The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-26
WOrkinpmen.

AO0
TO the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
On page IL of last Saturdays Journal is
a long article under the above heading, and
over the signature of Mary E. Cardwill; designed,
apparently, to teach workers how to get rich,
and how to behave. A commendable motive, to
DO sure. A good many rules are laid down for
our guidance; some of which are rather obscure.
With your permission. l will ask the writer for
further explanation. Mary appears to think
that the road to wealth is as plain as the road to
market, and that every man might be rich; and
If he fails he is 'held responsible for his poverty"
Mary points out some of the obstacles which
prevent the toiler from being independent. The
greatest is the belief that most of them hold,
that their muscles are of more Importance
to the world than other mems brains.
I state that proposition this way: The
workingman holds that his muscles and
his brains, working together, are of much more
importance to the world than any mans brains
without muscle. Mary must bear in mind that
workingmen have brains and that we use them,
and that it requires as much teamwork to carry
professional business" / will venture to guess
that many a mechanic in this city WINS a bigger
pile of brains than ever was in William H.. Van
derbilts hat.
The next greatest difficulty with workingmen
is, Mary tells US, their almost universal extrav-
agance," and that 1.-The hardships of the poor are
almost invariably the result of self-indulgence or
lack of foresight" To remove this obstacle, she
tells us We must practice self-denial, and we
must realize our responsibility as man among
men, rather than laborers among laborers."
Very good advice, Mary. but sew
eral years too late to be of use.
The American workingman considers himself
a man wherever he goes, and however poor he
may be, even if he has a patch on each knee and
the rim of his hat gone.
Another hindrance to the workingman's inn
provement is peculiar class sentiments with
which he is ''impreguated." l don't think that
there is any such class sentiment existing.
There is a bond existing among toilers which
leads them to unite for mutual protection and
for mutual pleasure, but there is no bar put up
to exclude others, or to fence workingmen in. We
claim a universal brotherhood. There is no
man so poor that we refuse to call him brother,
and no man so rich that we will call him master.
But there is an effort on the part of the upper
crust of society to create caste and to draw a
line between that class and workingmen. We
need no better evidence of this than
S sSS 'i ladies :.9 punnin SO aw m2ny with wealthy sheiy
fathers coachmen or gardeners. Mary gives us
a long string of rules to show us how to behave
enough to cover a gOod,sized multiplication
table,: and, some of them, she tells us to have on
clean clothes and clean faces when we 60 on the
street, and to wash our hands before shaking
hands with a gentleman.
But the point to which I wish to call Mary's
attention is this: To be told to lay by something
for a rainy day is, perhaps. the most irritating
advice that can be given 10 the average working
man. He Indignantly asks: How can a man
with a family to support save anything out of
$40 or $12 a weekF' Now, l want Mary to answer
that question. This lies at the bottom of her
lecture, and if she fails to make the way plain,
then all the rest of her well-meant advice is
entirely out of place. l have been bordering
over this problem for many years, and 1 have
utterly failed. Maybe [ didn't work the sum right.
This is the way that l worked it: | counted
forty full weeks for working time in a year.
which leaves twelve weeks for cold and wet
weather and lack of work, and other unavoidable
hindrances. Then, counting $12 per week, we
get $3.50 for a years work. Some men can get
higher wages and some can work more time, but
take all the wage workers, in city and country,
and they will average less than this sum, Then
| counted family expenses at this rate: For a
family of six persuasive adults and four
c~hildren-house rent, $l5 per month, $3.50; fuel,
$50; food, ST. a week for each person, 1912. Put
these items together, and we have $542, or .$62
more than the man gets for his years work. AS
Mary is anxious that the workingman
shall make a respectable appearance. and
be a man among men," and that he
should contribute, in time and money. in
sustaining the church and benevolent institu-
tons. he may need a pair of new pants during the
year and to have his shoes mended; and the wife
may want a new calico dress, and the children
new aprons, especially if they 60 to school. And
they may want a few books, and newspapers,
and light to read by. with a few other ct ceteras.
Where is the money to pay for theml Now the
next thing in order is for Miss or Mrs. Mary E.
Cardwiil to present a bill Of items, with kind and
cost, showing how a family can be supported on
$3.50 a year and money enough saved for the re
quirements of sickness and old age. If she
succeeds in making the way plain some thou
sands of readers of the Journal will take off their
hats when they see her and make a very hand
some bow. TRUMAN BEEMAN.
INDIANAPOLIS. Aug. 25.
GRAND HOTEL.