The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-10-30
The Man With the Burden.

The man who carries the burden
is the man who feeds and clothes
the world-thc man who tickles the
earth from sunrise until sunset that
it may laugh with a harvest to sus-
tain mankind
This man bears the weight Of
centuries on his shoulders" and yet
ia the foundation upon which the
structure Of civilization rests.
whether political, social. CONNER
cial or industrial. He has plodded
from the peopliug Of the earth and
had the approval of God Almighty
on his work from the beginning.
The episode Of Cain and Abel is
cited az proof. God accepted the
offering of Abel, a tiller of the soil.
and a sacrifice Of its fruits. God
blessed the farmer then, but man
visited him with a curse-Cain slew
Abel and Cain was his brother.
Thus has it been through the inter-
vening ages, the man with the bur-
den has heen the trampling ground
for all the social, commercial and
industrial sects. His labOrs have
been the premise upon which spec
ulation in all its crooked ways is
founded; the product Of those Ia
bors, the shuttlecock, batted from
one position 20 another to meet the
ends and greed Of the players.
Who are these players2 They are
the spectators, gamblers and drones
OF the social and commercial world J..
They produce nothing. are not an
essential in the economy of civiliz-
ed society. but destroy and fatten
upon the products of others. They
have thrived. dispoTted themselves
in high life clothed like princes and
RECALLED like kings, but upon the
products of whose toll, and with
what expenditure energy? These
are questions which the conditions
of the times well answer Condi-
tons which reward the man who
does not toll with richer emolu.
ments than him who does. Verify,
there is something wrong in the
machinery of the system of govern
ment. business or whatever power
full influence controls.
The purpose Of this article is not
to pass on what that is. but to pre-
sent, rs seen in the light of the
present era, the real condition oi
the man with burden.
First. ne should be. but is not.
the lord OF the earth As il is, he
is the servant of gamblers. specula-
tors and drones.
Second, Legislation should be "a
vorable To enable him TO receive
full compensation for the products
of his toll AZ it is. legislation is
more favorable to corporations,
trusts and all other pursuits. opera
ting to lower the value of his la
hors and to enhance theirs.
Third, His social caste should be
the first in the land, because his
pursuit is the most honorable. Az
it is, the veriest popiniay Of COM
merce or profession arrogates him
self a superior.
Fourth. He should be highest in
the the councils of the nation. Az
it is. he furnishes the votes and the
funds and the other fellows do the
lawmaking.
Is it a wonder then that his bur
dens grow more and more onerous
when he not only submits hut con-
tributes TO welding the manacles
tighter and tighter about his social
and political condition? Is it not
also true. that being honest himself
be comedies honesty to his enemies
and thus becomes an easier agent
for them to use to build up their
own fortunes?
Surely. these things are true, for
the fortunes Of the world. resting
IN the hands of them that toll not
neither do they spin" bear iudis-
putable evidence.
Now. with the experience of GEN.
turtles behind US. with the results
of the present with us. the prospect
of the future before US and more
widely disseminated knowledge
among the masses. is it startling
that dangerous spirit of dissatis-