The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-10-13
Cost of Living
BY THOMAS TAPER.

A WRITER says in the New York
~ American, The odd pennies We
spend would support some families"
Another writer declares that the
,laporing man is entitled To a greater
share in the profits OF his labor than
he gets.
There is no problem before the
American people today that liz go
full OF complexities as that which
involves consideration OF work.
wages and the cost OF living
everybody is facing this problem,
ana irving 10 make guess at its
solution. Most OF us go about IL I'm
the wrong way
You have heard the story OF the
city youth who spent week In the
country. He was daintily dressed
ana wore lavender gloves. One even
lns he asked permission Of the far
mer with whom he WAS boarding
10 milk the family COW.
The farmer gave the young man
milk pan and thrce-ieEged stool,
and told him he would find the COW
In the pasture back OF the barn.
An hour passed ny and the law
ender gloves had not yet come In
with the brimniing milk pail.
1he farmer thought II time to in
yestizate. and going TO the edge OF
around the field about twenty yards
town.
Hey" said the farmer, haven,
YOU m!ilscd her yet?''
No SIR" replied the town-bred
Well. why ,not2 You've been out
here an hour
why. YOU see. SIR" said the
young man. II can't induce the COW
TO sit down on this stool"
This Is A good Illustration Of the
possibility Of Misunderstanding the
purpose OF things.
Which leads 10 this conclusion: In
the problem Of work. wages and the
cost OF living, lot of us are trying
TO make the COW sit on the stool
Another writer has insisted In say
ing that the average working man
gets as much as he gives. / do not
think this is true in all cases. But II
lis true In many.
Not many Of us realize that work.
wages and cost Of living all unite to
constitute a business that must be
run on business principles, and made
to pay a profit.
Lots Of men and women have TO
take such work as they can get, and
accept the wages offered or go With
out. This condition affects the un
skilled labor class more than any
other On such basis Of work and
wages. the cost OF living is always
preca rious
The remedy. then. is for the un-
skilled worker to become skilled. To
do this be must think, keep his eyes
open and gradually find a place for
himself that will demand more OF
him than unskilled labor calls out.
When unskilled labor waits discor
tentedly for some higher power 70
make life easy, II is mistakng the
office OF tho three-legged stool II is
trying 10 make the COW sit where the
mixer should be.
IN fact, the whole business OF get
ting living from the world about
us is very much like the story told
above
4 mans time and strength are his
milk k-producer. the COW, in other
words The world in which he lives
Is the pasture. The stool Is his
place OF work or business.
Now, a cow eanderirg up and
down a pasture all day eating clover
and rich grass comes In at night, not
with clover and grass, but with ten
cent milk and 60-cent cream.
She would be poor breed Of COW
II she sat on a stool all day and
waited for President Taft 10 bring
her handful Of red clover and for
get-me-nots every little while.
Now about the pennies we waste,
No farmer throws milk away He
utilzes every drop OF it, and makes
Il bring in every penny possible.
Well. then. every penny ought TO
be made 10 bring in as much milk
and honey as possible.