Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-01
The Hon. r. A. Maynard Writes Comprehensive and Trench
ant Paper BrstIng With Facts
ON THE CONDITION OF LABOR, PAST, PRESENT AND fUT
Hdhps
Opinions m

and somewhat obtriss in feeling, the
family was united and loving. The
artisan usually left ~ sunrise bare
footed and bareneaded, or merely
wearing al old felt cap fitting tightly
70 the skull, his only covering for the
body beng q pair of cotton drawers
just reaching below the hips. His food
consists of q little dried fab, one or
two onions, two cakes Of dhoura, and
little Oil in which to moisten his
bread. At noon he stops to eat and
sleep for an hour or two, then resumes
work until sunset. One of the poets
thus describes the life of an Egyptian
blacksmith and other mechanics about
1000 3. c:
No Rest From Onerous Tasks.
"I have seen the blacksmith at hi,
work in the heat of his forge. He has
the fingers of crocodile and is black
as fishspawn. The artisans of all kinds
that handle the chisel. have they NOR
rest than the peasant? Their fields
are the wood they shape, their profess
sion 10 the metal. Even In the night
they are called, and they work again
after their labor of the day. Even in
the night their house is lighted up and
they are awake. Tho stonemas0n
seeks his work In every kind Of hard
stone. When he has completed his
orders and his hands are tired, does he
he rest? He must be in the workyard
~ sunrise, even if his knees and spine
break with toll. The barber shaves
even in the night. To be able to eat,
to be able TO lie down, he must 90 from
district to district searching for CUSTOM
ers. He must overwork himself, as
we'll as his two hands, to fill his belly.
Thus the honey is eaten only by those
who make it. The fingers Of the dyer
stink with the odor Of decayed fish,
his two eyes ache with WEAKNESS. his
hand never ceases renewing pieces of
stuff until ne detssts the sight of stuff.
The shoemaker ID very miserable, and
is forever complaining. His health Is
like that OF a dead fish. and he has
nothing to eat but his leather"
Goadsd BY the Rod.
The wages of the Egyptian workmen
were labOriously earned, and barely
sufficed to keep body and soul to-
gether. Wages were almost always
paid IN kind, and consisted of corn,
salt provisions. q few measures of oil,
and On holidays one or two Jars of
wine. The workmen were goaded to
renewed energy by the application of
the taskmaster's rod. ''Man has q
back, and only obeys when it is beaten"
says an old Egyptian pr0verb. None
were exempt, from the beggar 1T the
gate to the highest minister, in the
e Dko
civil, industrial and military admins
tratlon was carried on under the appli-
cation and direction OF the stick. So
completely had 1t entered int the
social life of the ancient Egyptian, that
q person whe had never been beaten
before a magistrate was regarded as a
most exceptional being, and the fact rs
worthy of bang recorded upon bis
tomb. Were we not assured to the
contrary, we should imagine q PRIOR
that the Egyptian must have been
given to pessimistic specuiations and
that his temperament was sorrowful
and morosc. Such, however, was not
the case. "The workman, resigned
beforehand. patiently labors under the
rod that threatens him, with iutelli-
gence, even with gaiety. His mind is
naturally lively, and his repartee quick.
He instinctively seizes the pleasant side
OF things, and knows how to give
piauant turn to his slightest wittlcisms.
The smallest incident in tho days
work--an awkward apprentice cutting
his finger, comrade sleeping over his
task, whom the overseer lashes to
awaken him, an ass suddenly braying
in the quiet street outsde-anything
serves "a q pretext for amusement.
Laughter breaks the silence, then
tongues chatter. SCOTS and merry jokes
pass round, the stick vainly intsrferes,
at lesst an hour elapses before quiet il
re-estsblished."
Optbrsaks Against Tyranny.
The Egyptian, however. was not al
together an sbject creaturs, crouching
in slavish submission under the rod of
the taskmaster. Occasional outbreaks
against the tyranny of . superintend-
ent or overseer were far from uneom-
mon. Even the industrial strike for
higher pay. regarded by us az social
phenomenon peculiar 70 the nineteenth
century. was we'll known to Egyptian
mechanics and lsborers, and occa-
siouslly resorted to with success
Msspero. the distinguished French
Fgyptologst, thus described what ia
probably the earliest recorded strike IN
all history. IL may be assigned TO a
period about 2ooo before the Christian
era
Suddenly great noise IL heard at
cue cad of the street. the crowd - vio-
iensiy opened, and about q hundred
workmen, shouting, gss.iculsting. their
bodies ard faces covered With clay and
mortar, force their wsy .arough, drag
slnx in the midst OF them three or
four frightened, piteous-iooking scr bee.
These are the n1sscus employed in TIE
rev buildings OF the tempa OF Nut.
who nave isst gone on STRIKE. and are
nov on their way TO lav their srisv-
sness before Pssrou, the count gov.
eruar % the CITY and general sup~rin-
tendent ~ the kings works. These
sinai riets are net rare; they sprsnx
from hunger and misery A. ~
know. the greater persson Of TIE wages
consist 81 wheat. shsnrs. OF ard "a
tons u food. which tn- master. uss-
ally dnushut- On shs hrss dsy Of every
sssnsA. and ~hseh oasbs 30 lsss uatgl
the ara 81 the nsonts following.
rs.sss. sss es.sr..s
~Ths aasntity silesed ~ each mar
wsnia ssrssaaiv sadsas u a ~srs
sson.mscsily uees bat shat ls shs ass
~ pFesshsnx scoas~y ~ s.~ople ~sp
reach sese 10 fsmsssss ssaa sssea