Connecticut western news., 1900-05-24


 to it, he does every business man in to the principle which, carried out, would dissolve society. Look over your affairs and put yourselves in imagina- tion in your laborer's place and then pay him what before God and your own conscience you think you ought to pay him.
 God bless yousp' are we'll in their place, but they do not buy coal nor pay house rent nor get shoes for the chil- dren. At the same time you, the em- ployer, ought to remember through what straits and strains you got the fortune by which you built your store or run the factory. You are to remem- Der that you take all the risks and the employee takes none or scarcely any. You are to remember that there may be reverses in fortune and that some new style of machinery may make your machinery valueless or some new style of tariff set your business back hopelessly and forever. You must take all that into consideration and then pay what Is reasonable.
 The Employers Duty.
 Do not be too ready to cut down wages. AS far as possible, pay all, and pay promptly. There is great deal of Bible teaching on this subject. Nal achi, "I will be swift witness against all sorcerers and against all adulterers and against those who oppose the hire ling In his wages" Leviticus, "Thou shalt not keep the wages of the hire ling all night unto the morning." Co., lossians, Masters, give unto your serv- ants that which Is just and equal knowing that ye also have Master iD heaven" So you see it is not a ques- tion between you and your employee so much as it Is a question between you and God.
 Do not say to your employees, "Now, If you don't like this place, get an- other," when you know they cannot get another. As far as possible, once a year visit at their homes your clerks and your workmen. That Is the only way you can become acquainted with their wants. You will by such process find out that there is blind parent or a sick sister being supported. You rooms without any fire in winter and in summer sweltering in i'll ventilated apartments. You will find much de- pends on the wages you pay or with hold.
 Moreover, 1t Is your duty as employ CT, as far as possible, to mold the vel fare of the employee. You ought to ad- wise him about investments, about life insurance, about savings banks. You ought to give him the benefit of your experience. There are hundreds and thousands of employers, am glad to say, who are settling in the very best possible way the destiny of their em- ployees. Such men as Marshall of Leeds, Lister of Bradford, Akroyd of might offend their naodesty if men toned their names-these men have built reading rooms, libraries, concert halls, afforded croquet lawns, cricket grounds, gymnasiums, choral societies for their employees, and they have not merely paid the wages on Saturday night, but through the contentment and the thrift and the good morals of their employees they are paying wages from generation to generation forever
 Again, I counsel all employers to look we'll after the physical health ot their subordinates. Do not put on them any unnecessary fatigue. never could understand why the drivers on our city cars must stand all day when they might just as well sit down and drive 1t seems to me most unrighteous that so many of the female clerks in ouI stores should be compelled to stand all day and through those hours when there are but few or no customers These people have aches and annoy. ances and weariness enough without putting upon them additional fatigue Unless. these female clerks must go uI and down on the business of the store let them sit down.
 Then I would have you carry out this sanitary idea and put Into as few hours as possible the work of the day It seems to ne all the merchants II all departments ought, by simultaneous movement, to come out in behalf of th' early closing theory. These young mel ought to have an opportunity of goin, to the mercantile library. to the read ing rooms, to the concert hall, to tn gymnasium, to the church. They hay nerves, they have brains, they hav intellectual aspirations, they have i'm mortal spirits. If they can do goo' round days work in the eight or tel hours, you have no right to keep then harnessed for IT.
 But above all I charge you, O em ployers, that you look after the mora and spiritual welfare of your employ | ees. First, know where they spen their evenings. That decides every | thing. You do not want around you | money drawer a young man who wen | last night to see Jack Sheppardp | man that comes into the store In tn | morning ghastly with midnight revelr | Is not the man for your store. Th | young man who spends his evening the society of refined women or l musical or artistic circles or in literar
 improvement Is the young man fo your store.
 Do not say of these young men, q
 they do their work In the bushes hours, that Is all have to ask" Go
 has made you that mans guardian.
 want you to understand that many (
 these young men are orphans or wors
 than orphans, flung out into society
 struggle for themselves. A young ma
 is pitched into the middle of the A
 lantic ocean, and a plank Is pitche
 after him, and then he Is told to tas
 that and swim ashore. Treat thu
 young man as you would like to haJ
 your son treated If you were dead. F
 not tread on him. Do not swear ,
 him. Do not send him on a usele.
 errand. Say Good morning" an
 Good night" and "Goodby." You al
 deciding that mans destiny for tw
 worlds.