The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-07-01
FAMOUS AC|TATORS.
They Have Risen Up Wherever
Tyranny Reigned.
LEADERS OF ALL PROGRESS.
TO the Men Who Were Not Afraid to
Do What They Knew to Be Right
Has Made


Do What They Knew to Be Right
the World Owes All the Advance II
Has Made.
The word "agitator" is favorite
one with corporation officials. In the
corporate view it includes any one who
has the courage to stand up and ex-
corning abuses that exist in the serv-
ice. But this blind antagonism Is not
altogether confined to corporations.
There are some people who are Bit
terly opposed to agitators and who, If
they could only have their own way,
would eternally silence them by proc
ess of law. and some of these people
are good people, too, and call them
selves Christians, though how a real
downright, honest, conscientious Chris
tian can take such a position we ut
terly fail to understand. The agitator
is to society what a stream Of pure
spring water is to pool-stop the flow
and the pool stagnates, becomes COW
cred with scum and throws off its
deadly malaria on the surrounding air.
1t is the agitator that keeps society
from stagnating and imparts life to
the community in which he moves.
The agitator holds an honored place
in history-in fact, the most honored.
Moses was an agitator. He dared to
stand out and agitate for better con-
ditions for the children of Israel, and
he had to flee from Egypt for his life
because he protested against the bond
age of his people. Elijah was an agi-
tator who protested against the wick
edness of Ahab and a corrupt court,
and he had to flee into the wilderness
to escape the vengeance of the king.
jeremiah in his day was noto-
rious agitator. He was what the
modern capitalistic apologist would
call a calamity bowler. And agitator
could be placed opposite the name Of
nearly every old time prophet.
Jesus Christ was the greatest of all
agitators. He came propounding a
doctrine that would literally turn the
whole world right side up, and he was
bounded to the death and crucified be-
cause he taught the doctrine of human
brotherhood and the application of the
Golden Rule.
Paul was mighty agitator, and he
had for company the brotherhood of
the apostles.
Garrison was an agitator when he
protested against human slavery, and
he was rotten egged and had many
narrow escapes for his life.
The reader of history is aware that
wherever tyranny has reigned, wher-
ever right has risen up to overthrow
the wrong, the agtator has always
first go in his work 1t is the agitator
that always leads and swings aloft the
hammer of the truth. The agitator
is the man who is not content with
things as they are, but desires to i'm
prove them. He is the man who be-
lieves in progress and longs for better
things and higher ideals. 1t Is no
wonder that wrongdoers in high places,
that corrupt corporations and unprin-
cipled politicians. decry and misrepre-
sent the agitator. They know what
his work means. and il the people were
wise denunciations from such a source
should he the best certificate of char
acter
To the people who have such holy
and unreasonable dread of the agita-
tor we might remark that there is one
country where there are no agitators.
and that country is China. China
is the stagnant pool where all is calm
repose and where no turbulent life
giving stream disturbs and agitates
the never changing surface. What
China is Christendom would be but
for the agitator who dares to speak
out and protest against unjust condi
tons.
Thank God. reader, that you live in
a land where the agitator is a posi-
bility. DO not forget that agitation is
an unfaiing indication of life. Where
there is no agitation there is death.