The record-union., 1891-09-08
WHOLE NO. 1868.

hight may come to us. TO this end let us
entreat our Heavenly Father for guid-
ance.
In the twenty-fifth chapter of Deuter-
onomy, the fifth book of Moses, we ind
the following significant verse: Thou
shalt not muzZle the OK when hetreadeth
out the corn"
Let us SO back to the early days of civ
lllzauon, when men had no harvester:
When there was no Mccormick reaper.
Men had TO live, just the same Bread
had 70 be made from corn, just the same.
Sowing and reaping were conducted bv
the ancients as best they knew how-in q
manner that would afford the modern
tl!ler OF the soil amusement to read OF
w nen the corn was ripe it was cut and
gathered and carried hoTSStO be threshed.
Inc tnreshlng was not done by approved
IIillaehlhery, but by an OK that trod out
the corn on threshing-floor. Corn was
very valuable and the OK was not fed on
corn, as ne now frequently is, but he cot
lodder OF chafl, or straw cut fine. This
was all right, perhaps, during the greater
part OF the year, but when harvest-time
came and the OK had to work, and TO
tnreSh, and threSh all day, and when
there was plenteous supply of corn, the
owner OF the OK, fearing that it might
eat few mouthfuls of corn, stopped it's
mouth by putting muzZle over il.
W hat cruelty! What hard-heartedneSs,
what 1nhumanlty! Moses knew of this
custom and hated il. His soul loathed
practice so irritating, so provoking, SO
tantallZlng, and he prohibited t. His
language IS clear and unmistakabie.
lhou shalt not muZZle the OK when he
treadeth ont the corn" Every penal law
OF Moses was a statute. 1t was not
framed for the statute-boolI alone. hut for
tulh!lmcnt; not for Jew alone. but for alI
mankind. 1t was certain that he who
lntrlnged il did so at his peril
hat has this TO do with the labor
question? The letter of the Scripture
conveys its lesson, pregnant with mean
ing, but far more exalted is the spiritual
Interpretation. What is the spiritual side
OF this verse? we ask. And our Unborn
humane tendency interprets it for us un-
ernngly. 1t was not only the intention
OF Scripture to teach humanity towards
the OK, the humble help in the means of
production; but ii is clearly evident thaS
iar above the mere animal help, it placed
the human aid the aid of man with
soul, who should receive that measure of
human kindness, that measure of equity,
that more than mere conventional Justice,
from him, whose efficient aid he is.
Has this state of equity been estab-
hshed? The agitation between capital
and labor in this city, in this State, in this
country, throughout the world, is a sig
nlticant answer, that equity has been
sought and has not yet been found
What method, then, may be pursued to
6rlng about state of fequity among men?
Plato evolved theory in his Atlantis"
Sir Thomas More in his Utopia" !" Cam
PAMELA in his City of the Sun" Karl
Marx and Ferdinand Lasalle express
their belief that higher socialism,
would settle all difficulties. Henry
George gives his opinion in his Progress
and Poverty" while Bellamy states his
view in his Looking Backward" These
slNfAY, .f,s,v I, 81 Al.
and true, much that is visionary. Books
and ideas are, after all, not real life. They
are, however, so many signposts guiding
us right or wrong. But the difficulties
and experiences of daily life, the stern
reality Of its thorny path demand more
than speculation, no matter how pleasing
10 the mind such an exercise may he.
What is the result? A practical ten
dency was given towards solving the
difficulty, ,and organizations. trades unions
and decorations, on the part of labor,
took place, which have been and will
again be blessed with remarkable sue
cess.
In 1902 the passage of the Factory Act
through the houses of Parliament was
the first step towards the emancipation of
labor. On April 10, 1910, President Van
Buren issued n proclamation in Wash
lngton that ten hours should constitute
days work for Government employees.
work for Government employees. Fifty
years ago the struggle for ten hours a
day" was looked upon with disfavor and
alarm by all, except those who fought for
1t. There can only be one answer to tho
question as to the final outcome of the or
ganizatiOn of labor. By organization
strength is obtained not otherwise pos
sible. The chief result is that it brings to
the front men fitted to direct, to COM
mand and to guideifor the general good.
Ideas, also, are evolved that tend towards
the more rapid accomplishment of the
state most conducive to the interests of
the wage-earners. No one will DENY.
not even the dullest mind, that tho state
which is most conducive to the best
interests of the wage-earner, ic calculated
In the highest degree, to conserve and to
parpetuate free institutions, froe.common-
wealths. This has hitherto not been
well understood. But it is becoming
clearer and more clear that for the up
building of the republic for the msinten-
ance of the principles of free government,
nothing is so powerful as u state of things
by which an equitable recompcnse is
meted out to labor.
Progress in this direction has not beeu
over rapid. But let us not be impatient.
Let us take comfort at the recollection OF
the victories gained during past Strug-
giles. Let us take Kaleidoscope view of
even the past fifty years, and see the con-
quests, real and substantial, in the direc-
ton of the right and the humane. Let us
take courage thereat for renewed Efforts
efforts which, when, properly directed,
must tend towards Improvement and
progress, real, solid, lasting, singularly
grand, to the people, to the nation, TO true
civilization, to the whole world.
Then, will equity be established. Mere
conventional justice, like rank injustice,
is not only inhumanity, but it is short
tnFln a To II
and to degrade tosa lower state of civillza-
ton. And it Will ever remain SO, as long
as human impulses are governed by con
ditiOnS as they now exist. To lower the
standard of wages, to increase the hours
of labor, to remain insenSible to the bene-
sanitary conditions, and to dis
courage cooperative measures, must
always have Il bad, q deteriOrating effect.
Skillful, honest, well-directed efforts
spring spontaneously from goodwill.
Where, then, shall this goodwill como
from if its source is choked by antagO-
nism and opposition? Calm and deliber-
ate reflection must necessarily conclude
that the highest and best interests OF the
employer lie in the direction of bringing
forth this goodwill from his several aids.
How can it be evoked? By closer SYM
pathy, by q closer harmony, by closer
identity of interests.
II the employer harness goodwill to
the efforts of his employees he will find
that every blow of the hammer win be
given with manlier force, ever thrust of
the needle will be made with truer aim,
every motion of the plane will be di-
rected with more unerring judgment,
every fall of the ak will split the wood
with more precision, The steel will be
tempered with greater delicacy, the iron
will be nodded with more eXactness, the
trowel will fix the brick truer to the
plumb-line, and the lever setting the vast
1nachinnrv in motion will he controlled