The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-08-12
Employment AGENCY.

Into such an open air employment
agency this parable represents the
owner of a vineyard coming at differ
ent hours of the day to hire vine
dressers. At o'clock in the morn
ing he hired all that were in readiness
for work, at o'clock he returned and
engaged those who had come later, at
noon he went forth and secured an
other relay, at o'clock in the after
noon he sought and found another
contingent of the unemployed, and at
5 O'Clock p. m. an hour before sunset,
and the close of the Jewish day, he
discovered some who had been over
looked all day and sent them in to get
at least one hour of work accomplish
ed. At these different periods, early
in the morning" "the third hour"
"the sixth hour" the ninth hour" and
"the eleventh hour" the lord of the
vineyard" went out to hire and actual
ly did hire laborers to work in his
vineyard.
Agreement Concerning Wages.
These men were paid strictly 40
cording to the agreement. Those who
were hired in the morning agreed be-
fore hand to put in the whole day for
a penny. equal to about Is cents of
United States money, the average
wage of laborers in the time of Christ
in Palestine. The others had gone
to work without any stipulation as to
compensation, the householder mere
ly stating that he would pay them
whatever was right. They agreed to
leave the matter entirely with the
owner of the vineyard.
There were no labor unions in
those days, but there evidently was
the same spirit which has resulted
in their organization, for when these
men at the close of the day came to
be paid off, every man, those who
had worked all day and those who
had only got in one hour, received a
penny apiece, there was a good deal
of murmuring and complaining over
the inequality of the payment. Why
should all men be treated just alike
In the matter of reward for service
rendered? Is it right to pay these
eleventh hour workmen the same
wages as those who have borne the
burden and heat of the day? At first
blush we all say, No!
Skilled Labor Most Valuable.
But why not? If one man can do
as much in an hour as another man
can do in a day, why should he not
receive the same wages? Is not
skilled labor more profitable than
common labor? The coal HEAVIER goes
to his work at o'clock in the morn
ing and knocks off at or at night;
the bank cashier does not get to the
bank until 8 O'Clock and closes at
the stroke of 8. Will you insist that
he shall be paid no more than the
coal HEAVIER? Men are paid for what
they know, as well as for what they
can do. Society has to reward men
| for knowing how to do things right,
and the more things you know how to
do better than anybody else the high
er price you will get for your output.
/ We pay for brains more than for
Drawn, these days, though never in
the worlds history was Drawn so
highly appreciated and rewarded as
now. So these one hour laborers may
have been actually worth more TO
the vine dresser, than all the day
| laborers put together. In which case
the all-day laborers had no reason to
complain Of favoritism.
Instead of finding fault with the
men who only worked one hour the
all-day laborers should have pitied
them. They were able to look about
and see what they accomplished,
while these last workmen had only
Just begun. Think of the service of
Stephen as compared with that of
Paul; how little the first martyr was
permitted 10 do. Instead of con
gatulating ourselves that we were
called so late, we ought to be ashamed
that we have had time only To accom-
plish so little. To be saved at the
eleventh hour is much but 10 go empty
handed into the presence of the King
Is a matter of eternal regret.
Eternal Life the Reward.
These laborers all shared In the
reward alike-they each received a
penny. What is the penny in the par
able but a figure of speech repre-
senting the reward of the righteous
eternal life? This is the general, uni
versal all-inclusive emolument be
slowed upon those who labor IN the
vineyard TO the close OF life's day
More than this could not be bestowed
less than this could not be received
Life, life, eternal life is the bestow
ment of the owner or the vineyard
And the man who has spent a life
time in the service gets that, and the
man who enters the doorway in the
hour and article Of death receives Il
also. Paul, after thirty years of labol
took his penny, and the dying THE
was rewarded in the same way
Whether one enters the service early
in the morning or at the third, the
sixth, the ninth. or the eleventh hour
the reward is sure and they share and
share alike