The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-27

hss ciegEs1ey toward sssem MSS 4 sssuit -
X IN talk thai ! had wiz Elm aoaas
BE found that the men worked better after
a drunk than At ary Ssner time during the
month. and that the intensified activity
absence trcm the mill "An require 20
them. Ne ~eat On. - that they ao NOT
lie around the mill drunk, for that usual
Iy discharge them"
Another director az a mill had an eyea
more Charitable view OF this matter.
IL were n their places, he said, I
think would do the same thing. It's their
only relaxation from Ese that al tse best.
and save as they WILL can never bring them
more than brute existence When they
get drunk they sarges all about their for
Tern position IN TIE world and fer the me-
menf think they are Just az big and mighty
as an. Indeed. have known them wasn
IN their cups 10 think that they were the
car himself Il doesn't hurt anybody 10
have them think 50. and SO | SAY, NAy
deny them this one pleasure that they
hAFes In your county understand that
your ph.ianenEcpssts build pleasure pal
the help CT vodka. VIC lie; the vorsingman
smag.naElvely build his OWE pleasure PAL
ace Your method Is doubtless the better
one. but oas rubosnsks are not yet TT fer
the benefacslons Of paIian;hropssis- They
wouldn't know what TO do IN ore OF your
pleasure palaces; they'd feel out OF place,
and. meanwhile, they are justified. think,
in eajoysng what they can understand and
appreciate. II is an unfortunate state of
affairs that their tastes comprise nothing
higher than pisgisa deeaaeh, but they
are not 70 blame. They have been brought
ap 10 think this the highest form of pleas
ure, and it's going 20 take centuries 10
make them think any differently"
The Rate Of Wages.
The wages paid to us In the mill varied.
OF course. according tn the eompisxliy or
the work and the efficiency of the ernploye.
hue about s. month was the average
wage OF the men- The women earned
about 81. the boys 81 and the girls S.sa.
4 family OF four, II all worked, gould
was considered a prtnceiy sum in all the
households able 10 earn It. Out OF TINS
amount all bills had TO be paid. including
those fer taxes as we'll as those presented
by tbs priest for baptssms. hnrsass ana
special religious services which the work
ingman IL Russia, or rather hk wife, de-
lights In. II would seem impossible TO save
out Of these wages sufficient money 10 pay
for the periodical drunks, but vodka such
rs the rubotniki indulge In Ia a very cheap
drink. and Is cents worth generally SUI
fices TO get them into The happy. dreamy
state which my friend The director con
sidered SO exeusable. Their food seldom
costs them over IL cents day, and for
their clothing they pay but pitiance..
Ills ability to live on little and stlll keep
healthy and strong. as most OF them do. Is
one OF the main reasons why the directors
and head foremen OF Russian mills receive
such large salaries. and also why . Russia vss
land and Germany in the markets OF the
East. She has practically driven England
out Of the markets OF Northern Persia.
and 1t Is no secret that her designs upon
India are largely due to her desire to have
another outlet for her constantly inereas-
ing manufactures. In China also this II
plainly one OF the motives impeilins her 10
acquire ter!tory there. and the time Is not
very far distant when. II sufiicIent foreign
talent is imported into the country TO ex-
plot its Industrial capacities, Russia VIII
L. - H. 49, L. NlxSf
This brings ME 10 consider the rossibill-
ties of the Russian work.ngman as "A
skilled artisan At present there are a
great many things that he cannot do. He
Is dcpiorabty lacking In invenf!yeness and
originality, fact easily observable when
he Is employed in the making OK rrachir-
cry and delicate tools and instruments. he
Is q clever initator, however, and foreign
master mechanics assert that he can fire.
Quensly copy things that he has been able
to take apart ard carefully inspect. He is
Western markets Of the skilled English
and American workmen. hut he Is learn
ing every day from his German and En-
giish instructors about what the Western
workipgmag can do. and IL the time ever
comes when the government h. prepared
to give the benefit OF instruction IN iechns-
cal schools he Will In all probability be-
come sufficiently expert artisan to sat
!sfy the crude demands OF the people OF the
East
The great trouble with him at present is
men In the mill ] worked In could read
even printed matter. and not over quar-
ter were equal TO the decsphering or
hand-wris.cn letter. The idea OF the gov
seems 70 have been that successfully To
rule them their minds had 10 be kept as
dark as possible. and IL Is only very re-
Gently that IL has begun TO dawn on The
powers that he that, ii Russia Is really GO
Ing TO become q competitor In the worlds
Industrial markets, she must have q more
enlightened class OF artisans. II Is often
said in her defense that up 10 Few years
ago she had no artisan class to enifEhfen.
Even as late as 1922 Russian economists
classified the rubotnIki with the psasan-
try and refused to recon mend them to the
government fer special legislation. They
contended that tina work'nEman was mere
ly u peasant, who worked in factories ~
winter to piece out his farm Income. ana
that he was not entitled to recognition as a
separate class
what One Hook Dtd.
In 1855 however, a book entitled 1.-The
Mandatory: What II Takes From and
Gives TO the Population" appeared, and It
proved eonclus.yely that there was IN Rus.
STA a distinct Industrial class, which could
no longer be reckcned with the prasansry.
The author. NJ. Dementyen. spent years III
studying the question. working ut times az
mill hand 10 develop the facts, aud ms
book was a revelation to Russian students
Of economics. SincA It's publication II has
been conceded by writers on the subject,
a. well rs partially by tina government,
that the Russian workingman Il a distinct
factor in Russian life, and henesforth must
be Iegislatea for from another point OF
view than that taken as = basis IN the
treatnen, OF the peasant.
The labor strikes that have taken place
during the last two or three years In 81.
Petersburg and Moscow have contributed
toward convincing the government OF the
Importance Of the rubotniki as class.
Thefe il bat little OF Interest 10 an AmsTf-
can IN report concerning them. BEYOND the
fact that they came as a great surprise 20
the authorities. although they knew how
10 stop them In very short ordsr. The
least rowey..m brought out the Cossacks.
who were told 20 whip and. II necessary.
shoot all dissarhers of the peace. While |
was at work in ST. Petersburg there vas
strike on OF nearly 1e.oe men. bat they
were as quiet az mice. ard not word was
allowed 10 appear in tie newspaper ~ re-
gard 10 Tire trouble The strike vas
brought about. It was saia. through Ia
raumatory literature smuggIed Into the
country. via New York, from Geneva. in
the shape Of "workingnens leaflets
mailed 20 81. Petersburg in envelopes