The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-11-28
THE DIGNITY OF LABOR.

The chivalric notions of any people
which incline them to look upon labor
as disgraceful is an evil that amounts to
almost crime since idleness is the
mother of crime. The uses ofignorance
are nowhere more fatal than in the lack
of the practical knowledge of labor OF
some sort. This may consist of manual
or mental work, but that work in some
form is essential is not to be questioned
| While such as we may call accomplish
ments may be useful, the usefulness and
strength of the citizen will depend in a
large measure upon his practical knowl-
edge of some branch of manual labor
The student who grows up in this man.
ner has fund to his credit upon which
his success in after life will largely de-
pend, and by which he will become dis
tinguished as practical, useful man
from q superficial noodle or crank,
The two civilizations, North and
South, will bear out this view. In one
section manual labor has been regarded
as honorable from the earliest period, 10
the other as disgrace. One section has
been independent, the other dependent
upon much despised race, rs much de-
spised as is manual labor itself. The
institution of slavery has much to an
swer for in educating a section in
ruinous belief, and when the end shall
come no man can tell certainly not sc
long as the colored man and woman may
remain where they are and are looked
upon as meniall and servants. This i'll
bred opinion of labor enters into the
household no less than the field, and
makes the average home where this
opinion prevails intolerable 20 any but
those reared in the same way. If the
colored people are low and ignorant, thar
the tables and homes provided by them
as cooks and servants-and, mind, thess
people are the only ones that know any
thing about cooking in F. F. V. families
are Just as much below the level of ouI
own as are the races wide apart. NJ
people in the country are so poorly of
and helpless as are the whites of the
South living under the law of laboi
adopted for themselves.
Home is what the sensible man is liv
ing for under our civilization, and upor
this he concentrates his energies. Fol
home he tolls to provide, and if home ii
failure his life is also a disaster. A
woman should be at the head of her owl
household and the boss of it as emphat'
ically as the man is at the head of hi'
business. 1t would not be expected of {
carpenter and j)iner, farmer, contractor
or man of any trade or occupation tha
he should succeed with men in his EN-
ploy, with no practical knowledge him
self of the work he is doing Neither il
it to be expected of woman that she car
succeed In her position at the head o.
the house, as she should without prac
tical knowledge of housekeeping. Il
should not be possible that the servant
and helper should know more abou
these things than she herself.
she would be mistress she must first b.
qualified for the position, though sh'
may be spared from the labor of house
work. These qualifications cannot b.
obtained from books or in any other way
than by practical experience. TIT
daughter should be as thoroughly edu
Gated in homework as in any othe
schooling, and if anything better. Thi
should be the first thing to be sough
after, then other accomplishments after
wards. Other qualities are necessary
for usefulness, but good, home educa
ton in household duties is essential anC
should not be omitted. To know how
10 labor and how work should be don,
is both honorable and dignified although
one may be excused from the doing. l
is the charm and the strength Of tn
household to be qualified to be at thu
head of it-St. Adams Messenger.