The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-04

| thus enormously improved the condition
| of the wage Garner In the matter of the
wage contract; that 1t had driven little
children by the thousands out of the mills
into the schools, and had in many ways
thrown the protection of the law around
women workers.
Labor Day as a Holiday.
These are all splendid and enduring
achievements. but what l want to sug-
sest to you today is that the securing Of
| the holiday that we are here celebrating
Is In itself a Victory of more significance
than anything eise that the labor move
ment has accomplished. The setting
apart of this day as a special holiday
dedicated to labor when viewed Alright
marks one Of the most important epochs
In human history.
Those who advocated the creation of
such holiday. and the successive legis-
lstures that set it apart by statute may
not have been fally conscious of the
whole significance Of the act, but unless
the day had had some deep Significance
to them, 1t would never have attained
to the rank of what is practically a ma
tional holiday
I'VE have been starring In this matter
of national holidays and only some very
great occasion or some very great mo
tive has been doomed worthy of this sig
nal honor of having day solemnly 1et
apart every year for Its commemoratIon.
There are only seven days in the year
that have been th1c set aside by prac-
tically the nlie United States or these
seven days, two, Christmas and New
Years, are days that have been hallowed
by centuries; both of them-at least In
origin-celebrate deep religious mysteries.
and we celebrate them in common with
the whole Christendom. These two days
are not Americal holidays, they are world
holidays But the remaining five holidays
are peculiarly our own.
The first of these is set apart annually
by proclamation to enable the nation as
whole to pay an net OF public homage
to Its God, to Acknowledge His supremacy
and to return thanRs for Ills blessings
truly solemn day AMI n noble riotivc CT
the remaining four days. three are ieoi-
Gated to Ideals OF patriotism. The first of
these, July 4. maIis the day which saw
the first public announcement of the
Declaration of Independence-the formal
act that declared for a new nation to
be set up In a new world and dcdi-
Gated anew to the most advanced prin-
ciples of human liberty that the world
has yet known.
Another of these days, the 22d of Feb
ruary, commemorates the birthday of the
man who of all men best typifies al once
the bravery in battle, the wisdom in ootn-
ell, and the moral grandeur that marked
the character of the men who built the
noble political structure that was to en-
body and perpetuate the principles of the
Declaration of Independence
THE third of these days, Memorial Day
is dedicated to the honoring by the living
of the thousands who have given the SUI,
preme test of loyalty to an idea, who on
a hundred battle fields have Yielded I'm
their lives as a sacrifice in the Titanic
struggle for what each believed to be the
principle of government established by the
constitution.
Real Significance.
These, then. are the occasions and
these are the ideas which the American
commemorative have seen fit to commem-
crate by holidays which have come to be
national in their recognition, and II was
to such days as these that thirty-nine
of the states and territories of the United
States have added one otner day and ded-
icated 1t to labor. Let us ask ourselves
then, today, what is the real Significance.
what is the full meaning of this day, and
what motives led the law-making bodies
of these thirty-nine states to set IL apart?
The day has been set apart to pay honor
TO labor, but I think 1t can be fairly said
that 1t is more particularly dedicated TO
manual labor
why? Let us ask ourselves, why this
signal honor to manual labor? Is il the
purpose to proclaim that muscular is more
more noble or more honorable or more
worthy Of public recognition than any
other form OF toll? Not at ALL No one of
US here present would, ! am sure, con-
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