The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-08-17
POWER OF A SMALL, ACT
BY THE REV. CHARLES STELZLE

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Sometimes trades union matters Of
only local importance in the first in
pect because of the development and
exploitation by the press of tho coun-
try, of what were primarily rival in
cidents in connection with the real
question at stake. All reformers
make mistakes; as a class they are
not more infallible than other peo-
ple., And it is usually their mistakes
that are at first givNp the most
prominence.
Just so is it with organizations ex-
listing for the benefit ana welfare of
the army. They will always be
judged in certain quarters not so
much by the permanent good they
accomplish, but by the selfishly az
gressive acts of few of their num-
bers. Acts. like people, are frequent
ly Judged ty appearances. Each
man must interpret the deeds of an
other as they appear to him. And
his judgment is according to his own
powers of perception and his own
depth and breadth of character. A
little-minded man will, of course, be
quick to impute a small, cQntempti-
BILE motive to an act with which he
happens not to be in sympathy either
for material reasons or on account
Of prejudice, regardless Of the under-
lying principles governing it. But
there are many otherwise fair-minded
men who misjudge fine character
because of some trivial act.
1t is we'll worth remembering that
one must not only be good, but one
must appear to be good. One must
not only have high principles, one
must show them in every act, other
wise people will no believe that they
are there. I knew a very successful
business mana man who has made
a large fortune for himself, and an
enviable position as an authority on
finance. Every man in his line OF
business respects his knowledge and
ability. Yet I have never heard one
kind word spoken of him in the
business world. In his home he is
the most unselfish of men; g. Christ
Ian father in the truest sense of the
term. He does a great deal Of good.
too, in a quiet and unostentatious
way. But the minute he enters his
office, he becomes-to all appear
ances-a hard, cold. calculating fl
nancier, to whom human beings are
only interesting in direct ratio in
their business value. And in this
character he does great deal of
harm, in a negative way.
1t is a curious fact that most of us
would show more charity more I'M
selfishness and more love for our fell
loW-beings, if we weren't ashamed
to. It is the fear of being. thought
'sentimentaP' and "goody-good," that
makes us paint ourselves black@
than We are. Very few of US have
always wait for the other fellow to
take the lead. And frequently he
leads the wrong way. Yet he gathers
in his followers-many against their
better judgment-simply through the
force of will power, which Is the
hypnotic force that rules weak char
acters. This is one of the difficult
problems that organized labor has
constantly to meet. People are grad
ually beginning to learn something
about its aims and the actual good it
has done, yet as long as individuals
are not actuated by the principles
which they uphold as an organized
body, trades unions are going to be
misjudged There will always be some
who will judge them by the reckless
acts of a few men.
1t is well then, for each and every
man who stands for organized labor
to let it's high principles govern all his
acts that he may not, even in the
smallest way, misinterpret a power
for good.