The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1897-08-14

flame, with the prophets serene
eyed faith in the people, with
the patriots strong love of his
country, into a belief to live by,
and, if necessary, to die for.
It lacks the breezy freshness
and sketchiness of "Looking
Backward" but more than
makes up for it in the compact
ness, profoundly and scope of
it's thought. It is a sequel to
that book and the same charac-
ters discuss in the year 1000
the great change and the reas-
ons for it in a charmingly va
ried style. A few extracts
selected almost at random, to
show you what the book is, and
that you may be tempted
to buy, read and then loan it,
follow. The first is a parable
supposed to be taken from the
literature of the nineteenth
century entitled
MASTERS OF THE BREAD.
Everywhere men, women and
children stood in the market place
crying to the Masters of the Bread
to take them to be their servants
that they might have bread. The
strong men said: 40, Lord of the
Bread, feel our thews and sinews,
our arms and legs; see how strong
we are. Take us and use us. Let
us dig for you. Let us hew for you.
Let us go down in the mine and
.delve for you. Let us freeze and
starve in the forecastles of your
ships, Send us into the hells of
your steamship stokeho1es. Do
what you will with us. but let us
serve you, that we may eat and not
die"
Then spoke up also the learned
men, the scribes and the lawyers,
whose strength was in their brains
and not in their bodies: 20, Mas
.ters Of the Bread" they said, take
us to be your servants and to do
your will. See how fine is our wit;e
how great our knowledge; our
minds are stored with treasures of
learning and the subtleties of all
the PHILOSOPHERS. To us have been
given clearer vision than to others,
and the power of persuasion that
we should be leaders of the peo-
pie, voices to the voiceless and eyes
to the blind. But the people whom
we should serve have no bread to
give us. Therefore, Masters of the
Bread, give us to eat, and we will
betray the people to you, for we
must live. We will plead for you
in the courts against the widow
and fatherless. We will speak and
write in you praise, and with cum
ming words confound those who
speak against you and your power
and state. And nothing that you
require of us shall seem too much.
But because we sell not only our
bodies but our souls also, gives us
more bread than these laborers re-
ceive, who sell their bodies only"
. And the priests and the Levites
also cried out as the Lords of the
Bread passed through the market
place: "Take us, Masters, to be
your servants and to do your will,
for we also must eat. and you only
have the bread. We are the guar
dams of the sacred oracles, and the
people hearken unto us and reply
not, for our voice to them is as the
voice of God. But we must have
bread to eat like the others. Give
us. therefore, plentifully of your
bread, and we will speak to the peo-
pie, that they be still and trouble
you not with their murmurings
because of hunger. In the name
of God the Father will we forbid
them to claim the rights of broth
ers, and in the name of the Prince
of Peace will we preach your law of
competition
And above all the clamor of the
men were heard the voices of a
multitude of women: "Pass us not
by, for we must also eat. The men
are stronger than we, but they eat
much bread while we eat little, so
that though we be not so strong,
yet in the end you shall not lose if
you take us to be your servants in
stead of them. And if you will not
take us for our labor's sake, yet
look upon us; we are women, and
should be fair in your eyes. Take
us and do with us according to
your pleasure, for we must eat"