The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-29
THE FIRST STRIKE.
The First We Know OF Was in Egypt
Three Thousand Years Ago
from the Pail Mall Gazette.


from the Pail Mall Gazette.
There is nothing new under the
SUM- receives nowhere Il more startling
verifcation than in this matter Of
strikes The way in which our work
ingmeu Of modern Europe try to
coerce their employers vas in substance
the way adopted by their dark-skinned
mcanly clad, poorly fed predecessors in
he land of the Nile before Moses led
the Israelites out of Egypt. NJ. Mas
pero, who is We'll qualified to speak on
ali points connected with Egyptology,
Jcvotes several very interesting pages
to the subject in his charming His
toric Readings" which have just been
published. 1t seems that the families
of the working classes were quite as
improvident in Egypt thirty centuries
ago as some of them are in England at
the present day. At the beginning OF
the month, when they had just re-
ceived their mouths ratiOns, eating
and drinking went on without re-
straint. By the middle Of the month
the stock begin to fail. and famine be-
gau to stare the thriftless households III
the face. SO again and again they
went on strike in order to eXtort more
from their superiors. a strike OF
masons is described by NJ. Maspero in
detail, and some parts of the descrlp-
ton might almost be mistaken for en-
tracts from an English or German
newspaper in the nineteenth century
of the Christian era.
On the 10th of the month the build
ers employed at temple rushed tu-
multuouSly out Of the place where
they were working and sat down be-
hind chapel in the temple precincts,
exclaiming: 1--WE are hungry and there
are eighteen days before the next pay
day" They charged the paymasters
with dishonesty, asserting that the
latter gave false measure. The pay
masters, on the other hand, charged
the men with want of foresight, alleg-
ing that they spent their wages as soon
as they touched them. After some
further negotiations with officers OF the
Government tie men resumed work
on the understanding that the King
himself should receive their complaint.
Two days later Pharaoh actually visited
the temple, and, when the mater was
laid before him ordered relief to be
given to the woebegone masons. For
short time there was quiet, but soon
provisions failed, and discomfort broke
out again with renewed violence. On
the 10th of the following month the
strike was in full force again. Not
man would work. On the 18th and
18th they still refused to lift tool,
On the 18th they attempted to leave
the precincts Of the temple in order "
carry their grievance into the outer
world, but found that the person who
was placed over them had taken pre-
cautions so effectively that no one could
leave. So they spent the whole of that
day in laying their plans. On the fol-
lowing day they resorted to more NOISY
methods. After vainly appealing with
loud cries TO their manager, they de-
ciGed to apply to the Governor of the
city, and therefore rushed through the
busy streets to the Inconvenience OF
pedestrians, not stopping until they
reached the Governors palace. Like
their European successors, these dis
contented artisans stubbornly refused
to work, spent many hours in discus
sing their position''.and prospects, dis
turbed the order of the streets by their
ilnpetuous movements, and ultimately
obtained part at least Of their demands.
So we can trace the strike back tor
5000 years, that is, to period when
Rome was not built and even Greek
civilization was still in its infancy.
How old the method was at that
time it is at present impossible to say.
Perhaps the custom as old as the Pyra-
mids. Perhaps the first strike preceded
the most ancient of the existing monu-
ment of civilization.