The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-12-01
cept Saturday, when work stops at
4 o'clock.

Ploses VI the nelson company and any
other. The usual mixture of American
and Europeans is found. One sees the
usual proportion of dirty faces, and the
thought that he shares in the profits
OF his employers seldom prevents a
man whose hammer is raised when the
| noon whistle blows from dropping it
instead of hitting the nail. This mat
| ter of profit sharing affects different
people and different: classes of work.
1ngmen in different ways. 1t has Ger
tainly worked good here; it has revo-
lutionized 1vOrydale for the better; it
has brought content into dozens of
| places.
! The attitude Of the workers in L.
claire is not only of loyalty, but of
equanimity. Not all of them are So
| cialists by any means. Proba bly, only
| a small minority indorse the Socialistic
Labor platform in it's entirety The
| holding Of their places has no more to
do with their political doctrines than
| has their religious creed. Profit shar-
| ing, when it is justified by earnings, &C.
ours in the form of an added percent
age on wages. If the dividend is per
cent, $1,000 man receives $40 and 4
! 5000 office boy has 81. Certain ex-
penses are first deducted from the
gross earnings, allowance is made for
| wear and tear of machinery. insurance
! and the like, and the net profit is di-
vided. Piece workers have their shares
no less than the men on wage, and in
their case the yearly sum of the earn
ings is the basis of the percentage of
extra profit Everybody from high to
| low. is included unless it might lie the
| man who came in yesterday, and it
| would hardly be right to the others to
give the same share to him as to the
| men who had been in the shop for a
year. yet full dividends have been paid
| to men who have worked for only two
months. Some Of the men own stock,
and possibly if all could be persuaded
10 do the same the alacrity and inter-
est would increase.
| The spirits Of the men are pleasantly
exhilarated after these divisions of
money. They whistle at their tasks
and wear cheerfulness in their faces,
Doubtless they work little better fol
awhile. And it is a part of Mr.. Mel
sons plan to keep them content in
their homes, as it is to add to the pleas
ure Of humanity at large. He has sew
eral times taken trainloads of children
from the St. Louis slums and filled
their lungs with the air and their
eyes with the green Of the Illinois
fields, and it is said that he is arrang-
ing to have some of the children of the
city poor cared for in country homes in
| hot weather. And he has likewise tax.
en-, the. chill drens of his working. pepnle
! to St. Louis that they might see 1T
wonderful smoke and its pet bridge
and the steamboats, and it's river thai
looks like chocolate, but isn't, and its
queer substitutes for street cars anc
soldiers in strike times.
| Then there is an annual picnic, with
| cake, ice cream, cigars, music, dancing
and good time for all the people ir
the shops and offices, and the JOY OF
the occasion is not diminished by rea.
son of the eloquence which is imported
A photograph that is admired shows
| the crowd, as we'll dressed as any
church or literary society would b@
listening to the optimism Of Colder
Rule Jones and. it is hoped, indorsing
| it.
| During the winter free lectures are
given at the school house. Professor
Heron, the disturber from Chicago
was one Of the stars last season, though
the speakers are not socialists of ne.
cessity, for some of them talked about
! science and some of travel, and some
had magic lantern pictures to illus
trate their remarks. No charge is made
| tot &c
| that are given in Leclaire. Mr.. Nelson
will not allow it. Either the speaker:
are so we'll pleased with the sound OF
their own voices that they get their pay
from the privilege of speaking or they
confer with Mr.. Nelson privately after
| the performance. A debating club i:
maintained by the members, and the
! virtues and vices of hard and soft
money. sumptuary laws. handmade
| goods and territorial expansion are du
ly considered by this body
Some of the men have accounts il
the Edwardsville banks, however, anc
| the Nelson company acts as banker fol
| it's people when so requested. A com
moner form Of thrift than the saving
of money is the buying of house, anC
| III SiAAo tllC WIZ NiAASAA 10 eA'NAJo Ma
couraged. Nearly all Of the building
has been done by the company, anC
one Of it's neat cottages, with water
and light gratis, can be bought by al
| employee on almost any terms he wants
! to make, the deed being transferred tt
him when he has paid about $500. HI
has "a plank or concrete walk ant
maple trees before his doors, and s;
long as he lives there his road will b.
| watered daily. Sunday included, ant
his lawn and borders trimmed without
charge. Occasionally; as the village
| grows. there is an auction of house
! lots, and they are sold absolutely with
out reserve. If the bidders happen tt
feel poor and the rivalry is not sharp
| the land is sold very cheap.
| Among the oddities of Leclaire ar.
| it's free farms. Any worker for the
Nelson company may help himself tc
all the land he wishes and work it fol
his own profit. The object of this is
| less to afford 4 means of wealth thar
to give wholesome out -of-doors occu.
patton Of men who are much indoors
! some of them breathing fumes in the
! brass foundry, and to enable them tC
! have a variety Of fresh and healthfu
| vegetables and fruit on their tables