The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-16
Of Professor EIy's Book The
Labor Movement in
America. % Y
His Remedy for Existing and
Future Social Dangers
Lies in the
"HarmOniOus Action Of State, Church
and Individual, Moving in the
Light Of True Science"
For The ENQUIRER.


reasonable price book which demand
consideration from all classes, both OF
account of its subject and its author
The former is "The Labor Movement il
America; (bY Richard 7. Ely, Ph. D.
associate in political economy, JohI
Hopkins university author of "Frenct
and German Socialism" etc. New York
T. 6. Crowell & Co., 12mo., 373 pages
price, $I50) the latter is one of the few
men who, holding high position in bour
geois educational circles, have taught
themselves to view, if not with perfect
sympathy, at least with a certain
impartiality, the struggles of the prole
tariat. Socialists. above all other men
welcome the advent of such historians
for, while Socialists desire no advantage
which does not actually flow from fall
presentation of their principles, no men
find it so hard to obtain this same hon
est treatment and if DR.. Ely had done
no more than to tell the classes whom
such men as he alone can reach, what
Socialists de NOT want, he would be fairly
entitled to our gratitude and respect.
But he has done more. We must ad-
NIT that he has brought to a difficult and
delicate task rare ability and candor
No one who reads his book but will &C,
quit him of any intentional misstate.
ment; and many will wonder that man
who writes from the outside could have
shown such almost unerring intuition in
separating inference from fact. So much
must be said at the start, in the same
spirit of justice which our aut! or in
most instances conspicuously displayed.
In his preliminary survey of the field,
DR.. Ely notes that, as the great forces of
nature are invisible and work below the
surface of things, so the labor movement,
which is one of the chief social forces
working among us, is quite unknown IN
its operations to the ordinary man or
woman outside. of the laboring classes.
Even the vast majority of those who in
their own persons bear forward the
movement, have, he thinks, but glin-
mering apprehension of its true import.
As he sees it, the labor movement, in
its brOadest terms, is the effort of men
!, 8 10
for self and for others it is the reaiza-
ton of the ethical aim expressed ID that
command which contains the secret of
all true progress, Thou shalt love thy
nelghbor as thyself.' 1t is an
attempt to bring to pass the idea of hu-
man development which has animated
sages, prophets and poets of all ages the
idea that time must come when war
fare of all kinds shall cease, and when
peaceful organization of socl Jty shall
find place within its framework for
the best growth of each personality, and
shall abolish all servitude, in which one
but subserves another's gain.
So much for the movement; as for the
participants in it, DR.. Elv thinks, they
may be divided into three classes: toe
conservative trades unionlsts, who ask
no more than ameliorative reforms un-
der existent institutions; the radical
trades unionists and others, Socialists,
Anarchists, Communists, VINO expect no
permanent benefit to The people until
present systems cease to be; and, lastly,
the believers in cooperation, who, with
out fundamental change of law, propose
to transform industrial society "gradu'
ally and peacefully, but completely, by
abolishing distinct capitalist class OF
employers" These last named reform
ers" are favorites Of DR.. Ely, | fancy.
One Of his longest chapters is devoted to
their doings; and, as be Classics them,
he cannot resist the temptation to close
with " r'nplied) commentator IRE
pudlating state help, it proudly adopts
as It's device, self-help (which 1s al
excellent thing in its way, but hardly
equal to rescuing drowning man VINO
is unable to swim
So many af our pioneer labor reform
ers made Communistic life their enc
and aim, that DR.. Ely very properly de
votes his second chapter to the story o
their efforts. He instances as, In SOM
sort, CommunistiC experiments, the earl
settlements at jamestown and Plymouth
but rightly adds that comparatively
little Importance attaches to them. Ic
be successful, community must D.
bound together bY an ethical tie, com
mon enthusiasm, a methodlcal system
the Pilgrims lacked the last the James
town settlers had neither. The Sh 'kefs
the Harmonisls, the Separatists, tn
Icarians, the Perfectionists-au OF whom
DR.. Ely descrlbes-have prospered De
cause they have pursued high aims IN
eommon-sense way. The Fourlerlstl
communities, Brook Farm, the NORTH
American Phalanx, Caesco, failed be
cause, neither as reformers nor as busl
ness men, did the co-operators go to tn
bottom of things. DR.. Ely well says this
what appeared to be the strength {
Fourierism was, doubtless, its weakness