St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-26

the rights of God, most sacred and in
violable. From this follows the Obliga-
ton of the cessation of work and labor
Oh Sundays and certain festivals"
1t is on record that work III factories
and mines was pr0traeted TO sixteen
and even more hours in the twenty
four. The law has in most countries
interfered to prevent cruelties of this
KIND. The memory OF them leaves us
10 judge TO what degree cupidity may
extend its demands if no barrier is put
to them. Employers have their minds
solely upon the profits of their buSl-
ness: the workman they leave to at
tend to himself, and so long as he lends
himself to their plans, whatever may be
for him the stress of circumstances,
their purpose is to obtain from him the
most work at the least cost. Employees
themselves are not always without their
| guilt. They are carried away by their
| desire for gain to sacrifice health of
body and soul. Avaricious parents
| commit children to toll beyond their
forces. Overtime, with a promise OF
extra wages, is sore temptation to the
| greedy labOrer The labor day is gen
orally at present in the United States
Limited TO Ten Hours.
There are, however. numerous excep-
ti0ns. There are lines of service where
the employe finds but scantiest inter
mission for food and sleep; so long as
his physical strength seemingly holds
out he IS kept at his work as if work
were the sole purpose of life, This is
the case with retail store clerks, livery
men, hotel servants, brakeman on rail-
roads. ETC., etc.
mightput in the list many employ
| ers and business men VINO are more
| 81
employees in their devotion TO affairs.
passion of the age. The youth dreams
of fortune making. and discards all
| preparations for life's duties and re-
| sponSibilitieS, which has not in it the
! commercial trend. The middle-aged
man is restless and feverish; if yet re-
duced TO moderate income he despairS;
| If his Accommodations. are large. his am
bition To double and treble them leaves
him no rest. The gray-haired veteran
Still! talks of new ventures and of
| profit aud loss while standing on the
| very edge of the grave. The American
| goes beyond the inhabitant of all other
countries in his worship of business. 1t
| Is our danger that we are becoming a
material people. The thinker, the
leader among u.s. the lover of his kind
and of his country, should take heed,
| and by his example and his influence
guard us against the eXclusiveness of
! induStrialiSm. Let us arrest the over
flow of the industrial spirit. and by
| keeping it within bounds maintain its
own strength. Let us keep well i'll
mind that mot of bread alone doth man
| live," and cultivate the knowledge that
gives to man fuilueSs and completeness
OF stature, and casts over life the sun
! ChJna nf r,pooafnl an y,t If
| promises of the blessed hereafter
The rush in business hardens employ
erS to employees. We measure the toll
OF others by that, which in our own
| eagerneSS for success, we are willing to
endure. The laborer himself is caught
by the prevailing fever and lends him
self to tire burden, although his portion
| OF gain be small and his load be the
| heavier.
The Labor Day.
| 1t is no easy matter to determine the
length Of the labor day. Much depends
on the nature of the work, and Oh the
eXactlons it imposes OH the body and
| mind of the workman. a universal
| law for all kinds of labor and for all
Workmen is not practicable. The state
ment. however. may be safely made,
subject to some reasonable exceptions.
that the maximum length of the labor
! day should not exceed ten hours. Work
| beyond this limitation dcteriorateS bod
| lily health, affords no leisure for social
| enjoyment and mental improvement.
1t may be said with truth that mans
| physical strength is not capable of fur
| ther endurance. The work done in later
hours suffers in quality No labor ill.,
/ volVlng serious responsibilities rs to
human life, or properly, should be
| allowed to extend beyond the limit OF
ten hours. There is more work done
| in the year OF the month with men labor
ing ten hours than il longer time were
required of them. They come to their
task fresh and buoyant; they give them
selves to it with Zest and energy. Nor
| VIII they be prematurcly broken down
i'll health. Too much fatigue. makes
men reckless and dissipated. To this
cause we may attribute good share of
the prevailing plague of intemperance.
| Some StImulant is felt to be necessary
to repair the shattered forces of limb,
and the saloon is entered. The family
| life becomes almost extinct. Fathers
scarcely know their children. The lit
tie ones are at rest when the tired la
| borel returns to his home, and before
they awaken in the morning he is again
on the road to store or factory. There
| ~ i.O NhhoiOii vi pCti CiltGtl IONC. liO Sh tCl
converse of father and child, no impart-
ing OF wise lessons. The homes of the
WORKING classes are of prime impor-
lance for the nation. aud whatever de-
tracts from their completeness is pub
lie misfortune.
Eight-Hour Movement.
The agitation is spreading to reduce
the working hours to eight. | believe
| thn &c of 0f
serious thought. The movement is in
the right direction, even if it make nee
eSSarY the readJuStment of industrial
systems, and time were needed for such
readjustment. Worhmen themselves
will appreciate the difficulties that must
be encountered, and will not advance
too rapidly. We have come to period
| when the working, classes must, even
for the safety of society, be endowed
| with higher culture, and put into pos
| session Of a greater share of the ad.
vantageS conferred upon us by the dis
| cOyereS and inventions of the age, and
the first stepto this end is the affording
| of more leisure. The objection is raised
that this leisure will be misused and
| occasion taken from it for sensual in
| dulgence and low amuSementS | do
! not heed the objection. / have con lidence
| in the intelligence and the self-control
of the working classes. Notable i'm
provement, believe, will come with
| leisure; and, moreover, it will be the
duty of society to guard this leisure
| from the dangers that may threaten it.
| With shorter hours of labor in the dav
there will be more regularity i'm produc-
ton, less probability of glutted mar
kets and of baneful fluctuations in the
| demand for labor. The employer may
| complain that he will receive q smaller
return for money paid in wages, and
that his profits would be too limited to
permit him to continue his investments.
1t Is problem whether this would be
the case. But, even were it SO, let the
employer suffer a little, and let the con-
| sumner be asked to contribute an in
creased purchasing price. The ques-
ton at this point may grow to be one of
international bearing, as our goods