Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-24

man here who would consent to go into
life with those three principles to earn
Il fortune. II is your desire to do your
whole duty to the men and women in
your service.
First of ALL then. pay as large wages
as are reasonable and as your business
will afford-not necessarily what others
pay, certainly not what your hired help
say You must pay. for that is tyranny on
the part of labor unbcarahlc. The right
of n laborcr to tell his employer what he
must pay implies the right Of an employ
rr to compel man into service whcth-
cr he will or not, and either of those IDEAS
is dcspicable. When any employer al
lows Il laborcr to say what h" must do or
have his business ruined and the employ
or submits TO it. he does every business
man in the United States IA wrong and
yields TO the principle which, carried out,
would dissolve society. Look over your
affairs and put yourselves in imagination
in your laborcr's place, and then pay him
what before God and your own con
science you think you ought to pay him.
Good bless yous" are well in their
place. hut they do not buy coal nor pay
house rent nor get shoes for the children.
At the same time you. the employer,
ought to remember through what straits
md strains you got the fortune by which
YOU built your store or run the factory.
You are to remember that You take all
the risks and the employee takes none
or scarcely any. You are TO remember
that there may he rcvcrses in fortune
and that some new style OF machinery
may make your machinery vauelcss or
some new style Of tariff set your business
back hopclossly and forever. You must
take all that into consideration. and then
pay what is reasonable.
Cutting Down Wages.
DO not he too ready to cut down wages
As far rs possible, pay all, and pay
promptly There is a great deal of Bi-
bic teaching on this subject. Malachi: II
will be n swift witness against all sorccr-
ers and against all adulterers and against
those who oppose the hircling in his
wages" I.cviticus: "Thou shalt not keep
the wages of the hircling all night unto
the morning" Colossians Masters,
give unto your servants that which is
just and equal. knowing that We also have
a Master in heaven" So you see it is not
a question between you and your em-
ployee SO much as it is a question be-
tween you and God
DO not say to your employees, "Now,
II YOU don't like this place get another
Nn'n N"u h""" my '"""oV XVI "H'th'''
Hs Ia, DIS possio'e' ouce ?'"' VISIT AT
thclr homes your clerks ana your work.
men i""t Is 'le Only way you can oe-
come acquainted win their wants, 1ou
VIII pE Su'h process ma out mat there IS
ohhu parent or SICK SISTER peihs sup
ported lou VIII unu some OF your young
men IN rooms without any nro III winter,
,1,+
ana III summer sWeitcrine III III VehtiintPu
aP"r'nieht'' lou VIII ma out no" NUN
uepehuS Oh 'he wages you pay OF WIKI
hoIu'
Moreover, " is your uuty ms employer,
as far as possible, TO moId the welfare
OF the employee lou ought TO ADVISE
nm about investments, about life insur-
ance, about savings banks. 1ou ought To
give MN the peneht or your experience.
There are hundreds and thousands or
employers, l am glad to say, who are
settllng IN the very best possible way the
destiny of their employees. Such men
as Marshall or Leeds Lister OF Bradford,
Akroyd of Halifax, and men SO near at
home 1t might offend their modesty II l
mentioned their names-these men have
punt reading rooms hbrares' concert
mans, Afforded croquet lawns, cricket
grounds gymnasiums, choral societies Tor
thelr employees ana they nave not mere
~ pald the wages on SATURDAY night, put
through the contentment ana Inc thrift
ana the good morals or their employees
they are paying wages from generation
10 generation forever:
hsain, 1 couhsei oil empowers 10 look
wen atter the physicai heaith OF the'r
,,'o 1870 g.. p w. ,,Ia 'n'
derstand why the drivers on our CITY cors
must stand all dov whom tbev might inst
as vol sit down and drive II seems to
mo most urriohteous thot 50 many of tho
female clerks in orr storos sbould no COM
nelled 70 stand all dov md through those
hours whom there ore but foU. or no Gus
toners These nconlr have aches and
nnnovnncas and ryeo,inoss enough vitbout
nuttirc unon them odditionnI fotipun
IrnIess these rcmoIa clarks r,nst on m
md down IN tho Lrsiness of tho store
lot thop cit down
Then : would have Won carry out this
aonitory ;deo and nr+ into nc fo,v boura
nc noseiblo tho n,o,i, op tho dov II eooms
to mo oil tLo norcbo,te In oil donort-
monts ou,bt hy eir,itonoors r,ovo-
ment IN como ont in hoholf of tho carly
closinc theory These vouny mon OUGHT
10 have an onnortunitv of GOING 70 tho
mercantile Ehrarv ia tbo reading rooms
IN tho corcert bolI 10 tho gvmrosinm tn
tbo cb,,rcb Tba,, bo,o ror,,os tho,, bo,o
br,i,s tbor boro ;r,oIlact,,oj oen;rotio,e