The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-10-04

Herbert Spencer, at SO years Of age,
has recently sent some small shivers
down the spines of the leisure class in
England by saying: 1.-THE society repre-
'sentsed by our so-called best families
il, essentially barbaric."
This remark, coming from a common
place man. would have excited no COM
ment, but when Herbert Spencer stands
behind a. sentence, it is apt to mean
much.
The worst about Spencer's remarks
is that it is true.
The society represented by our best
families is essentially barbaric-in
America and elsewhere. And the reason
is that it has ceased to PRODUCE and
now ONLY CONSUMES.
It lives on the labor Of others.
The thing which does not serve-that
has no use. is burden to somebody if
continued.
The self-appointed class is an awful
handicap to civilization.
Our best society DESTROYS, CON-
SHINES and LAYS WASTE. The child
slavery of the South, the sweat shops
of the cities, and the unending toll
of most farming folk is direct result
Of our best society-this so-called su-
perior claD!
There is a certain amount Of work to
do in the world and the reason some
people have to work from daylight
clear into the night is because others do
not work at all. II you consume more
than you produce some one must labor
to make good the deficiency.
Our best society is intent on honor
ing the man who wastes and consumes
In fact if you are mere producer, and
nothing else, the best society does not
deign to notice you, much less admit
you into it's charmed circle.
| In order to belong to the best society
you must dress so you cannot be use
full. The raiment that society demands
you shall wear forbids your using your
muscles in any useful effort. At the
Waldorf-Astoria seventeen hundred
servants are employed, and this is just
the capacity Of the hotel-there is one
servant for every guest. And in meat
and drink each guest wastes five times
as much as he consumes.
Some one has got to make good this
wastage-and it is the social outcast
who does it.
| Only a few years ago all useful work
was done by slaves. These slaves were
bought, sold, worn out, beheaded and
tossed to hell at will by the best So
ciety.
Things have gradually bettered, but
the Distinguishing feature of the best So
ciety yet is that it attaches a disgrace
to useful effort-it dissiciates itself
from toll,
Usually the true type centers itself
around a small ivy-colored church up
on which is q dinky cross. A genuine
naked cross, raised a1oft, bold and
strong, would suggest ''poppery" 50 the
cross that our best society affects has
curves, curls, figleaves and whiskers,
and is disguised as If it were ashamed
Of itself. The religion Of our best So
ciety is symboled in this cross-it is
artistic, painted, powdered, carved,
curled and curious in its disguised form.
1t is so unobjectionable!.
The church Of the army, which shall
| it be? is the tantalizing question that
confronts tn ambitious mother-tO
save souls or damn them-it really
matters little.
| The distinguished features every
where of the best society Is that 1t
DOES NO USEFUL WORK, ostracizes
those who do, and gets it's recreation
in cruelty and extravaganza. 1t thinks
all things were created just for 1.-THE
lives Of men, beasts and birds must
| minister to it's pleasure.