Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-14
TO EACH MAN HIS OWN WORK.

The Primal Law of Labor the Law of
Progress-An Honest Work Alike Hon
Orable-The Law by Christ
for His Church.
This is Gods primal law for the hu-
man race He placed Adam in the Gar
der to keep it and to dress it. Adam
was made to be a worker, and garden
ing was his work. He was Gods son.,
and God said to him in the exercise of
his paternal authority: Go work in my
garden. This law was not abrogated
when man fell. In the world, as in
paradise, he is to work, and God gives
to each his own work. The earth is to
be subdued, dominion ove the beasts is
to be secured and maintained. This in
wolves not only universal toll but diver
sitied toll. Each must do something,
but all can not do the same thing. Yet
the different things that they do are to
work together SO asto promote the inter-
ests of all.
The essence of barbarism is the repu-
diation of this primal law. The first
idea of the savage is to do as little work
as possible; his second is to make some
body else, who is weaker than himself,
work for him; and the third is to steal,
if he can, what his neighbors have toiled
to secure. No wonder that the tenden-
cy of barbarism is to poverty; that it is
a condition of tyranny, slavery and
war; hat it degrades and brutalizes
men.
This primal law of labor has been the
law of progress the world over. Just
so fast and so far as men have returned
to it have they advanced in wealth, in
culture, in social order, in freedom and
in all the elements of civilization. In
the richest, strongest and freest nations
of to-day there are few idlers. The rich
work to increase their riches and the
poor work for their daily bread. The
President works in the White House at
Washington harder than any artisan
in New England or miner in Nevada.
But what if all these millions of toll
ers in our free land should try to do the
same thing? There is here no system
OF caste; no law compelling any mar to
do a particular kind OF work, or forbid
ding his doing any kind that is honest.
1t half the menin the Union determined
to live by making shoes they would
AVE a legal and constitutional right to
do SO. There is no reason for that,
however, for God has enacted certain
laws which we call ..The Laws of Sup-
ply and Demand that regulate such
matters. Men sometimes try to evade
these laws. The result is the over-pro-
duction of certain things. or the over
croWdlng of certain industries. This
causes temporary embarrassment and
loss. But the matter is soon regulated
by a reduction in prices or in wages.
On the whole, considering the number
of workers and the great diversity of
occupations, there is wonderful har-
mony and cooperation. No human
laws could so thoroughly systematic
the industry of the people and make it
contribute to the common veal. 1t is
the wisdom and the power of God,
working through what we call Proyi-
dence, to bring about one of the ends
1or winch man was created, the subiu-
CATION of the earth.
1t, then, labor and cooperative labor
is Gods law for our race-if He has
given to every man his work-all hon
est work is honorable. We have no
right to say that one department is
nobler or more useful than another.
We have no right to classify laborers as
professionals and menials, as masters
and servants. Christ said: ..Whoso-
ever will be chief among YOU let him he
your servant" He himself toiled "a
carpenter at Nazareth, and Paul. His
most eminent apostle, was a tent-maker
at eorinth. Often the safety of an army
depends more upon the fidelity of a
sentinel than upon the military skill of
its General. The architects buildino
Will crunlble and fall if the mason nnts
a rotten or misshapen stone under ono
OF its columns. Work for God and for
the world is noble in any and every
sphere. '''ly
Ii every mans work is dlyinelv an
pointed and is not for himself only bit
1or the race, he is under the highest
possible obligations to be faithful in #
GOD and the world expect him to do
his duty. And he never can tell how,
~1ar-reaching and disastrous NAV he tha
result OF sighting his work. The man
IN Inc machine shop who saw a flaw in
the bolt but threw it in with the rast
ulo not mean to be a murderer. Rnt
the swapping of that piece of iron 1ed
to the wrecking of a shin whom = ~
lying TO round a headland and escape
pelng driven ON a lee shore. Tbe
muason put a soft brick in one of the
hues OF a costly cathedral. Thronoh ~ ~
INC names found a way, and destrovod
tile work OF a thousand men for a $500