Omaha daily bee., 1913-10-12
SALUTINe THE CLOCKS FACE
vigorous Defense Of the Workman
Right of watching the
Clock.

Two young men in the store where ]
work got fired today said the new
boarder Tho boss told them they
spent too much time watching the clock"
IL hope Il will be lesson to them"
commented the landlsdy. I'm these bust
Ing times young men who wish to sue
ceed must take an enthusiastic interest
tn their worN.'
IT'S evident that you have been reading
one Of the uplft magazines, Mrs IiG-
gers, remarked tho star boarder ~
woman OF your intellectual equipment
ehould be ashamed to retail such plati-
tudes My sympathy is with the young
men who were discharged. I have no
doubt that they are the victims Of a
ruthless tyranny. The old superstition
that people who work for their living
shouldn't watch the clock is foolish aud
unjust ~ you hold 10 H. you assume
that the workers are merely craven
images, without any human hopes or
feeling. They have no other business in
life than earning their wages and, as a
rule, their wages are hardly worth
earning
II contend that people who are foo'ish
enough to worl, deserve whatever may
happen to them. But ! try to be fair
and just Mrs. Jiggers try 10 see things
from their point Of view I realize that
some OF us must work. We can't all
deal In gold bricks and brass watches
But people who must work, because of
conditions they cannot control should
do as little a. possible for the money
they draw.
These young men who were fired held
the same theory, and there are too many
foolshly industrious people everywhere
IT all the workers were determined to
watch the clock and do as much solder
ing as possible work would become A
popular institution.
ITO make clear my moaning Mrs. JIG
gers, I must dig into the dead, dim past
When | was a young man I worked ~
hardware store as a clerk. There were
four of us thus employed and three or
us took the rational view. II was Inn
possible for us to become sealous over
the hardware business There Is moth.
Ing less romantic than Weighing nails and
wrapping up anvils In brown manila
paper,
"Bvey store In town had clerks slmil.
arly oppressed. Not for us the base ball
games or the horse races or anything
that made life worth living. We had To
| stay in the store ana wait on tirevome
people who would haggle for three hours
over cent when the bleachers were
calling us | can't understand how any
clerk can be enthusiastic over this mat.
ter OF buying and selling, when he
must realize how much he is sacrificing
SO the three OF us watched the clock
We we're always suffering TO hear the
evening whistle which released us from
our drudgery The fourth clerk was one
or those painful young men who wish
to set ahead In the world. His activity
was perfectly disgusting lie was the
rrst az the store In the morning and
the last 70 leave az night and | don't
suppose no consulted the clock once In
year.
'Ho was disturbing influence from
the first He set a false and Impossible
standard. Before LONG our employer be-
i gan expressing n wish that he had more
| clerks like Clarence. He had the inso-
| lence TO tell the three OF us. 10 our
| faces. that Clarence was worth more In
an hour than we were IN week
Pretty soon one OF the three was let
| out to, make room for another young
man like Clarence Then second had
10 go. Ono by one the roses fell. my
dear Mrs. Jiggers. and at last / was In
vited TO take my hat and cellulod collar
and so. making place for a fourth Clar
enoe. My employer told mo | was too
| fond OF watching the clock
THE three OF Us. having been dis.
! charged held an indignation meeting,
| decided to live without working. since
work called for superhuman sacrifices
ana the suppression OF every human In.
stinet and ambition. I am proud 10
say that we all adhered 70 our resolu-
| tion
Since that period we have watched the
olook eecordHT to the dictates OF our
own oonsciences. none daring TO make us
afraid We may not be as materially
prosperous as the Clarsnces OF commerce..
but we retain our self-respect and inde-
pendence.
And now, Mrs. JiEgers DO my eyes
deceive me. or Is that cherry pie I see
before meT'-wat Mason In the Chicago
! NeWa