Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-04-26
YOUNG lrALYs PHILOSOPHY.
schoolboy's Explanation of the Real
Cause of the Coal Strike,

6choolboy's Explanation of the Real
Cause of the Coal Strike.
The glowing sun was streaming into
my school room one bright November
morning in the year of grace 1902. The
golden rays flooded the room, darken-
ing the fire in the stove, but brighten
ing the old desks and well-worn chairs
ana benches, and rested lovingly, ca
ressingly. on the dusky heads of the
dark-eyed sons of young Italy assem-
Died IN the room. Young Italy, truly,
although many of them We're New
Workers by birth, their birthplaces be-
Ing In the immediate neighborhood,
thompson or Sullivan street. In no
class OF children does the foreign par
entage claim Its own SO markedly as
In the descendants of Southern Italy.
My class boys young street arabs,
there Is no Disgusting that were hav-
ing their morning lesson in spelling.
me word coal" was given out, and
then followed the usual exercise of
giving sentences using the word just
spelled. Telling stories about the
word" the children call this exercise.
During this storytelling process, of
course the subject of the coal strike
inevitably came up for discussion. T!ne
boys came out strongly on that theme,
telling me eagerly, in their picturesque
hewsboy jargon, the awful results
which they knew would arise from the
scarcity of coal. Pasquale informed
me in solemn tones that he feared
there would not be fence left stand
ing, adding in almost fearful earnest
ness: Then, Miss Satterie, the theay-
ters can't put up their posters"
EXclamations of horror followed this
narrowing statement.
Giovanni added his fears in ghost
~ whisper: IF the strike keeps up we
Won't have any desks and benches left
in the school rooms"
This sad possibility was received
with mitigated grief. Evidently the
gamin group considered burning the
desks and benches not nearly so great
calamity as destroying the fences,
because there would be no posters
worth speaking of.
Antonio then suggested probability
that no one could wear shoes this win
ter, as we should be obliged to use all
shoes for fuel.
Luigi, with sorrowful shake of
his head, broke the sad news to my
listening ears that teller had told
him all the doors and the window
frames and the entire inside of houses
would be used in place of the much
wished-for coal. Luigi then sadly
opined we would all be obliged to live
in tents.
A calm meditative mood settled upon
the boys for about five seconds. Then
Francesca bent forward His beauti-
full black eyes had lost all their wicked
mischief, and in its place was serious
look that greatly enhanced their beau
ty. He said: Miss Satterie, l know
just why we had this coal strike"
Thinking l was going to hear the
opinion of an embryo anarchist, said:
We'll, Francesca, why did we have the
striker"
The boys voice became almost sepul-
chral as he made the following aston
ishing statement: 1.-The whole blame
of the strike is on Adam and Eve, be-
cause, you see, if they hadn't gone
wrong, everybody would have had ev-
erything for nothing. We would have
had cakes and pies and shoes and
clothes and books and desks and even
coal, and not pay one cent for any
thing"
AS was as ignorant as the boys
themselves We're of the real reason Of
the coal strike. allowed the blame
to rest upon Adam and Eve.-St. Mich
olas.