St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-16
ETHICS OF SOCIOLOGY
Discussed in Hed-Hot Style at the
Proposed Humanity Club.


Proposed Humanity Club.
A largely attended meeting was held
last evening at the headquarters of the
Business Women's club. IL West Fourth
street, for the purpose of discussion. by
those interested in the principle of the
brotherhood of humanity, of the forma-
ton of a club on society in st. Paul
similar to those existing in large cities
of the East, notably Boston aud New
York, also in Chicago and Minneapolis.
h. j. Hudson was elected chairman of
the meeting, and Ii. q. Russell secre-
tary. The principles of the brother
hood. as adopted by the Boston Organi-
cation. were read by the chairman.
In them was set forth that
the principle of competition is simply
the application of the brutal law of the
survival of the strOngeSt-that so long
as competition remained the chief fac
tor in the industrial system, high de-
velopment of the individual or the
loftiest aims of humanity could not be
realiZed-that the system of compete
ton must be suppressed. the noble one
of association be substituted. In the
application of the latter principle no
sudden or ill-considered change was adj
vOcated-no censure implied for those
who had accumulated large fortunes by
carrying to a logical end the false bust
ness principle in existence. The con-
Guiding sentence says:
THE present industrial system proves IT.
self wrong by the wrongs 1t produces; absurd
by the waste of energy and material 1t causes.
Against this system we raise our protest; for
the abolition OF the slavery it has wrought we
pledge our efforts.
A discussion of the principles brought
on one as to the practical merits and de-
merits of Edward Bellamy'S work on
sociology. Some members characterized
the work as visionary in that it
did away with the necessity
of labor, and implied by its
general tenor that hard labor was de-
grading. The BostOnese among the
gathering insisted that the author had
not anticipated nor intended a literal
Interpretation of the book, and was him
self considerably amused and no little
surprised at its being treated in SO lit
eral manner by certain bodies. DIR.
0. P. Fish, of Chicago, spoke on the
progress of similar organizations to the
one proposed in Chicago as having been
favorable, and defined the attl-
tude of the brotherhood as one so
claliStic in character, with the extreme
elements and ideas of socialism re-
moved. Prof. Smart, of Minneapolis,
replied to a question by Miss S. B. BeatS
as to the attitude of the brotherhood in
that city, of which he is a prominent
member, toward the Bellamy idea of
solution of the social problem. Mr..
Smart held that the Bellamy theory was
an entirely practicable one. 1t might
take trifie of three or four centuries
to get the principles he advocated
to work properly, but with the
proper system for starter
and there was no time like
the present for an educational campaign
to be begun-it was bound to be sue
cess eventually. He did not regard the
elimination of degrading labor from the
necessities of the future as visionary.
The last century showed what labor
saving machinery had accomplished in
that direction. 1t was perhaps true that
there would always be the necessity for
labor, but it could be made other than
an infection by limiting the hours of
labor to two hours per day, and paying
we'll for it.
After more discussion by other men,
berS committee was appointed to pre-
pare exercises for dis ousSion at the
meeting to be held next Tuesday even
ing at o'clock in the same room. The
committee consists of DR.. Mary Emery,
nj. G. Morgan and A. III. WimbiSh.
About twenty-five who were present
signed a document signifying their will
ingneSS to become members of the pro-
posed society, and an Organization will
be effected at the next meeting. The
meeting adjourned at 10 O'clock.