New Britain herald., 1916-09-04
LABOR DAY.

LABOR DAY.
 2 he day of the laboring man. Never Refore in the history of the nation or sf the world has labor enjoyed the Benefits it is reaping at the present me. The long struggle for economic Seedom that has gone on in the past rapidly reaching full strength. From the trade guilds that flourished n the twelfth century in England to he perfected organizations of work kg men that exist today is such a Aast step that the mind cannot readi- k grasp the meaning of it all. The Transformation is so great as to be East the comprehension of man. 8here in the olden days the workers Mere doomed to a sort of slavery to- My the men who perform the tasks 2 ,r society gre recOmpensed in many < stances far beyond their widest sopes. We have an instance of this the railroad controversy which has Saimed the attention of the entire lation for the past few weeks. The Hboring man has reached the point here he can get almost anything he Seserves.
 This great reformation has been Fought about by the trades unions. she standard of labor has been Fought to it's highest plane because A the unceasing efforts of those who Save taken an active part in the great Sork Little by little, the evolution Ms gone on until now there are many Sho wonder when it will stop. There H.e those who feel that where once B pital was the master, labor has Len it's place; that labor is almost not entirely in control of the situa-' Son. There have been many charges Fought against labor and there will a many more set up unless the lead Ss are strong and clear enough in } Beir visions to guide the ship of labor S Sest the rocks of disaster. It would apt become labor to grow greedy and Ht in the same Nnanner in which Dttal of old sucked the life-blood society. It would never do for Ne labOring man to become obsessed Bith the idea that he must give as a.tle as possible of his efforts in ex- Elange for his wage. To standardize Bbor on that basis would mean that Aentually the ground gained would s lost It is well and good for the 1 Aboring man to conserve his energy 1 #p that it can be stretched over a 1 E 2eriod of years. At best, life is but race and in any contest the fittest l Slrvive. The runner in a marathon Soes not expend all his energy at the Sutset. The sprinter gives his every Sunce of strength from the flash of he gun. And so it is with labor. he short, quick, sprint day is coming 2 gsries of these days may be stretched A hut over a marathon course of life. Labor is today apprOximating it's Hsnith. It has not completely reached he topmOst pinnicle, for the climb long and arduous and it will take lany years to completely round out he distance If the strides are made Do fast labor may experience the
 erribIe fate of seeing itself grow un- Bopular for the simple reason that it grill become unproftable and if that sappens there must be a turning back lf the marchers. Labor cannot af- |ord to put itself out of reach of the |uyers, capital. And this it can
 asily do by reducing all effort to
 minimum and placing a premium Ipon shirkers. The efficiency of labor
 nust never be reduced while the wages are in the ascendency and the tours of work are on the decrease.
 n all it's efforts, past and future,
 abor has the best wishes of the na- jon.