Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1919-10-16
VOL. XXI.
Joy Riding On Another'S Money.
GaStonia Gazette.

the producer while they go joy
riding with his products.
Success is being spelled with
a dollar mark after each letter,
the dollar which somebody else
earns for MS. ;"
The above two sentences are
two of the most strikingin an ed
itorial from The Lutheran we are
reproducing today. To our mind
it is one of the cleareSt and most
graphic portrayals of the prevail
ing discomfort in America that
we ever read. DR.. George Sandt
is the editor of The Lutheran, the
official organ of the United Lu-
theran Church in America. The
editorial follows:
"It looks very much as if even
in free and prosperous America
we are sleeping in the crest Of
volcano. Between the upper mill
stone Of protiteeringand wage in
creaSeS and the neither milestone
of high living and loose thinking.
the innocent public whose in.
comes are stationary and whose
necessities have been reduced to
the lowest possible level bids fair
to be ground to powder. They
are the ones who render the best
service and do the least complai-
ming. We're they to organize a
union there would be a lively tri,
angular fight between labor and
capital and this unfavored pub
lie. What lies behind the reigning
discontent- which BODIES no good
for the future? 1t is the spirit of
graft pure and simple. Wespeak
of putting protiteers behind the
prison bars, and have in mind a
particular class. Truth is. the
woods are so full of them that it
is difficult to single out any one
class. We are fast becoming a ma
ton of grafters reaping where
we have not sown and gathering
where we have not strOwed.
From the servant girl and the
humblest toiler up to the indus
trial king there is a continuous
line of protiteers, and if all re-
caived their dues they would all
go to prison. The appetite to ask
much and give little has grown
to abnormal proportions. 1t is an
evidence that we are fast harbor
ing a drunken civilization and
preparing the way for a social re
volution.
THE real cause of this diScon
tent is seltishness and greed
Men want something for moth
ing. They want to live without
work. They have ceased to eX
tract real joy out of their worl
and are looking for it outside
of their chosen calling. They
take no pleasure in real service
That word has no charm forthem
They want their neighbors to b'
the producer while they 60 joy
riding with his products. AL
work has become drudgery, ant
ere long we must invite imml
grants to come to our shores T.
do what we cannot afford to hav
left undone and yet what we dc
spise to do ourselves. Men a
want to graduate from heschoo
of labor and into the haven o
opulence and ease.
"Itis high time that we begi
to resurrect some buried indus
trial virtues such as self denia
temperance. skill, enthusiasm fc
work, love of service, economy
fajthfulness, conscience, etticiel
CIV. We have turned popular edl
cation into false channels. Wear
teaching our youth that there
a royal road to success W h C
spares ones own sweat a n
thrives on the sweat of othe
peoples brows. Success is bein
spelled with a dollar mark afte
each letter, the dollar whic
somebody else earns for us. WI
,ovS onythinU about 1ipnitV. Fl