The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-09-05

accepting poverty and labor have
humbly followed in the steps of the
carpenters son.
Great and Divine Truth.
From that time to this, this great
and divine truth has ever been
preached from the world the i'm
perishable, impregnable and immuta-
BILE Rock of ST. Peter, and it can no
more perish than that rock itself
can fall or fail.
Some years ago three aged per-
sonages were most prominent in the
eyes of the world One was Glad
stone, the great statesman, the sec
ond was Queen Victoria, the third
Pope Leo XIII. In the year 1891.
this great pope issued the great En-
cycical on Labor, which has become
classic for the whole world, not
only on account of its high authority,
but it's apparent truth, fairness, keen
insight and noble thought. AS we
read this wonderful document we
wonder how anything could be
clearer, fairer or more comprehen-
sive. AS the church was the first
to teach mankind the dignity and
nobility of labor it has in this great
work. given to mankind complete
exponent of the great truths affect
ing the labor question. If the world
will follow it's gentle and. beneficent
principles, there is great future in
this world for the cause of labor.
Some of the Evils.
"In the clear light of this docu-
ment let us consider a few of the
evils that labor faces today with the
remedies that may be applied. The
greatest foe of labor is the greed
of unrestrained competition, the inn
moderate love of gold. Heartless
capital too often looks upon the la,
boring man as mere machine that
kcan produce more wealth for capital
The Encyclical says: 1T is shameful
and inhuman to treat men like chat.
tells to make money by or to look
upon them merely as so much muscle
or physical power It, seems i'm
possible that men should exist in this
civilized age who from day to day
can have no feeling for their labor,
ing fellowmen except AN immoder'
ate desire to squeeze gold out OF
them by the most oppressive, unjust
and damnable methods. Alas, it is
but too true that such men exist
and exist in every country on the
globe The Encyclical condemns them
in strong words: TO exercise pres.
sure for the sake of gain upon the
INDECENT and destitute, and to make
ones profit out of the need of an,
other is condemned by all laws
human and divine
Ladies and gentlemen, to protect
labor against the greed of the rich,
against the oppression of wicked
capital, against the heartlessness of
aggressive competition is the great
est problem facing the world today
The best means to accomplish this
purpose is to enforce the great doc
trine of the living-wage, so beauti
fully expounded in the document
have quoted from: There is a die
tate of nature more imperious and
more ancient than any bargain be-
tween man and man, that the re
Enumeration must be enough to sup
port the wage-earner in reasonable
and frugal comfort. If through ne
cessity or fear of a worse evil, the
workman accepts H""'2r conditions
because an employer or contractor
will give him no better, he is the
victim of force and injustice
What does this doctrine mean
! my friends? It means that every
man that labors should receive suffi
/ cient wages that he may live il
reasonable comfort himself and sup
port in reasonable comfort his wife
and children. If this doctrine be en-
forced thousands and thousands o.
laboring men who are now eking out
precarious existence for themselves
and their loved ones, will be placed
in condition of happiness and com
fort.
Evil of HeartIess Capital.
another great evil that must b.
combatted is the desire of heartles!
capital to be a hard task master, tt
exact from labor more than labor
should give. The Encyclical says
1T is neither justice nor humanit!
to grind men down with excessive
labor as to Supply their minds anS
wear out their bodies 1t is crime
my friends, to exact so much labo
from any man that his mind will be
come dull and his body exhausted
1t is not necessary in this age tina
any man should work so, and it il
an outrage to force him to do SO
| It is an outrage to expect childhood
to bear the burdens of men, it is ;
| sin to dwarf the form and stupif.
the mind of youth by imposin,
heavy labor upon it. Our Hol.
Father feelingly says: Just al
rough weather destroys the buds o
spring, so too early an experience
of life's hard work blights the youni
| promise of childs powers, AM
makes any real education imposs
| ble.'
but if any one needs especial pro
lection in this age it is the woman
laborer The old spirit of chivalr,
is dead; and the hard taskmaste
of today if allowed to do s.
will even load down with heav,