The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1901-10-31
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COMPETITION AND
ITS RESULTS.

What is competition? Two persons
striving to do, or doing the same work
mental or physical, for pecuniary gain real
lied directly or indirectly, if you will permit
me to use that term, are competitors. Two
persons doing the same work for pleasure,
cannot be called competitors. For two
daughters to minister to the wants of a sick
mother is not competition. Such work is
called duty. Duty is impelled by love. We
have here a love-service. Duty is impelled
by real or imaginary love. Work of child
for sick mother, as illustrated, is per-
formed for love which is real. A soldier
enters the battlefield in behalf of his coun-
try. 1t is called patriotism. 1t is imaginary
love, based on ignorance. Knew he that
every other man is his brother, and be able
to recognize God in man, there would not
be a single soldier in this world. Two
soldiers fighting side by side for their coun-
try are not competing with one another.
Their bloody work is patriotic, impelled by
imaginary love.
The dictionary says: Compete to con-
tend If there is contention, comradship
cannot long exist. Its tension is to estrange
men, But strife, however so little, exists.
Then further, Competition: Rivalry. But
here it shuts up like clam.
Competition on large scale cannot be
mere rivalry any more than the pond IN
Loring Park can be called an inland lake.
Competition is war, barbarisn1, anarchy.
Competition for markets inland is blood
less that for markets in foreign lands fire.
quently leads to war.
When two men search for the same job,
it is competition It is for gain, inasmuch
as both are to receive (of course, for labor
performed) money, with which they pur-
chase such things as they desire. No doubt
from the foregoing you will conclude that
competition is harmful Let us analyze it
and find out.
The invention and use of Our wonderful
machines in all branches of industry has
brought about revolution of Industry
vast change in conditions of society; a
change of such tremendous proportions as
to create two classes in society, antagonistic
to one another The tools our grandfathers
used were small and very primitive, as COM
pared with the machine-tool of today, and
they owned them. Because they owned
them they were independent. Each owned
his tools and produced that which they were
best fitted to produce. A shoemaker would
make shoes, tailor garments, merchant
would buy both shoes and garments, and, in
exchange for such would give them furni-
ture, hardware, groceries, cash money or
anything they desired and wanted. Ot
course the merchant paid less for every
thing than he would sell it for and so de-
rived profit from or through his exchanges
and sales Markets were always open Our
prandfathers had no trouble in getting rid
of their products, which were always in de-
mand and they lived comparatively happy
and contented life They knew not what
misery was 1t is true, they did not ac-
cumulate large wealth; for they needed it
not. Neither were they selfish. They were
hospitable Each loved his neighbor. All
possessed more or less comfort and happi
ness.
But the genius of man awoke. Intricate
labor-saving machines were invented. The
prices of such were colossal, compared with
those of the common ordinary tool Men,
had not thought that such mighty mechani-
cal devices were to be created, and had they
sufficient money with which. to purchase
them, why should they buy them? They
had no use for them. What they and their