Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17


or for n bad object
| know there are many people who
have much to say against savings banks
and life assurances. | have to tell you
that the vast majority of the homestcads
in this country have been the result OF
such institutions, and | have to tell you
also that the vast majority of the home
steads of the future for the laboring
classes will be the result of such insttu-
tons. 1t will be great day for the
working classes of England and the
United States when the workingman can
buy barrel of -four instead of -four by
the small sack. when he can buy a barrel
of sugar instead of sugar by the pound
when he can pay cash for coats and hats
and shoes rather than pay an additional
amount for the reason that he has to get
it all charged.
Exchanging Condolences.
Again | remark, great relief is to come
for the laboring classes of this country
by appreciation on the part of employers
that they had better take their employ
ees into their confidence. | can see very
easily looking from my standpoint. what
is the matter. Employees seeing the
employer in seeming prosperity, do not
know all the straits, all the hardships, all
the losses. all the annoyances. They
look at him and they think, why, he has
it easy, and we have it hard They do
not know that at that very moment the
employer is at the last point of despera-
ton to meet his engagements.
| know gentleman very well who has
over thousand hands in his employ. |
said to him some years ago when there
was great trouble in the labor market,
wit
meny" "Oh," he said. II have no trou-
bic" why" said have not you had
any strikes?' "Oh. no." he said, II
never had any trouble" What plan do
you pursue?' He said: II will tell you.
All my men know every year just how
matters stand. Every little while call
them together and say: Now, boys, last
year | made so much; this year | made
less so you see | cannot pay you as
much as | did last year. Now, | want
to know what you think | ought to have
rs a percentage out OF this establishment
and what wages l ought to give you.
You know | put all my energy in this
business. put all my fortune in it and
riskcd everything. What do you really
think | ought to have and you ought to
haveY BY the time we come out OF that
consultation we are unanimous. There
never has been an exception. When we
prosper. we all prosper together; when
we suffer, we all suffer together, and my
men would die for me-" Now, let all
employers be FRANK with their employees
Take them into your confidence. Let
them know just how matters stand
There is an immense amount Of common
sense in the world. 1t is always safe to
appeal TO it.
I remark again, great relief will come
TO the laboring classes of this country
through the religious rectifcation OF it.
| Labor is honored and rewarded in pro-
portion as a community is Christianized.
/ Why is it that our smallest coin in this
country is penny, while in China it
takes half dozen pieces Of coin or n doz-
en- to make one of our pennies in value,
so the Chinese carry the cash. as they
call it, like n string Of beads around the
neck? We never want to pay less than
a penny for anything in this country.
| They must pay that which is worth only
the sixth part or the twelfth part of a
penny. Heathenism and niquty and
| infdelity depress everything. The Cos
| pei Of Jesus Christ elevates everything.
How do / account for this? ! account
for it with the planest philosophy. The
religion of Jesus Christ is a democratic
religion. 1t tells the employer that he is
! brother to all the operatives in the estab-
lishment-made by the same God. to lie
in the same dust and to be saved by the
| same supreme mercy. 1t does not make
the slightest difference how much money
you have. you cannot buy your way into
the kingdom of heaven. II you have the
grace of God in your heart, you will enter
heaven. SO you see it is n democratic
religion. Saturate our populations with
this gospel, and labor will be respectful,
labor will be rewarded, labor will be hon
ored capital will be Christian in all its
behavior, and there will be higher tides
Of thrift set in
Make Investments For Eternity.
Let me say a word to all capitalists
| BE your own executors. Make invest
ments for eternity. Do not be like some
OF those capitalists / know who walk
around among their employees with
supercilious air or drive up to the factory
| in manner which seems to indicate they
are the autocrat OF the universe, with the
sun and moon in their vest pockets, chief
ly anxious when they go among laboring
men not to be touched by the greasy or
smirched hand and have their broadcloth
injured. BE a Christian employer. Re-
member those who are under your charge
are bone of your bone and flesh OF
your flesh, that Jesus Christ died for
them and that they are immortal. Di-
vide up your estates, or portions of them,
for the relief OF the world before you
leave it. Do not go out of the world like
that man who died in New York leaving
in his will S40,000,000, yet giving how
much for the church of God, how much
for the alienation Of human suffering
TTe gave some money little while before
he died. That was well, but in all this
will of $40, 0000 900 how much? One mil
lion? No, Five hundred thousand? No.
One hundred dollars? No. Two cents?
No. One cent? No These great cities
grooming in anguish, nations crying out
for the bread of everlasting life. man
in will giving $40OOO,O00 and not l
cent to God. 1t is n disgrace to our civ
ilzation. Or, as illustrated in a letter
which have concerning a man who de-
parted this life leaving between $4,000
600 and SS,O0O,0O0. Not one dollar was
left, this writer says, to comfort the aged
~orkmen and workwomen, not 81 to ell
evate and instruct the hundreds Of pale
children who stlcd their childish growth
ii strange that the curse Of the children
Of toll follows such ingratitude? How
well could one of his many millions have
been disbursed for the present and the
future benefit Of those whose hands had