The Press., 1892-07-21
(NOrwich Bulletin.) A PARABLE FROM FACTORY
 VILE

out in life together. They all had their fortunes to make and nothing more for capital at starting than the labor of their hands. They took employment in large factory and spent some time learning their duties. Then they entered upon the regular routine of daily labor for weekly or monthly wages.
 Forty eight of the fifty sat at their tasks with nothing in their minds beyond the performance of those tasks in the time allotted and in the way directed. They became good workmen and most of them are still good workmen.
 Two of the fifty were not satisfied with this. They persisted in finding out not only what was set for them to do, but why it was to be done and why it was to be done in the way directed. Further more they were not satisfied with doing the allotted task in the appointed time and merely well enough to pass inspection. They tried to find or make ways of doing more than was required and of doing bet tel work than the average.
 The forty y-eight took what leisure time belonged to them for personal enjoyment and pleasure; these two used part of their leisure in learning more about the business than was was comprised in their narrow round of duties.
 The forty-eight found pleasant use for their surplus wages in excursions and dances, and other more or less costly amusements; these two used some of their money in buying books and educat- ing themselves, and put most of the rest into the savings bank.
 By and by something happened to 8 couple of foremen and the employers wanted successors. They had watched their fifty new men, and naturally chose out these two, because these two could fill the positions most competently. This brought them an increase of wages. They were able to invest still larger sums, and save more each year. They kept on inn proving in skill and increasing their knowledge of the business. They soon became known as ''valuable men," They could "put their hands to almost any thing in the mill." They introduced va rious labor saving and product-perfecting devices, ,-the fruits of their reading and invention, They made more money by the use of these.
 By and by a reorganization became necessary in the mill company. New blood and new capital wele called for. These two men had some capital. They had also a reputation, not only in that mill, but at the banks, and wherever they had invested their savings and wherever their characters were known. They were invited to join the company. There was no difficulty in finding men willing to lend them the additional money needed for the purpose. They became part owners and employers. As time went on other changes came to pass. Older men dropped out, but the mill prospered and these two prospered with it, and by and by they be- came the sole owners and the sole en- ployers of help in that mill.
 In the meantime some of the other forty-eight had proved thrifty enough to buy themselves little homes with gardens which they had paid for out of their say. ings. But more of them were still living in rented houses, spending what spare money they could get over absolutely necessary expenses, on merely passing amusements and qualifications. A few had dropped entirely out of the race and were working at other occupations, and some had fallen by the way in natural course of life and death.
 Then came to this mill village an apos tie of the thew social doctrines" and called the mill employees together, and began to denounce the two employers as "robber barons' and "pirates fattenine on plunder," and "monopolists," and SC on. He declared that it was labor anG labor alone which had made the mill an6 had made it's products and had made the money which these two "plutocrats'' hat put into fine mansions and handsome grounds and costly furniture and fine | clothes for themselves. And he called on the workmen to join him in the abuse of the owners of the mill property, and ir organizing @ sort of revolution which should shut the employers out of theil mill until they had agreed to manage tht property under rules agreed upon by the workmen employed in it.
 Thereupon arose one of the origina l fifty, one of the men who had bought house and garden and who claimed il as his property, and briefly told the story above, of how they all started at the be ginning together, how some had uset their money in one way and some in an | other, and how the two mill owners hae become such by virtue of hard work, hart study, constant economy, persistent am bition, backed by unfiinching determina tion and native ability. And he conclud ed his brief talk by asserting that, to his mind, the mill owners tenure of theil property was exactly the same as his ten ure of his property; that they had exact ly the same right to use their property il l accordance with their own ideas, under the law, as he had to use his and that he had no more right to dictate to them how they should use their mill or to forbid their using it, than they had to dictate te him or forbid him enjoying the house and garden paid for out of his savings.
 "What better right have we" he asked ito take possession of these mems mil than to take possession of their watches or their pocket-books What better right have we to do either than they have to take forcible possession of our homes ol oul furniture ?"
 The question was not answered iI words, but the meeting broke up and the | apostle of the new social theory thai