The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-11-16
Working Glass Ideals
(By VT. Jasper. ]

(
| utilitarian purpose, even to conven-
tionalism. for if anything will merely
Tdo, 1T; passes for good enough
Really, though, nothing has reached
the good enough plane until it is
ideal. For, the ideal is the best
possible to obtain. and no one ought
! to be obliged to be satisfied with
anything less. Neither is it natural
| to the character of people in an adj
/ vanced civilization to be, satisfied
with irferiority; anu men ana women
would strive to secure tie ideal in
everything if the conditions OF orr
present civilization would allow
them to attain at higher plane than
the plane OF usefulness; and retain
Elt after attaining it. Eut our civiIi-
zation, if it Gamble called such, does
I notsshold anything In store for the
masses above mere usefulness, and
| ali above q mere bread and butter
liVing-a living OF cheapness--is
passed over into the treasures of
the& private capitalists. who exploit
the earth and the people and ma.
terlais thereof for profit in dol
| lars.
! The ideal has no place IN the Drort
system; the prevailing order of So
ciety offers nothing to the great body
fof the people except to eat sleep
and work, and if they could work
without eating. no doubt they would
not be given the wheTewith to eat;
except as an occasional luxury
| Capitalism takes from the laboriug
ana producing body of the people all
that they produce, every bit Of the
product. in kind, and afterwards re-
turns them small part of its money
equivalent in wages; wages which
1t is hardly necessary to repeat. are
proven by experience to be scarcely
enough to provide food, clothing
and shelter. In point OF fact. so
per cent of the great body OF the
people do not get out of capitalism
any shelter, except on the install
ment plan: so per cent of the DeopIe
| live in rented buildings.
The great mass Of the people do
NOT shavesasy good food nor as good
clothes as they reqaire according to
the laws of hygieif6 THE children
OF the great body of the people Ger
tainly are not clothed well, not a.
Well generally as are their o1der.
| whom the world defeats in the strus-
gle for life
How, then, cans the ideal. or
| aesthetic phase of human nature.
ind satisfaction and opportunity for
i'deSelopment under the plumber
Scheme? Christian TEACHINGS teach
! US that love Degets love, and hate
IsoeSets hate: what worse envircp-
ment could be imagined for ON.
natural instincts of Kindness, love.
beauty and cheerfulnes.s than the
| Dlunder schemeo
+ VIII the Door love the rich when
the rich deliberately. Systematically
and openly plumber and inDoverish
! them?
DO the rich evince their love for
the poor in offering them much hard
TABOR for little money and little goods
Tor much money? Surely. they do
not cNlnce love, but hate and utter
disregard Tor the poor. in thus bur
denlnG their lot Is it not natural
'neN. 10 conclude that the hatred
OF the rich toward the nocr will
heget hatred of the poor against
the rich? 1t is of no moment for
: the religious philosophers and teach.
ers to declare that Christian l5rn-
cepts do not commend the robbery
oi.the poor by the rich, for Tie rulers
Of society can get along very pros
, EelouSlN, even IL their commenda-
tioh IS wanting. provided they are
fefMlited 10 perDetuato their rule;
and what satisfaction they may de
I've from their scheme. Of plumber.
. ing society and weaving more close
iy around the body of the whole neg
pie that police of private capitalist
property. property law and the law
ger class. by which their plunderine
schemes are ": more secure. if. 10
seth, the philosophy is devoid OF
| vitality,
How can ANYTHING idealistic sur.
we when rheapneSs is the sole pur.
pose OF our social organiza ton? I.
cannot survive. Each year sees the
further decline of ideals among the
peor1e. Neither the rich nor the
poor are alone affected by the
atrophy in this particular The
great leaders openly offer error fo-
truth; authorities of the law are
! ieagued with the whole criminal
/ class, from the pickpocket to the big
Sest&+corporation and business lin
terest. E-ery city administra ton
in tthe country is a gang of thieves
exploiting the scheme for their owl,
gang as against the gang just put
out. or wanting in Office. There is
II" senti mentalism in this. it is simpl.
truth.