The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-22
THE FIRST STRIKE.
The First We Know Of Was in Egypt
Three Thousand Years Ago.

The First We Know Of Was in Egypt
Three Thousand Years Ago.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
There is nothing new under the SUM-" re-
ceives nowhere a more startling verification
than In this matter Of strikes. The way in
which our workingmen Of modern Europe
try to coerce their employers was in sub
stance the way adopted by their dark
skinned meanly clad. poorly fed predeces-
sors In the land of the Nile before Moses led
the Israelites out of Egypt. Nj. Maspero.
VINO Is well qualified 10 speak on all points
connected with Egyptology, devotes several
very Interesting pages to the subject in
his charming Historic Readings" which
have Just been published. 1t seems
that the families OF the working classes
we're quite as improvident in Egypt thirty
centuries ago as some of them are IN Eng
land at the present day. At the beginning
OF the month, when they had just received
their months rations, eating and drinking
went on without restraint. By the middle
of the month the stock began to fail, and
famine began to stare the thriftless house,
holds In the face. So again and again they
went out 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 description might almost
De mistaken for extracts from an English or
German ne Nspaper In the nineteenth CEN
fury Of the Christian era.
On the 10th of the month the builders
employed at a temple rushed unanimously
out OF the place where they were working
and sat down behind chapel in the temple
precincts, exclaiming: I'VE are hungry
and there are eighteen days before the next
pay day." They charged the paymasters
with dishonesty. asserting that the latter
gave false measures. The paymasters on
the other hand, charged the men with want
OF foresight, alleging that they spent their
wages as soon as they touched them. Af>
ter some further negotiations with office s
of the government the men resumed work
on the understanding that the king
himself should receive their COM
plant. Two days later Pharaoh actually
visited the temple, and, when the
matter was laid before him, ordered
relief to be given to the woebegone masons.
For short time there was quiet, but sooI
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 a man would work.
On the 18th and 18th they still refused to
LIT tool. On the 10Th they attempted to
leave the precincts Of the temple in order to
carry their grievances into the outer world,
but found that the person who was placed
over them.had taken precautions 80 effect
lively that no one could leave. So they
spent the whole of that day in laying their
plans. On the following day they resorted
to more noisy methods. After vainly ap-
pealing with loud cries to their manager,
they decided 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 gov
ernor's palace. Like their European sue.
cessors, these Discontinued artisans stub.
bornly refused to work. spent many hours
in discussing their position and prospects,
disturbed the order Of the streets by their
| impetuous movements, and ultimately OBJ
tanned part at least of their demands. So
we can track the strike back for 5000 years
that is, toh period when Rome was not
built and even Greek civilization was still
in its infancy.
How old the method was at that time il is
at presentimpossible to say. Perhaps the
| custom is as old as the pyramids. Perhaps
the first strike preceded the most ancient of
the existing monuments of civilization.