Rock Island Argus., 1899-12-18

Which encyclopedia?
Where is the encyclopedia? sNtS
Was / hired for that?
Don't you mean Bismarck?
What's the matter with Charlie do
ing it?
Is he dead?
Is there any hurry?
Shan't 1 bring you the book and let
you look it up yourself?
What do you want TO know for?
And l will lay you 10 to 1 that after
you have answered the questions and
explained how to find the informa ton
and why you want it the clerk will go
off and get one of the other clerks to
help him try TO find Garcia and then
come back and tell you there is no such
man. OF course / may lose my bet;
but, according to the law of average, 1
will not.
Now, if you are wise you will not
bother to explain to your assistant"
that Correggio is indexed under the
C's, not in the KS, but you will smile
sweetly and say, Never mind" and go
look it up yourself.
And his fncapacity for independent
action, this moral stupidity, this in
trinity of the will, this unwilIingness
to cheerfully catch hold and lift. are
the things that put pure socialism so
far into the future. If men will not
act for themselves, what will they do
when the benefit of their effort is for
all? A first mate with knotted club
seems necessary, and the dread of get
ting 1.-The bounce" Saturday night holds
many worker to his place.
nine out of ten who apply can neither
spell nor punctuate and do not think
1T necessary to.
Can such a one write letter to Gar
cia?
You see that bookkeeper?' said the
foreman to me in a large factory.
Yes; what about him?'
''Well, he's a fine accountant, but if
I'd send him up town on an errand
he might accomplish the errand all
right, and, on the other hand, might
stop at four saloons on the way, and
when he got to Main street would for
get what he had been sent for"
Can such n man be intrusted to car
ry message to Garcia?
We have recently been hearing much
maudlin sympathy expressed for the
'dOwntrodden denizen of the sweat
shop and the homeless wanderer
searching for honest employment"
and with it all often go many hard
words for the men in power.
Nothing is said about the employer
who grows old before his time in q
vain attempt TO get frowsy ne'er do
wells to do intelligent work and his
long, patient striving with help that
does nothing but loaf when his back
is turned. In every store and factory
there is a constant wedding out proc
ess going on. The employer is con-
stantly sending away help that has
shown their incapacity to further the
interests of the business, and others
are being taken on. No matter how
good times are, this sorting continues,
only If times are hard and work is
scarce the sorting is done finer, but
out and forever out the incompetent
and unworthy go. 1t is the survival
of the fittest. Self interest prompts
every employer to keep the best-those
who can carry a message to Garcia.
l know one man of really brilliant
parts who has not the ability to man.
age a business of his own. and yet
who is absolutely worthless to any
one else, because he carries with him
the insane suspicion that
his employer is depressing, or intend
ing to oppress, him. He cannot give
orders. and he will not receive them.
Should n message be given to him to
take to Garcia, his answer would prob
ably be, Take it yourself"
Tonight this man walks the streets
looking for work, the wind whistling
through his threadbare coat. No one
who knows him dare employ him, for
be is a regular firebrand of discomfort.
He is impervious to reason, and the
only thing that can impress him is the
toe of a thick soled No. o boot. OF
course l know that one so morally de-
formed is no less to be pitied than a
physical cripple, but in our pitying let
us drop n tear, too, for the men who
are striving to carry on a great enter |
prise, whose working hours are not !
limited by the whistle and whose hair |
8 fast turning white through the strug
gle to hold in line dowdy indifference.
,lipshod imbecility and the heartless |
ngratitude which but for their enter |
Prise would be hungry and homeless.
Have l put the matter too strongly? |
Possibly have. but when all the world |
has gone a-slumming l wish to speak a /
word OF sympathy for the man who |
man who against great |
dds has directed the efforts of others |
Ind, having succeeded. finds there's /
nothing in it-nothing but bare board
md clothes. / have carried dinner
)ail and worked for days wages, and
have also been an employer of labor,
Ind ! know there is something to be |
aid on both sides. There is no excel
ence per Sc in poverty; rags are no
and all employers are
lot rapacious and high handed any
more than all poor men are virtuous.
My heart goes out to the man who
loes his work when the boss" is