The news & observer., 1905-08-11
The Elevation of the
Wage Worker.
Continued from Page One.)

! 1900 and 1902, respectively, by keep
! ing the men sober and thus removing
the danger of riotous and unbecoming
| conduct. There is one diScOuraging
| feature connected with the upward
! tendency of the wage scale among the
workmen of this country. The higher
the wages, the more money they spend
| in saloons. The shorter the hours
| the more they are inclined to absent
| themselves from home. An apparent
| disregard for family ties is growing
among the poorer classes which viii
eventually lead to "a disregard for the
blessings our country affords
them. Hence, with an increase
of wages corresponding move
ment for better manhood, nobler
citizenship, and truer Christianity
should be set on foot. The dignity of
labor should be maintained, which can
be done only through the love that
man should have for his work, and
through the intelligence which he puts
into it. A steady hand and sober
mind are necessary for this. Hence,
the necessity of the temperance cause
and of the efforts which organized
abstainers are putting into the move
ment.
Now, in what is here written this
priest does not mean that the tendency
is to grow worse; but he means that
wages there is a tendency to go wrong
which must be offset by movements
such as this great temperance move
ment and similar efforts for social
and civic betterment, or else the IN
crease in leisure and money Will prove
a curse instead of a blessing. l strive
never to tell anyone what | do not
thoroughly believe, and L shall not
say to you that to be honest and tenn
perate. and hardworking, and thrifty
will always bring success.
The hand of the Lord is sometimes
heavy upon the just as we'll as upon
the unjust, and in the life of labor and
effort which we must lead on this
earth it is not always possible either
by work, by wisdom, or by upright be-
havior to ward off disaster But it is
chance for leading happy and pros
porous life is immensely improved if
only the man is decent, sober, indus
triouS and exercises foresight and
judgment Let him remember above
all that the performance of duty is
the first essential to right living. and
that a good type of average family
life is the corner stone of national
happiness and greatness. No man can
be a good citizen, can deserve the
respect of his fellows, unless first of
all he is a good man in his own fam
lily, unless he does his duty faithfully |
by his wife and children.
| strongly believe in trades unions |
wisely and justly handled, in which |
the rghtful purpose to benefit those
connected with them is not accom- |
panied by a desire to do injustice or
wrong to others. l believe, in the duty |
of capitalist and wage-workers to try !
to seek one another out, to understand |
each others point of view, and to |
endeavor to show broad and kindly |
human sympathy one with the other |
] believe in the work of these great |
temperance organizations, of all kim |
dred movements like the Young Mems |
and Young Women's Christian Asso- |
ciations in short in every movement |
which strives to help man by teach |
ing him how to help himself. But most !
of all l believe in the efficacy of the /
man himself striving continually to !
increase his own self-respect by the |
way in which he does his duty to him
self and to his neighbor.