The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-11-24
Helping Labor Find a Way

What we need is clear Drained and
Warm-hearted men who will direct
the labor movement unselfishly. Some
OF those who are outside the trade
unions could help US, but they are so
Interested in statistics. that they
haven't quite gotten hold Of the big
human side of the question. The
beautiful schemes that look so we'll in
BOOKS and magazines, and that sound
50 tine when they are presented from
the lecture platform, go all to pieces
when applied to flesh and blood men,
because they leave out altogether the
element OF human nature.
It's all Well enough to tell us what
we ought to do during a time of
strike. and when we are getting ready
to strike. It's mighty easy PROPOSE
ton to nicely balance the arguments
for and against, and subject the
whole thing to the test of an elegant
system OF ethics. But this labor bust
ness is no Sunday school picnic, nei-
Their is it a. matter that can. be set
tied right off the bat. There are too
many things that don't appear on the
surface, and that it's hard to put into
SO many words, so that the outsider
will understand.
We need some folks who can ex-
plain these matters better than we
can do it ourselves, and since it's
hard to do this unless you've been in
the game, we aren't making the pro-
gress that we might. It's one thing
to make study of the workingman's
problems from above, even with SYM
pathy and sincerity of purpose. A
man may even tramp it, or go into
the shop or live in a tenement, but he
does it knowing that at any moment
he may leave it if he wants to do so.
Anyway, he misses good deal of the
Joy and happiness of working people,
because of their appreciation of many
things that come to them, and about
which pleasure your student knows
nothing.
Lots of good people get impatient
with us because we don't seem to ap-
preciate what they are doing for US.
To be perfectly honest, we'd rather
do these thinks for ourselves, in just
the way that we think best. 1t may
not be the best way. but it's our way,
and there's a good deal in that. Well
appreciate having them show US how
the things may be done, but we want
a hand in doing them. Well work
with these folks and we'll be glad to
have them work with us, but the
whole thing must be on the level, like
the big democracy i'm which we all be-
lieve.
can't help feeling that there are
a good many folks who, if they weren't
so Indifferent or lazy, so comfortable
and easy-going, really could mend
matters, suppose it would be hard
for the bosses to make the move.
There's so much in the way. Bust
ness dealings are too mixed up.
But there are some people who can
do it, and some of them are bosses,
too. They can get busy creating a
sentiment in favor Of a squarer deal
all around. If understand the
church, that's a good share of it's
business. There's nobody that can do
more in getting matters set right than
the churches, if they will only start
in on the job. There are millions
!, of chuxch- in this country,
more folks than there are Socialists
and *trade-unionists, combined, by a
good DEAL and probably more than
there ever will be. 1t ought not be
very hard to map out a policy for
them to follow, it the teachings Of
Jesus are ever to be applied to every
day livine.-Rev. Charles Stelzle in
Letters from a Workingman."