Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-08-18

and the eleyatlng pleasures from art and
genius are for the few alone" He folded his
arms over his broad chest and threw back
his head in one of his grandest movements.
And how have they earned the right to
call themselves mankind, to drink alone at
the fountains of knowledge and inspiring
beauty, with never a share for the millions
sweating under the burdens their white
hands have put upon them! No carpets of
priceless web are too fine for their lovely
women's feet, rubes are not rare enough for
their jewels. Music beats out its heavenly
harmones for them alone, with its treasured
meaning Of uncounted centuries. Painting
ravishes their eyes alone with the pictured
realms of inspired fancy. Literature scrapes
and cringes before them, with its stores of
wisdom"
Then he threw out his arms and came for
wara to the edge Of the platform, for one
last personal appeal. a hundred that could
not understand al he said, thrilled to vague
revolt under his irresistible magnetic force.
'Iour bodies, whose only pleasure is sleep,
whose only qualification is to still the daily
recurring necessary hunger, your bodies
coGld enjoy every luxury and beauty; ah,
and the common Christian comforts would
be sweetest luXurics to you, which have
palled on the Sated senses Of the rich Your
minds and souls could grow fine and broad
ard calm in the education their parlpcred
children scoif at; and tho world progress
more in q year than in centuries before. And
you arc a thousand to one; the joys and
comforts, the blessed possibilities of thou
sand lives against the insenSate greed Of one
nan for more, and more he cannot eat, or
drink, or enjoy. 1t is his madness that they
do not confine such as he, who sets the word
back ten years for one he lives. But when
he opens his great vault tomorrow and sits
down to count his i'll gotten gains of the yes
terday, let his heart sink within him; he has
refused his workmen the common rights of
humanity and they Will leave his mills to
rot in idleness.n
He took his hat from the table and strobe
down the aisle amid the excited applause of
his audience and went out, not even once
looking back. An awkward silence followed,
but it was several moments before Philip
braced himself to do what, perhaps, was his
duty Every eye was fixed on him as he
made his way forward, not one there bat be-
lieved he was their friend. Had he not put
on the fire escapes out of his own money in
spite of his father. Many a whisper of com
mendation brought IN answer of hearty goOt
feeling. One or two Of the women in the
galleries actually said he was handsome
M friends" he began, but somehow he
did not care to lift his eyes to meet the kind
look in the trustful eyes, II don't think there
is any occasion, | mean, friends'-
What did he mean, he knew better than
they what occasion there was. How dare he
ask them to wait and hope, for when had a
corporation a hGart for mercy? He knew
better than they, that tomorrow would be
the last day when a strike would be likely
of any e..cst They might defeat his fathers
scheme if nothing else, scheme that would
make them servants no longer of man, but
of pitiless business principle.
He looked about the room at last; he read
Alright the confidence in the eyes of the COM
pany. He believed he might make them
wait, but had he a right to ask it3 Here
were thousand souls in the mills impatient
at injustice as they thought; he could offer
them no hope, not one straw; his hands
would be forever tied after tomorrow. Had
he a right to restrain them!
"Friends, | know not what to advise you,
since l am so weak to help you.n lie sat
down and q cheer rang loud and hearty to
the roof, but he felt himself in an aGonizing
position On the great questions at isCle be
tween the employers and tho worknen, the
rich and the poor, his mind was sloYs in cow
ing to a conclusion. He admitted most tnsys
even Curran said while he listened, but how
to help it was the question he ever asked him
self. Surely nobody was profited by flying
in the face of great economical laws. But
then, what were laws, and what were falla-
cies? Wei, if he did not know what was
right, could he not follow his fathers urgent
wishes9 Was he making a generous return
for tho love his father had lavished on him,
if he should disobey him nowl As he sat
there his vivid imagination pictured the cor
poration in operation. Some little injustice
was being done, and he mentions it to the
overseer. "Them's orders; you must
see the superintendent" He could
see it all so plainly. He knocks at
the superintendent's door and is ro-
ceived with the attention due the chief
stockholders sen; he sees his bland, smiling
face, his sleek, well paid smile. He speaks
of the rule which perhaps works to rob some
particular set of hands wholly without their
fault. "But | have no authority to change
it, though it does seem hard; better see the
agent" Philip imagines his discouraged step,
as he makes his way to the agent to be re-
ferred to set of Indifferent directors, who
''really know nothing about the matter, but
I do not feel like running against the in
terests of the stockholders"
While Philip sat trying to grasp his duty
of that moment, he became conscious that it
was very still and that no one seemed dis
posed to follow him. Not few impatient
faces were turned askance toward him. He
rose and crossed the room to go out, but al
most at the door he hesitated. He must say
something.
"Perhaps it is not all quite as plain as you
think. If by higher wages or shorter hours
you made the profit on the mills smaller, are
you not afraid other mills would leave us be-
hind, being able to sell cheaper, or else the
capital invested go elsewhere, where it can
make more profit! Now you get small wages
for long hours, but in the other cases you
might lose work altogether" Then he looked
anxiously around and added hurriedly:
'Mind, don't say do this or that; will not
ask anything Of you But if there is a loss it
will be on you"
When he left the hall he felt like walking
about little while, to calm his mind. He