Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-16
Army and Navy, Labor and the Idle Rich
One or the Days Best Cartoons.

To tbs l.ii'or OF Tho Times .ioispatch.
Sir. Public sentiment .,Rardine tho
0u"sto' % army and ravy incrcazc Is
rapidly changing. To-day those who
wish raace At any price are as much in
disfavo" as the so-callcd miiitaris,.
were year ago. c.ose observance
OF the moro substantial magaztus
makes this change evident sensible
preparedness and national defense arc
by-woras OF tho politicians at this stage
or the game. Especially have the com
ments on the PlattsburG encampmcnt
shown this change. The success Of this
encampment has led me to believe that
the solution OF the army question IL
10 be found in Just such movements
mat tx, movements that tend TO develop
n well-trained citizcnry, each citizen
feeling individually responsible for the
defense of his country.
The reason that military training or
even war itself exists IL that there IN
much that is beneficial to civilization
In both. AS stated by William James
II war is to cease with the advance of
civilization there must he some force
10 take Its place rs stimulator OF the
more vigorous virtues OF manhood
Courage. bravery. strength and the
sacrifice OF selfish interests to a com
mon cause must always be the virtues
of true manhood The spirit of Fight
even should be cultivated and trained
along proper lines. Jamcs's suggestion
Is that these virtues he cultivated In the
youth OF our land by wa ragainst the
powers of Nature. BY n light against So
cial wrongs or spirited work In the field
OF science. However, such warfare to he
OF great use. must be systematic and
continued.
Too Much Drudgery.
Turn for n moment TO another prob
lem that faces the modern world; that
OF Labor. The great cause Of dissat!s-
faction among labor circles is too much
work OF the drudgery type. The ten
hour-day crowds out all time for recre-
alton or wholesome and necessary
amusement j have been day laborer
and know that. under existing condi-
tons. any recreation or amusement TO
meet the needs of the lahoring man
must he OF the more stimulating. rowdy
sort I have known young men or the
laooring classes to assert that frequent
visits to brothels was demanded hy ma
ture and therefore right. This idea
was due to the fact that nature does
demand some amusement. The work
ingman cannot, after ten hours OF man.
ual labor, enjoy reading. Social clubs
and even the Y. NJ. C. Asare not omen
to him. The church has avoided the
Issue gone mountaineering in anot,c.
world end therefore fails utrc-,v 20
meet his needs. Hence the day laborer
TVS 10 LEG saloon ana the brothel for
society, amusement and recreation
Also. manual labor OF the drudgery
type smothers the individual and dead
ems his soul. Still there Is work that
must be done. Mankind is more de-
pendent on the common day iaborer
than on any other class. To improve
materially the environment and life OF
the laboring class. ambition must be
awakened in tho laborer. and such am
bition VIII mean that he will cease to
be common laborer. Yet there will
always be drudgery labor to be done
1 mentioned above that the large par
ticipation OF tho laborinG class in the
liquor evil and the social evil was due
to the fact that overwork demanded
overamusement. There is another class
that acts as a cause of these two evils.
namely, tho underworked or lido rich.
y division Of the drudgery work be-
tween these two classes would, I be-
lieve, by relieving the. one and giving
them greater opportunity for mental
and moral advancement and by develop
ment of tho other from fops into true
strong men, go long ways toward
graduating the two great evils men
toned above. Such n division can bo
obtained only by action on the part of
the government
4 National Industrial Army.
Why not have n national Industrial
army. whose duty would be, during
six months of the year, to oper
ate the railroads-this presup
poses government ownership Of all
such public servants. The other six
months these young men might spend
in camp. receiving instructions along
various lines. Another army takes It's
place on the railroads for n term Of six
months. OF course the more responsible
positions and those that require skill
are held by men with experience and
special training. The mipes should be
worked in the same Way SO with the
telephones and street cars Good roads
would be built in this way and the
numerous other kinds of drudgcry labor
be thus equally divided among the
young men OF the nation. This plan, T
believe, would solve three Of our great
problems-that OF the idle rich, the