The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-07-16
God help us to be 11ir to all.
=. e DIT o II / A l. -.
A BETTER FEELING EXISTS BETWEEN
MAN AND MAN

MAN AND MAN
CONDITIONS are steadily and rapidly be-
IT, ing bettered for men and in all
walks of life throughout the world; and
Ii America holds the proud distinction of
being the leader in the matter of lessen
ing burdens, and, by it's example, is
bringing to the attention of other nations
the necessity, and true realization of
higher regard for more humane treat
ment for those who have, to more or
less extent been classed as slaves of Cir
cumstances and unfavOrable conditions.
Indifference and antagonism have been
swept aside by the fast increasing volume
of public opinion, favorable to every movement
which has for it's aim keener consideration of the
well-being of our fellowmen.
During the past few years prison conditions,
and the treatment of men and women behind the
bars, have undergone a great change. 1t was
hard fight for the time being, for the who
have spent their lives studying these conditions to
bring the public mind to see the desirabiIity of
change, as they saw it; and many of them received
the most cutting thrusts of rdicule when they adj
vanced ideas which looked to many, as 'outlandish
pampering of criminals" But they kept con-
stantly at work. and through the introduction of
strated beyond cavi the merit of their theories and
contentious, they, little by little, led the great
masses of people to point where they now stand,
ready to heartily applaud and assist every effort to
bring an erring brother to higher plane of
thought and individual condition.
But this movement of up-ft is not confined to
prisons Public sentiment, when once directed
along certain line invariably branches out in
q
slaves" as they have to great extent been
roneousy called, coming in for their share of
attention; with the result that their is a general
lettering of conditions to be everywhere.
1t is not necessary for one to be very old to re-
member the day when the great city stores kept
their doors open for business from seven o'clock
in the morning until nine and ten O'Clock at night;
with an hour or two added on Saturday nights for
the accommodation of belated customers who were
anxious to deplete pas pay envelope And do
you remember what howl went up among the
customers when the larger stores combined in an
agreement to close every night except Saturday. at
six o'clock! The great public, without giving a
thought to the poor clerk looked upon the move
much as it would public calamity; but the shop
pers soon ad justed themselves to the change, and
daylight shopping became popular through
Then Philadelphia neutrality-suspicious. Wanna
maker-took step further. He had the biggest
store in town, and employed hundreds of clerks
He also superintended Sunday school, and he
found that his clerks were so tired after their long
hours of duty Saturday that they preferred
their beds rather than the Sunday school or church
the morning after He threw bomb into the
mercantile camp of the Quaker City by announcing
that his store would close Saturdays at six O'clock
same every other night and the other stores
had to follow suit or lose their best clerks. who
would rather work for Wanamaker under the
favorable conditions.
The following summer, an opposition store an
nounced that during the heated term their business
would cease at five o'clock D. NJ every day except
Saturday; and Wanamaker fell in line. but he also
added: land on Saturdays we will close at noon'
1t was at this point that the public began to sit
up and take notice. The people began to consider
the girl behind the counter and the boy on the de-
livery wagon. Instead of putting off shopping
until Saturday afternoon and evening" the buying
was done earlier in the week and earlier in the
day. Instead of losing money by the generosity
shown to employees. the stores business steadily
increased in volume The Wanamaker idea spread
throughout the country until today it is looked
upon as disgrace for a store to Oyer-wOrk it's