The advocate., 1894-03-07

BANK OK Graham. re put Cne cara
back into the pocket of his best coat,
and started down stairs a very different
looking parsonage from the working
man orator who had figured so conspic-
uOusly in the meeting of the evening
before and in the Hon. Bradford Horn
beck's speech. The working clothes of
blacksmith in the railroad shops can
not, either in style or in richness Of
material, vie with the accustomed ha-
biliments of the elegant favorites of
fortune for whom fashionable draw
ing-rOOms everywhere reserve their
prOudeSt welcome. However, daylight
had not come yet-workingmen must
breakfast earlier than Fashionable
folks-and the few people astir at that
hour were not likely to be Of condi-
tion so superior as to justify them in
casting slurs upon the blacksmith's
wardrobe.
When the whistle sounded John had
been already some minutes at the
shops,
There is no gossiping in the shops;
the men are required to be as silent as
convicts in a penitentiary. Indeed,
this is not the only respect in which
the treatment of the men in the
shops at Graham resembles that OF
cOnVictS. Each man has his number
not his stamped on block
which he must take out when he goes
to work and return to its place upon
leaving in the evening, so that the
exact time of his arrival and the exact
time of his departure may be registered
and kept, andhe may be duly 'doCked"
for every minute lost to his employer.
AT the noon hour, however, the men
talk as they devour their cold lunch
and their cold coffee contained in the
little tin pals of which one heard so
much during the tariff discussion of
1883. Even this bit of freedom is
sometimes snatched from them by the
visit and the sermOnizing Of some it.
inerant evangelist" or some herald Of
the Young Mems Christian associa
tion, who has somehow got the inn
preston that it is the poor lamb, not
the rich wolf, that needs conversion;
and to these single-goidstandard apos-
ties OF the political-economy Christ
who did not say any such foolish things
as-"Take no thought for the morrow"
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures
on the earth, nor "Sell what thou hast
and give to the poor" every man is ex-
pected to give silent and decorous
heed. But, fortunately, on this par
ticular day the weather was rainy and
cold; and at such times it is supposed
WoTkingmen's souls are not in sufficient
immediate danger to justify splashing
polished boots and fraying the bottoms
Of expensive trousers in evangelic
work; so the lunch hour was undis-
turbed by outsiders" and scores Of |
tongues were seeking compensation for |
their forenoOn's bondage, and there |
was incessant talk mingled with Occa-
sional laughter. Some told stories
which they supposed to be funny, but
were often discouraged by the concen-
trated criticism contained in the cpl
thet chestnut or in such expressions
"That's bald-headed, it's so oldp'
or-"Give us rest on that old storyP
The conversation, however, soon
drifted around to the events Of the
last-night'S meeting; and those who
had not been present had to be told
all that had occurred.
81 didn't know Cotterell was a
preacher" said one.
"He hit 'em some powerful hard
jolts," said another.
"IIe went too fur" said drawling,
conservative Nick Withers. "Folks
amt quite ready fur socialism yit. /
don't want to be no slave; and that's
what yer socialism d give us. don't
want no chap in a uniform and a club
over me tellin' me what I'm to work
at, and how long I'm to work, and
how much I'm to eat, andwhen I'm to
eat it, and who I'm to marry and all
AloA Uo, coo;ol, l,ev,, 30, IN 70 follr