Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-05-28
4 TABLE NAPKIN.
Renntniscence Of John Burns, the
English Labor Leader.
Evolution OF an Agitator Into q Pactdes-
tor-A Scavenger's Conference Turned
Into a Banquet - Burns' Unique
Topic and Its Moral.

They say in London that in times
of strikes or labor disturbances. the
people look to John Burns to keep
the peace rather than to the soldiers
and "bobbies. BY reason of the
prudence, equanimity and dis
tinguished ''horse-sense' that have,
in these later years, characterized
his conduct in industrial crises,
Burns has advanced in general es-
TEEN from the dubious rank Of agi-
tator to the emin emily useful one Of
pacifcator.
In the beginning of his public
career John Burns threatened to be
an element Of danger and disorder
In the community. He was fore
most figure, 1t will be recalled, in
the Trafalgar square riots, and for
his participation in those ugly out
breaks he passed some months in
Pentonville prison. But his mind
broadened with the powers and re-
sponsibilities of hts leadership
among workingmen; Burns learned
reason, the virtue of moderation, the
necessity of granting to every man,
rich as well as poor, his full rights.
And most of all he learned the
faulty of violence He saw that
the emancipation Of the laborer,
| his release from the conditions Of
semi tatters and I'M
cleanness, must come through
some other medium than noisy vi
tuperation and objectless objurga-
ton. The virtue of his principles
and the efficacy Of his methods be-
came 80 we'll known that men like
Cardinal Newman and Lord Rose
berry did not hesitate to call him in
to council in striving to reach de-
termination of popular uprisings.
Perhaps the best idea of Burns
philosophy of labor reform transpires
from an experience he related:
Some time ago in London he was
called upon by q delegation of street
ecavengers, who invited him to at
tend a conference for the purpose Of
organization. They told him that it
was proposed to enliven the council
with "some tea and cold COLA
tion." There were to be four hum
dred scavengers present and they
were going to expend a shilling
apiece for refreshments. Mr.. Burns
suggested that they multiply this
expenditure by three and celebrate
| the affair bv q really good dinner, He
took upon himself to make visit to
q f1rst.class caterer and induce him
TO supply the dinner. Mr.. Burns
then went to restaurateur Of bis
acquain lance and told him bis desire
ia the. matter. The restaurateur-
who had feasted the greatest
millionaires of London-entered in
to the spirit Of the affair and agreed
to serve them notably good repast
which would probably cost him q
great deal more than the scav-
engers paid for it. One of Mr..
Burns last instructions to the
caterer was that each and every one
| OF the guests should have napkin
at his plate.
The night OF the banquet the rour
hundred London scavepgers as
sembled to enjoy the fine fare. Mr..
Burns presided and when the time
came for experimenting he surprised
everyone by ignoring the well-known
subject of workingmen's wrongs, by
refraining from any denunciation OF
capitalists and by taking for his text
the homely, everyday napkin. He
Informed his hearers that they had
probably never before sat down to
| SO good a dinner, that it was not at
all likely they could have such a good
dinner every day; ''but," he contin-
ued, there Is no reason why you
should not sit down to well-set tables
with decent china and clean linen, and
why you should not have napkin. "
, He told them that there was little
hope for laboring men until along
with the desire for better wages and
shorter hours they also experienced
the desire for cheerful homes, for
daily baths and neat clothes, for the
reading of books, for the use of cor
rect language, in short, until they