Pueblo chieftain., 1922-02-26
ACurse or a Blessing?

From the earliest days Of human history there have
been two contradictory opinions concerning labor.
According to one opinion labor is the great primal
curse put upon the human race in punishment for dis
obedience to divine commands Man is condemned to
his bread in tho sweat Of his brow and tolls pain
fully thru stage intermediate between the prmeval
paradise and that happy home high where everlasting
deness shall be the for the tolls Of the present
life.
The contrary theory is that labor is necessary to
wcll-rcgulated human life, and that in productive
work. both physical and mental, finds Both salts
faction and expression. The old proverb "satan finds
mischief still for idle hands TO do expresses
practical philosophy for which there much support
human experience.
These opposing theories not merely matters Of
speculation but they have dircc. bearing upon Of
the important problems of the present day prob.
that affect politics and industrial relations and
concern the future wellbeinr Of the human race
With the progress toward higher civilization man
kind increasingly relieved Of the burden or toll. Not
only is the average standard of living higher. bu, that
standard is maintained with less cor, on the part OF the
average In the United state. today. the average
ives IN greater ana nc gives icss
of work mental and physical than in other countries,
in other times
IT is therefore practical question whether in
creasing efficiency in production will result IN greater
material comfort and luxury, whethcr,ii will result
in less work and greater idlcncss.
RI thru the perfection Of machinery and control Of
natural forces, it is possible for make living
he fostrh hour dnv dovs in hc
will he be better of, worse, thau when i,
ossary for him work eight hours day for six days
in the wcck' Or IT, thru faults in social orvanizaton
half Of the work twelve hours week, while the
other half continues 70 work fortyoivht hour, week.
will that be benefit or nm injury to the community MS
n wholc7
II is generally admitted by fairmndcd people that
every honest worker should receive wages sucicn: 10
permit him to support himself and family in reasonable
comfort with surplus for saving md TINT he ourh, to
have n reasonable of spare time for amusement
and for education. But the statement OF this general
principle docs not solve the practical problems.
Tho dle rich md tho idle poor. the that won
work. the man ba, can work. and the hn, doesn
have 10 work, the rich that wastes his wealth in
scnscess luxury and dissipation nnd tho poor that
WASTES his time in idleuoss, tho elements ~ the
economic problems that not 10 he solvcd by pro-
rressiyc productive efficiency.
IT IS sometimes said that the less a man bns TO work
tho less he wants to work. but human ranges NIL
the way from mon like Edison who work because they
like it, to the hoboes who would rather starvc than work
but the practical thing TO consider is not the exception
bus the general rule.
Civilization is lifting large part Of the burden
of labor. Nobody really knows whether that is going
TO be good thing bad thing for the human
There possibilities of good and possibilities Of evil
11.-I IN L.. n..n1