The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-04-23
LETTERS FROM
A WORKsNGMAN

e-e-ess->-> ->-se-eS-S~~&-e<3
His name is Patrick Brady. The
boys call him Paddy" for short. He
calls himself Humble Dust He
mad gone clear down the line until it
seemed as though he had reached
! the limit: but one day he awoke. We
! need net discuss the question as to-
how It happened, only to say that
| somebody encouraged him to turn
about-face and quit his cussedness
! Brady simply needed a push in the
right direction and good word to
cheer him on. He is like a good
! many of the rest of us in this re-
, spect
Brady has been on the right road
ever since. but he is there because
| he has kept moving. He might have
waited in the belief that it was up to
somebody else to see that he made
progress, but Paddy isn't built that
way He got busy on the job-his
avn jor-and this is what he did: He
started in to help the other fellow,
and there were good many to be
helped. He didn't consider any sort
of a man beneath him. He himself
had been down so low that he needed
to reach upward to touch bottom.
| whenever new organization is
started m town. in which he believes
,, and ~h'ch is in need of people to
put their shoulders to the wheel,
Paddy is on the job.
And through it all he is loyal
trades unionist He attends every
meeting of his organization His
| fairs, hut he hits straight from the
shoulder when he does speak, and yet
it is ALWAYS done in the same spirit
of g""d-fellowship which prompts
him in all of his dealings with the
men in the shop. He has lots of
horse sense. He doesn't hand out his
WISDOM N large chunks He is just
d great big human soul, familiar
witt. ilr things that the ordinary man
is UP against, and in the simplest
manner, and without the slightest
pretense to superiority, he is Hum,
BILE Dust Brady, always on the job.
What we need is clear-brained and
Warm-hearted men who will direct
this labor movement unselfishly
Some Of those who are outside the
trades union could help us, but they
are SO interested in statistics, that
tl.ey haven't quite gotten hold Of the
big human side of the question. The
beautiful schemes that look so we'll
IN books and magazines, and that
sound So fine when they are present
ed from the lecture platform, go all
to pieces when applied to flesh and
blood men, because they leave out
the eleme Of human nature
It's all we'll enough to tell us what
we ought to do during a time OF
strike, and when we are getting ready
to strike. It's mighty easy propo-
sition TO nicely balance the arguments
COR and against, and subject the whole
thing to the test of an elegant system
of ethics But this labor business is
/: matter that can be settled right off
the bat There are too many COM
plications, too many things that do
not appear on the surface, and that
it's hard to put into so many words,
80 that the outsider will understand.
We need some folks who can explain
these matters better than We can do
it ourselves, and since it's hard to do
this unless you have been in the
game, we are not making the progress
that we might. It's one thing to
make study Of the workingman' 8
problems lom above, even with SYM
pathy and sincerity of purpose. A
man may even tramp it, or go into
the shop, or live in tenement, but
he does it knowing that at any mo-
ment he may leave it IT he wants to
90 80. Anyway, he misses a good
deal OF the JOY and happiness OF
working people, because Of their ap-
probation of many things that come
to them and which pleasure your
student knows nothing at all about
But oh. the hopelessness that comes
so often-too often. for most of us.
I'd give good deal If could forget
some OF the things that I've passed
through. Pehaps I ought to be glad
of the experience, because 1t will HELP
me understand some other fellow who
is passing throug the same trials, and
that's worth something. i
Lots of good people get impatient
with rs because we don't seem to ap-
preciate what they are doing for US
To be perfectly honest. we'd rather
do thes9 things for ourselves in just
the wax we think best It may not
oe the best way, but it's our way, and
there's good deal in that. Well ap.
preciate, having them show us how
the things may be DONE but we want
a hand In tho doing of them. Wen
work with these folks and we'll be
j4glad to have them work with us. but
the whole thing must be on the level
like the big democracy that we ali
that ] could help wakOe them up tc
] cant help feeling that there are
~ good many folks who. IL they were
not 50 plagued indifferent or lazy. &C