The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-01-19
JPER1OR, SATURDAY JANUARY 10, 1901.
MEANINGLESS Toll
UNDIVERSIFIED WORK MAKES MEN
UNTHINKING MACHINES.

WORK MAKES MEN
UNTHINkING MACHINES.
The Rev. G. l.. McNutt Deplores the
Dwarfing Tendency of Our Pre-
sent Factory System-The Piece
Work System is Enough to Bring
Up Race Of Sloths or Imbeciles.
Eight Hours the Maximum.
Are we in doubt about the mystery
and meaning, the purpose and possibil-
tiles of mems lives? There are two
ways to find an answer to all questions
of life. One is to go to the story Of the
creation Of man and discover what was
the thought of the Creator. The other
way is to watch a baby at it's play. 1t
each babe is ''late news from God"
Thesstory Of Genesis is of a being born
for activity, to have dominion over
land and sea, to dress the garden and
keep it, and ever as he works to walk
in the sunshine of love. Watch a baby
at it's play, the story is the same. The
sand pile corroborates Genesis. Cease
less activity is the normal, the neces,
sary function of the healthy child
But mark one fact, it is creative activi-
ty. A dif1nition that will differentiate
man from animals is not easy, to frame
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 diver
sion, plus creative activity. The child
is creating something, it's very dreams
are constructive. There is method in
the madness of it's riotous imagination.
Even in infancy it Weaves and fash
ions and forms-creates something.
We call it play. 1t is work, tremen-
dous, 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, worker, never a toiler. Work
becomes toll, when there is no pleasure,
no purpose, no creation in it. A friend
declares that there are no lazy men.
The sluggard is only a 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 a
race of sloths or imbeciles. Apparently
there is no escape from piece-work
The mores the pity. In dollars and
cents, it is unquestionably the cheap
est way Of making things. In intellect
and manhood, it's cost is terrific Just
now I am merely H III in great fac
tory Of we'll on 1000 workers. All or
nearly all d DING, day by. "a year by.
one process ia he ma KING or
a. we'll known product. The men are
not, or need not be, machinists-only
| machine tenders. The thinking has all
been done by the inventors of the ma
| chimes and of the product to be fash
ioned or formed AS H III, am a
| truck hand delivering shop orders to
and from the store room to the men at
the machines. The machine tender gets
$3.50 a day for ten hours work. He
earns it not SO much in what he does,
as in what he sacrifices. All the crea-
| tive activity of childhood is sacrificed.
1t isn't work; it is toll. Meaningless,
| merciless toll. 1t isn't hard muscular
| work to tend and watch machine turn
| horror of it is that there is a man the
Lord God made to have dominion over
land and sea, getting smaller every
day.
The law of life is use or lose. I see
a great many young, men, many not
over seventeen. It's big thing for a
young fellow to make $3.50 a day. I'm
not SO sure. The odds are he is bigger
the day he began than he will be ina
year, decade or lifetime. He has
laid down in a procrustean bed, that
cuts off the growth of the mind. To a
young man with a machine, whats
that you are making?" "That's more
than l knoW.'' How long have you
been making them?" 'Two weeks" "
What is it used for?" Search me if
know
| A truck-hand has many compensa-
tions for his smaller pay. His work is
so varied that he can not rest In
handling the various products I work
up all sorts of muscular combinations,
that are nearly as good as a gymnastic
exercise. But there is. one thing in the
/ truck business that is too much for me.
| can't count. Teachers certificates
and "a college diploma: I have had, but
| 1. can't count-a meaningless mass of
pins or pistons or. coupling studs,
screws Or bolts. To sit for an hour and
a half, saying six. twelve, eighteen, is
of all hard things the hardest. MY
mind plays hockey. The other day I
| got lost and all muddled up. The man
who had made those same thlngs-a
| little brass bushing-was very mad and
disgusted. He called to the boss in
great disdain and sarcasm to send a
man with that fellow to help him count
I was duly Inundated. After I had a
chance to pull myself together and re-
fleet I ceased to be sorry and became
thankful, thankful that I can't count
I'm truly sorry for those who have
been dwarfed until they can count
| right. ss..
| The soul of man is like acatv1ena pas