Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-30

ress of the world. I am speaking en-
tirely within the BOUNDS of truth when l
gay that the whole city Of New York
does, mot contain score of professional
idlers of whom as much could be said
1.-THE Sad Life Of the Anthracite
Coal Miner" has often been the subject
of magazine articles. The president OF
the United Mine Workers of America,
Mr.. John MITCHELL contributes to the
October Cosmopolitan his Impressions
of the life and aims of the 100000 men
and boys who spend their days under
ground. After brief sketch OF the his
tory of the mining industry in the
United States, Mr.. Mitchell adds theil
following:
1T is said by many that the mine
workers are shiftless, Incorporate. IL
literate lot who are without ambition,
who have no high and noble aspirations;
but the many who say SO do not know
these people as do; they do not pause
to consider that practically all these
men and women have begun q life of
drudgery at very early age-at an age,
in fact, when the children of the aver
age American citizen are considered
have worked alone, away from the civ
liking influence of contact with their
fellow beings, under such conditions
and for such weary hours that neither
thought nor time remained for recrea-
tion or for study. know them to be as
class honorable and upright in the
payment of their debts; / know that
lack of honesty in matters of this kind
| means ostracism by their neighbours;
! know that during strikes 1t is a. common
occurrence for one family to divide the
! last bit of bread in the house with
neighbor whose supply of provisions has
| become exhausted; and know that the
standard of morality among them Will
challenge comparison with that of any
other class in our land. In my own ex-
perience 1 have many times witnessed
| acts of such heroism and self-sacrtffce
among them as to make the valorous
deeds of our soldiers at home and
abroad pale into insignifcance by COM
| parison; there are innumerable tnstan-
ces that can be cited in which mine
| workers, in the cave-ins which every
now and then befall, have knowingly
| and willingly surrendered their lives to
rescue their entombed fellow-workmen.
| No words can more fittingly portray
| the sad story Of the anthracite miners
life than an illustration accompanying
| this article. In the cut are seen several
small breaker-boys. of tender years and
| frail physique, starting upon their ca
reers as mine workers; and an old man
who, with bent form and tottering steps,
is ending his life in the very place and
at the same employment in which he
started when lad. First, the boy of 8
or 10 is sent to the breaker to pick the
STATE and other impurities from the coal
which has been brought up from the
mine; from there he is promoted and
becomes door-boy, working in the
mime; as he grows older and stronger
he is advanced to the position and give n
| the pay of laborer; there he gains the
! experience which secures him place as
| miners helper; and as he acquires
skill and strength he becomes, when in
| the height of his manhood and vigor a
| full hedged miner. If he is fortunate
| enough to escape the falls of rock and
| coal he may retain this position as a
| miner for number OF years; but as age
Icreeps on and he is attacked by some of
1.-THE many diseases incident to work in
the mines he makes way for those
| younger and more vigorous following
I him up the ladder whose summit he has
reached. He then starts on the descent,
/ going back to become q miners helper,
\ then q mine labOrer, now a dOor-boy;
and when old and descrepit, he finally
Ireturns to the breaker where he started
las child. earning the same wages as
are received by the little urchins who
work at his side. Thus, in these few
words, is told the simple story Of an an
lthracite miners life in its entire course
from the cradle to the grave. There is
Inc incentive for ambition in the average
miners life. He can not rise to places
of eminence and wealth; only one in five
Hundred can even be given place as a
foreman or superintendent, and these
are positions which few miners care to
Hold.
1 If the great sympathetic American
public could see for itself, could know
as I know the sorrows and the heart
aches of those who spend their lives In
the coal mines of our country, am sure
that they would give their unqualified
support to every effort which is being
made by the organizations of labor to
ameliorate the conditions under which
these men work, and to secure for them
wages commensurate with their hazard,
Gus employment; thus enabling them to
take the little boys from the breakers
and mines and place them, for few
years at least, in our schools where they
properly belong. and where they may re-
ceive their birthright OF education and
enjoy the sunlight SO needful to their
physical development and get the train
4 ing that builds UP character.
Relief in Six Hours.
Distressing kidney and bladder dis
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1t is great surprise on account of its
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