The Arizona copper camp., 1920-07-10
IN DEFENSE OF SOCIETY


Society is live things, says the Boston News
Bureau 1t needs continuing contributions of goods and
services almost automatically furnished if it is not to col
lapse Many of them prosac but the less
tla Even In the caveman times, the providers had to
tend to such vital needs though the number Of these
was far fewer in much simpler society than the highly
articuated system of today To conspie by commission
or OMISSION toward creating lack of such essentials is
virtually social treason to ones fellows
Frequently, in countries with much sea commerce or
with magnificent domestic distances the key commodity
IN sustaining highly complicated society is transporta
ton The cl1pplng of movement may mean social bank
ruptcy famine. The world had an example of close
escape when the U-boas rampant 1t has been af
forded some lesser instances in the afterwar times
One OF them came into notice with the docking OF the
Danish steamer Frederic VIII at New York. Her crew.
including stokers composed largely of 800 doc
tors lawyers professors bankers and merchants They
members Of newly created body Of Social Service
Workers. founded to keep open the arteries of travel
and trade, which to Denmark vital 1t originated
because transport conditions had become rotten In the
state of Denmark Support Of aalmingly dropping
exchange only Of the symptoms Of danger to the
material welfare of the little country.
The captain of the ship described the volunteering of
these social workers arising from determination to pre-
vent the stllkecrazy workers OF Denmark from running
and running the country The antics Of these port strk
had tied up than 100 vessels which the
movement has released Under radical leadership the
strikers had used political strength and tactics to enact
statutes providing 80 per of wages in strike bene
ts' and time schedule of less than 20 hours week
The leaders openly proclaimed their purpose Of breaking
down the existing order
The social volunteers have rallied to the defense of
that order. Their professions must miss them
while; to that extent the complex economic society of
their country penaized; but the indispensable unda
mental needs of must be met-and the recre
ants taught incidentally lesson
The case In Denmark has been extreme but it is not
wholly isolated. The world has other examples of
professional men swapping vocatons to keep wheels
keels moving It witnessed in England in railroad
and other transport troubles It witnessed in host
of common but essential community cangs in Winnipeg
and Seattle. 1t eXempied in the service of volun-
tees who manned trains during the first OUTLAW strike
and at need would do it again It expressed in the
Kansas coal mines last winter.
Society must not perish; it must not suffer
passing coma--which means the perishng of many of
socetys weak tender 1t is the instinct of sepreseI
walton, in social altruistc sense which urges such
volunteering defense And it has been the intelligent
brain workers Of the world who have so rallied
They are not seeking dictatorship which in
wolves, yet rlesponsiby ignores disaster The Danes
who turned Jumpers and sailors took fit title as s'Social
Service Workers Such all other similar volunteer
workers in defense Of society.