Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1900-12-14
When Work Recomes Toll.

Like animals, man eats, sleeps, loves,
reasons. How like young animal is
the baby, and how unlike in this-the
play of the young child and the play
of the young animals. The young ami
mails play is purely physical diversion.
The play of the child is physical di-
version plus creative activity. The
child is creating something. Its very
dreams are constructive. There is
method in the madness of its riotous
Imagination. Even in infancy it weaves
and fashions and forms-creates some
thing. We call it play. 1t is work.
tremendous, intense work. 1t is not
toll Toll comes later. The child Is
father to the man. AS is the child, so
should the man be. A creator, work
or, never toiler. Work becomes a
toll, when there is no pleasure, no pur-
pose, no creation in it. A friend de-
clares that there are no lazy men. The
sluggard is only man doing some
thing he doesn't like. Give him the
thing he likes, and instantly he is
awake. Just here is the curse of the
development of the factory system of
doing the worlds work. The piece
work system is enough to bring up
race of sloths or imbeciles. Apparent
ly there is no escape from piece-work.
The more's the pity. In dollars and
cents it is unquestionably the cheapest
way Of making things. In intellect
and manhood, its cost Is terrific. Just
now am merely H III in a great fac
: tory of we'll on to 5000 workers. All
or nearly all doing, day by day and
year by year, just one process in the
making Of well-known product. The
men are not, or need not be, machin-
ists-only machine tenders. The think
ing has all been done by the inventors
of the machines and Of the product
to be fashioned or formed AS H I'll,
/ am a truck hand, delivering shop
orders to and from the store room to
the men at the machines. The ma
chine tender gets $3.50 day for ten
hours work. He earns it not so much
in what he does. as in what he sacri-
uCeS. AL tuc vi cdtiVc nCuNiCy VI
childhood is sacrificed. 1t isn't
hard, muscular work to tend
and watch a machine turn or bore, or
bush something, but the horror of it Is
that there is man the Lord God
made, to have dominion over land and
sea, getting smaller every day. The
law of life is use or lose see great
many young men, many not over sew
enteen. It's big thing for a young
fellow to make $3.50 day. I'm not
so sure. The odds are he is bigger the
day he began that he will be in year,
a decade or a lifetime He has laid
down in procrustean bed, that cuts
off the growth of the mind. To
young man, with a machine, whats
that you are making?" That's more
than l know" How long have you
been making them?" 1.-TWO weeks"
what is it used for?" Search me If
/ know" A truck hand has many COM
pensations for his smaller pay. His
work is so varied that he can not rest.
In handling the various products l
WOTk up oOllb VI AhuoSuioi SchA
binations, that are nearly as good as
gymnastic exercises. But there is one
thing in the truck business that is too
much for me. / can't count. Teach
ers' certificates and college diploma
l have had, but can't count-a mean
ingless mass Of pins or pistons or
coupling studs, screws or bolts. To sit
for an nour and half, saying six,
twelve, eighteen, is of all hard things
the hardest. My mind plays hockey.
The other day l got lost and all mud
died up. The man who had made these
same things-a little brass bushing-
was very mad and disguised. He called
to the boss in great disdain and sar-
casm to send man with that fellow
to help him count. / was duly hui
INFLATED. After had chance to pull
IH.