The Washington times., 1895-03-29
ETHICS SCHOOL is CLOSED
Winter Term Brought to an End by
Mr. W. N. SaIter.
Interesting Lecture Concerning the Appli-
cation OF the Principle of JuatIce-Ths
Law Of Labor Is Not Immutable.

The School of Applied Ethics held its
final session yesterday for the winter term
in this city. The fourth summer session
| VIII De held at Plymouth, Mass, beginning
July q. and continuing five weeks Among
those who are down for papers and ad-
| dresses from this city are Commissioner of
Labor Carroll ID. Wright, Commissioner of
Education w. j Harris, and Prof Adolpb
| Cohn, Columbian University.
The conclusive lecture OF the present
session was by Mr. VIM NJ. saiter, of
Pbiladelphia, on the subject of Moral
Forces in Dealing with the Labor Prob
lem
The labor question, he said, presents the
idea TO good but not over.thoughtful peo-
Pile, as something disagreeable or the dis
content of the lower classes ready to do
violence. Others regard 1t only from
| the economic side; others say that ethics
is good enough for the individual and fam
lily, but not for the industrial classes as
SUCH
Others think that the question trends in
ev1taby into the worst forms of socialism
August Spies bimseI f regarded morals
DIS tIe IIuIl, ilOt tile TOOU, OF Inc economic
tree
The speaker regarded the essential prin-
cIpie OF morality as justice, a theory
applicable To society and individuals alike,
in fact, to all the relations of life-social
and industrial AS to the law oflabor, the
laborer desires TO sell his labor as high
as possible, and the hirer to buy il as
| cheap as possible. Self-interest appears
| TO be the motive. This law is born Of the
| human Will. and IL is absurd to maintain
| that such law OF buying and selling
is immutablc as that OF gravitation.
The real question is, how can the lab
| orer, as he is get more of what he creates
and how can morals aid him? II is
| necessary to create a Labor Question
| that the laborer shall be wronged, not
| that he shall ask for. What the iaborer
| is entitled to is the question. There is no
| general understanding of the fact tfat
| self-development shonld tend in the di-
| rection OF universal development
| Meagef wages and long hours are wrong
| because they deaden the higher capacities
| of the laborer. Conscience, if rational
| lied, might bring the labor question home
| TO the consciousness OF Others than the
| laborer.
II is undoubtedly the fact that the work
| ingmen get little more than bare living
| out of the worlds wealth, and this is
| an inequity. Natural laws do not necossi-
| tate high salaries TO officers, high rents,
| high interests. The employer is a linn
! tied quantity, and the laboreTs who are
| an unlimited quantity are taken advantage
| Offence there is riches on one side and
| poverty on the other, and that is injustice.
! I'VE are tired of making others rich"
! is the gist of the whole question Yet
profits and rents are not wrong IN prin-
! ciple.
/ The only rational solution OF the question
| is moral one, and moral change must
! be the precursor of change for the
| better There must be u demoraliZ ltion
| OF their hearts and minds as well as of
| their institutions, before the revolution
can come. The consuming thought must
| be that of brotherhood. and no private
! salvation. No one can estimate the posi-
| bilty of the application of the moral law
to the situation.
DR.. Gallaudet expressed his agreement
| in great degTec with the spirit or brother
| hood spoken Of by tile lecturer He does
| not think that the question could he solved
| by ethics alone. II all men We're imbued
! with the spirit of the brotherhood, the
| cities would be overcrowded. Labor supply
! and demand do explain the situation in the
| cities where immigration and the drift from
| the country increases the supply. Dr.
Gallaudet's idea is the increase of happiness
in the rural districts. where the homes are
isolated.
Prof Mason, who presided. said that ethics
should be. taught to the employed as well
as the employers He also made the point
that the employees didn't want TO lift them
selves up. They needed n new life, new
ethical education.
Mr.. Peters suggested to the meeting that
those who desired could send their names
to Col Carroll ID. Wright, with view of
having another meeting here OF the school.
He also suggested the attendance upon the
meeting of the Social Science Club.
At the close OF the meeting a rising vote
of thanks was given to the lecturer and to
those who had taken part in the discussions
yesterday and heretofore.