The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-28

kindly to those who are in their employ.
They chronically and Systematically
growl and find fault with everybody and
everything. Their doctrine Is that when
an employee is afraid Of losing his posi-
ton he will work harder and more faith
fully than If the head or the firm COM
mended him for everything he did well.
Now, such a course as that is not hon
est or just. The Bible distinctly says
that every laborer Is worthy of his hire.
If a man is paid what he ought to be
paid for doing his work there Is no need
to fear that he will not do as good work
with a few words Of commentator as
with the depressing effects of unjust and
systematic depreciation. I tell you can
didly and earnestly that chronic fault
finding has the same effect in a factory or
a store as the sold, dark, drizzling days
of November have upon the floral world,
while words of kindness and appreciation
have the same inspiration upon the flag
ging energies Of the employees as the in
spring strains of the regimental bands
had upon the despairing spirits of the
French soldiers when they were scaling
the Alps for their great Italian Victories
During the last days of that awful ascent
when the French cannon had to be
dragged up by the ropes held in the SOL
diers bleeding hands, Napoleon Bona
parte commanded his musicians to keep
on playing the most inspiring patriotic
airs. So the employees words of COM
mendation sound in the ears of the work.
er like the notes of sweetest and most
inspiring music. which will make the
employees sometimes even double their
energies to merit the appreciation which
their employers have expressed.
The Spirit of Depreciation.
But though words of commentator may
have such beneficent results in the en-
ployers' dealings with employees yet it Is
the settled policy of many business man
not only to say nothing pleasant to his
employees, but also to make his clerks live
upon as small salary as possible until
he is by force of circumstances compelled
to pay them more. l am sorry to say, too,
that this spirit of depreciation, this reluc-
lance to recognize and reward merit, Is
sometimes seen in the relation of a church
to its minister, although, thank God
most congregations are not selfish and
are giving their pastors all the encour-
agement and financial support that they
can. A selfish congregation will start in
with a system of fault finding. 1t will
grind the minister down and down. 1t
will make the pulpit a dumping ground
for all its carping and contemplate crit
icism. 1t will for years keep its minister
upon a starvation salary. Then after
awhile, when that minister gets a call
from a sister church in a neighboring
city, with an increase of $1,000 or $4,000 sal
airy. that congregation will act as
though a bomb had suddenly dropped
among them. They will gather around
the minister to plead with him with be-
seeehing tears. The boards of the church
will Immediately meet and vote to raise
40
will be passed begging the minister not
to leave them. If that minister is so val
liable to the congregation now, why was
he not appreciated before? If the congre-
cation could pass commendatory resolu-
lions now, why not before? Oh, no; that
is not the policy upon which many a sell
fish church and many a business estab-
lishment is run. The policy which Is al
most everywhere in vogue is that against
which Solomon is giving the warning of
my text. It is to say as few pleasant
things as possible, to pay as little as
we can to those who are In our employ
and then to spend the rest of our time
in boasting how much we have been able
to get for little or for practically moth
ing.
Depressing depreciation is annually
driving thousands and hundreds of thou
sands of poor men, women and children.
into life of crime and into a quickstep
march to premature grave. The public
is guilty Of completely in the evil 1t not
only encourages the employer in his in
adequate remuneration of his employees,
but 1t incites 1t. Everywhere the univer-
sal cry is, Give us something cheap.
cheap, cheap, cheap" and the heads of
the large factories and stores are daily
trying to meet this demand, and to meet
1t the salaries of employees must be cut
down. BY the laws of social economies
some people must be, figuratively, showed
to the wall. II is not the head of the
great dry goods emporium who. as a rule
has to suffer. Oh, no. He will get his
percentage of profit no matter what
comes. But it is the mechanic at the
bench, 1t is the poor female clerk who
receives a salary less than she can live
on. 1t is the poor sewing girl who has
to work all night and far into the hours
of the night. 1t is not. as a rule. the cap
italst who has to be crushed and squeezed
by the great crowds which swarm around
the bargain counters" on a Monday
morning. 1t is the small wage Garner
whose heart and life are being trampled
under the feet of men and women who
are securing the stores to find goods
which they can purchase a little above,
or even less than. cost 1t is the poor
girl and the young man who on account
of the awful struggle for a livelihood,
which is daily becoming harder are
throwing themselves into the outstretched
arms of temptation, and who are becom-
ing more and more reconciled to lift their
thin pale lips for the polluted. poisonous,
cancerous kiss of sin.
Causes Many a Funeral.
The grinding and Satanic effects of sin
full depreciation in the business world are
the cause of many a tragedy. Look at
that funerall Who was that poor creature
whose body is being taken to potter's
field? Yes, tumble her into a pine box
and shovel her under the ground! Who
cares? She is nothing but a poor working
eirl-yes nothing but a poor working
girl-yet her life was just as dear to her
as yours is to you She had an invalid
mother and a little baby brother. At
night when she would come home from