd
Sb, 600, while the remainder did not aver
age $500 per year, whereas he concluded
they must either steal or stArve. The
same was true OF two-thirds Of the
doctors, and he did not wonder that those
professions were coming into disrepu.e.
On the other hand, any mechanic who
ts the master Of bis trade oAn earn from
81 900 to 81 800 per year. There Ia no
Of life 80 certain Of success ard
happiness as honest industry, but there
are two reasons why q different i'm
preston prevails /: firstly, fools have
taught their children that education and
abor do not belong together secondly.
industry has not respected and asserted
tself, but has bowed to an assumed
assertion Of pretentious education. In
'elligence and culture should and will
always command the respeoto OF the world,
put industry should never bow orinRinRly
before It. In this country, one Of the
principal reasons that q laborinK
nan does not respect industry Is
because he does not become q master In
lis calling. This ia growing evil, and
me Of the baneful Influences which Is
the whole fabric Of Amer
can industry. In soae branches, such
Is machinery, the American has attained
he highest perfection, but that was
merely imitation Of what they learned
rom others. Wherever q broad compre-
tension Of subject and q knowledge Of
ause and effect are required, no Amer
can is found. There is no excuse why
nan Of wealth, intelligence and culture
hould not teach his sons some in
Iustry for he must see that crime
hame and misery are the inevitable re-
ult Of idleness. Out Of 500 inmates Of
penitentiary, only .23 had
earned trades, while the remainder had
een taught that labor would bring
lsither wealth nor ooniepsment. He said
10 had seen many q mechanics bosom
we'll with pride at seeing his son an 40
dude. Just think Of II, to
sise euch thing, and then be proud Of
- Tell me, in Gods nam+,
that dudes were made for 7 In
ak Of them will not make
n ordinary man, physically or mentally.
hey can neither walk nor talk, and
'hen they speak the English language
o that they can be understood, they
Onsider themselves accomplished. They
re neither useful nor ornamental. Think
= mechanic raising such things, and
hink Of what their children will bel
llthough such idlers, one thing that can
q said in their favor is tb ct they are In
apable, physically or mentally, Of COM
lifting any great crime."
The lecturer also attacked the follies Of
be women Of today. He said that girls
ow-a days, are not taught to be the
lothers Of homes, and fashionable
lothers nurse the pug dog while the
urse takes the BABY. When the duties
mother become disrespeotable, IL is
me to be without mothers until they
'srn better eepse. He concluded with
q eloquent ap real to the mechanic TO
ssert his self respect and manhood under
II oircumBtRuoes. ....