The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-06
AN OLD FABLE APPLIES.

The books that contain the homely
truths Familiarity illustrated by AeSsop
are supposed to be fit reading only for
children. We put them into the hands
of the little folks because they are
htted to their understandings and help
to convey to their opening intelligences
some very fundamental rules of life
and conduct. Grown up people do not
return to Aesop. They imagine them
selves to have got far beyond the stage
OF teaching by fable, or even by para
BILE, and kick out of the way contemp-
tuously, as food for babes. these stories
in which the sage, untold years ago,
condensed some facts of human expert
ence. Yet if we go to Aesop we will
find there the true elucidation Of one
OF the most sensitive and most pas
s1onately canvassed issues of today.
We refer all those who are dwelling
upon the class issue. and all those who
are trying to set labor against cap
ltal and capital against labor, insist
ing that only out of a deadly and de-
can their respective rights be ascer-
tanned, to the fable in the chiIdren's
books which is entitled 1.-THE Belly and
the Other Members Everybody. will
remember, for all of us read Aesop
when we were little, and some of us
are glad that we have not forgotten
him since, that once upon time the
different members of the body fell out
among themselves about their propor-
tionate shares of the labor to be done
Most of the other members were visi-
Oily active in contributing to bodily
health and strength. The Belly alone
lay still and did nothing. The Hands
fed him; the Feet ran errands for him.
the Eyes sought at a distance luscious
contributions to his comfort; the Ears
warned him of coming danger; every
other part of the structure was active
In pampering this idle and selfish fell
low, who simply remained in the midst
of them and consumed ravenously all
that their labor provided him with.
They determined to tolerate this no
longer They went on a strike. They
all agreed that the Belly thereafter
should shift for himself and see how
long he could stand it. He did NOT
stand 1t very well, but neither did the
rest of them. AS soon as he ceased 70
obtain mis- accustomed nourishment all
the bodily forces weakened and dwin-
died. The Arms and the Legs grew
trembling and powerless, the Ewes
sightless, the Ears deaf, the beating
of the Heart began to cease. and in
slant dissolution was averted onlv
when, realizing their common depend-
ence upon the others, all the members
including the Belly went tremendously
TO work again to support one another
by mutual cooperation.
IL Old Aesop had had before his ewes
the nineteenth century, with it's conflicts
between labor and capital, he couId
not have done better in explaining
their relations to each other. and the
consequences of war between them
Labor is the active part; the Hands.
the Feet, the Eyes, the Ears. the Teeth
of the body polite and economic. The
capital is the digestive and nourishing
apparatus. Capital Is the storehousa RI
which their treasures are sent and
which returns them to strengthen ex-
hausted muscles, and to set in motion
new activities. Each is necessarily
helpless without the other 1t ia ner-
fectly true that capital without labor
can accomplish nothing. For a little
While it can feed upon itself. and then.
consumed, it vanishes into nothing
ness. 1t is just as true that labor with
out capital must return to the condi-
ton Of the aboriginal man, wandering
through his forests and subsisting anon
such flesh and fruits as his own hands
can gather or slay Each has it's place
and each must respect the rights of
the other. For either to subvert and
enslave the other to its own selfish
purposes is mutually disastrous. Com
mon respect and tolerance and har-
monious action N.or the common good
must be the rule We cannot say
would that we could, that this has been
true of the past We cannot say that
capital has done justice or has ALWAYS
wished to do Justice to labor We do