The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-09-10


: don't make $40 where l used to make
300 Somehow, there is no demand
: now for what we manufacture, or but
/ very little demand. You see, am at
vast expense, and l have called you to-
gether this afternoon to see what you
would advise. | don't want to shut up
J the mill because that would force you
out of work, and you have always been
very faithful, and like you, and you
seem to like me, and the BARNS must
be looked after, and your wife will
after awhile want new dress. don't
know what to do.
There is dead halt for a minute or
two, and then one of the workmen steps
out from the ranks of his fellows and
says BOSS, you have been very good
to us, and when you prospered we pros
pered, and now you are in tight place
and l am sorry, and we have got to
sympathize with you. l don't know
how the others feel, but propose that
we take off 20 per cent from our wages
and that when the times get good you
will remember us and raise them
again. The workman looks around to
his comrades and says: "Boys, what do
you say to this? All in favor of my
proposition will say aye. "
faye, aye, ayel' shout 200 voices
But the mill owner, getting in some
new machinery, exposes himself very
much and takes cold, and it settles into
pneumonia and he dies. In the process
sion to the tomb are all the workmen,
tears rolling down their cheeks and off
upon the ground, but an hour before
the procession gets to the cemetery the
wives and the children of those work
men are at the grave, waiting for the
arrival of the funeral pageant The
minister of religion may have delivered
an eloquent eulogium before they start
ed from the house, but the most impress
sive things are said that day by the
working classes standing around the
tomb
That night in all the cabins of the
working people where they have family
prayers the widowhood and the orphan
age in the mansion are remembered.
No glaring populations look over the
iron fence of the cemetery, but, hover
ing over the scene, the benediction of
God and man is coming for the fulfill
ment of the Christlike injunction,
Whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do you even so to them.
Friendly Feelings.
"Oh," says some man here, "that is
all Utopian, that is apocryphal, that is
impossible " No. l cut out of paper
this: Zone of the pleasantest incidents
recorded in long time is reported from
Sheffield, England. The wages of the
men in the iron works at Sheffield are
regulated by board of arbitration, by
whose decision both masters and men
are bound. For some time past the iron
and steel trade has been extremely IN
profitable, and the employers cannot,
without much loss, pay the wages fixed
by the board, which neither employers
nor employed have the power to change.
To avoid this difficulty the workmen in
one CT the largest steel works in Sheffield |
hit upon device as rare as it was gen
erous. They offered to work for their
employers one week without any pay
whatever. p"
But you go with me, and | will show
you-not so far off as Sheffield, Eng
land-factories, banking houses, store
houses and costly enterprises where this
Christlike injunction of my text is fully |
kept, aud you could no more get the .
employer to practice an injustice upon |
his men, or the men to Conspire against |
the employer, than you could get your
right hand and your left hand, your
right eye and your left eye, your right |
ear and your left ear, into physiological
antagonism. Now, where is this to be-
gin? In our homes, in our stores, on our
farms-nOt waiting for other people to
do their duty. Is there divergence
now between the parlor and the kitchen?
Then there is something wrong either
in the parlor or the kitchen, perhaps in
both. Are the clerks in your store irate
against the firm? Then there is some
thing wrong either behind the counter
or in the private office, or perhaps in
both.
The great want of the world today is
the fulfillment of this Christlike in
junction, that which he promulgated
in his sermon Olivetic. All the political
heavens in convention for 900 years
cannot settle this controversy between
monopoly and hard work, between capt.
tai and labor. During the Revolutionary
war there was a heavy piece of timber
to be lifted, perhaps for some fortress,
and corporal was overseeing the work,
and he was giving commands to some
soldiers as they lifted: "Heave away,
there 70 heave' Well, the timber
was too heavy; they could not get it
up. There was a gentleman riding by
ON horse, and he stopped and said to
this corporal: why don't you help
them lift? That timber is too heavy for
them to lift - mo" he said, II won't
am corporal. The gentleman got
off his horse and came up to the place.
Now" he said to the soldiers, "all
together-yo heaveP' and the timber
went to its place. Now" said the
gentleman to the corporal, "when you
have piece of timber too heavy for
the men to lift, and you want help, you
send to your commander in chief " 1t
was WASHINGTON Now that IL ahout