Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-02

SESAS&SGStsskS&
guide the destiny of thei1 union, too
often select them, and turn down the
men of judgment and integrity.
Demagogy. \
Tyranny and demagogy, though
they rail at each other, are the pro-
duct of the same conditions the ty-
rants of Russia and Turkey will cease
to rule if their people ever become ed
ucated. and the tyranny of licensed
America when the people become in
telligent enough and strong enough to
rule where now they serve. The dem
agogue always reminds me of the
bright artificial light of miners
lamp in the white damps of the mine
An artificial, false light which is not
safe to follow, and burns brightest in
the midst of deadly poisonous gases
and a life destroying atmosphere. Fol
low the false light of no man. but let
your steps be guided by the lantern
that is carried by your own hand.
Should Employ Leisure Hours.
Employ your leisure hours in ac-
curing knowledge, good books are
cheap, good magazines are cheap and
good newspapers are cheap. Take adj
vantage of the shorter work day by
reading, studying and improving your
education; it will be the surest guar
antee of keeping them. Keep up night
schools and attend them. l know of
no place where they can be so profit.
q h11r =,
mining towns. Don't let false pride
keep you away from them. One OF
the presidents of the United States
learned to read after he became q
man.
Reading rooms could be establish
ed and maintained cheaper than the
beer clubs and other places of amuse
ment, and while the one is baleful in
| its tendencies, the other is lasting
influence for good. A place provided
with harmless games, good books
| good magazines and good newspapers
where young men can go and enjoy an
evening and profit by the time spent.
Education Raises Standard.
| ''Third-Another reason for edu
| eating is because it raises the social
and moral standard, gives us better
| type of manhood, more skillful work
| men and better members of society
/ Education gives us a desire for better
/ things, a higher standard of living
! higher standard of anusements, bet
| ter homes and higher ideals. The saw
age is happy in the jungle, the Arab III
| his tent. We are surrounded by the
| conveniences and blessings of the
| twentieth century civilization, because
our wants demand them, and when oul
education reaches higher plane we
will raise the standard OF life to it.
Child Labor.
81 hope the U. M. w. of A. will use
all its influence TO abolish the crime
against the American child There are
hundreds of thousands of children
working in the Histories. mills ant
mines of this country who ought tt
be at school or at play. In Alabama
alone there are $4,000 and in the
southern states there are almost so,
900 children under IA years of age 81
employed, at from to 20 cents a day
his cheap labor often depriving hi:
father and brothers of their jobs. max
ing. the child dangerous competition
in the labor field.
"This is diabolical crime, that so
ciety is an accessory to, against the
innocence and helplessness of chill
dren They must be protected agains
the brutal rapacity of their employers
and the inhuman greed of their owl
parents They are robbing them O
their childhood and stunning and de
forming their bodies and dwarfin!
their brain They coin the brightness
of childhood and the promise of man
hood into dollars and cents in THE
] minis of mammon They destroy tn
whole story of life by crime in thu
index, and they make future genera
tions, heirs of the imbeciles, the Grim
mails and the weakness of our times
Civilization needs the mute and undo
veloped genius and talent that is be
ing stolen from these children an,
woven into the products of thei
greedy employers and bartered in tn
marts of trade to pay dividends OF
watered stock. The most of the grea
men of American history have com
from the ranks of labor and obscur,
poverty, and we expect them to in tn
future. and we want the best the gen
Grafton can give.
''n conclusion. | would say, al
your strength is in your union, all you
danger in your discord. Then hence
forward be united and as brother
dwell together Write for a motto i
your union halls, In union there
strength ana in knowledge there i
power
4 ION the entries of the mine whel
YOU meet a comrade In the dark yo