Evening star., 1923-01-28
Advises Uplifters
To Avoid Being Downpushers

unavailing. With dogged deter
mination to see that which they
said was the law, tho enforced law
OF the kingdom, British Legislators
reinforced the statutes with penal
enactments to punish magistrates
them. And still the legislation
was unavailing. The man who
wanted to hire and the man who
wanted to work found ways to
circumvent parliament.
I have my doubts about minimum
wage law being enforceable. The
urge Of necessity during an abund-
ance Of unemployed labor would in
my opinion finally devise way
whereby the man who must work in
order to prevent starvation for his
family would work for less than tho
law allowed. How vain and futile
1t is for men who expect to do busi-
ness to say without the consent of
the workingmen at time when there
Is scarcity OF labor that they must
take less than such a sum as will
life.
II SO per cent Of the American
people continue to prefer to walk the
pavements OF the great cities, to view
electric lights rather than sunsets,
and to dwell in tenements rather than
In farm homes, the merry dance will
and demand accentuated by the
needs and desires Of the people will
still have to apply. Our best. hope
Is that proportion OF them will leave
the pavements for the clods, cease
to be consumers and become pro-
ducers. increase the supply OF neces-
saries OF life. reduce the cost of liv-
ing and thereby lower wages. Cum
berers Of the ground like myself
are the fellows who do the most
growing, however. When / sit down
and quietly think about it, I wonder
II I ought not to move out to my
little farm In Indiana and go-to work
or shut up.
X r X X
Now this has to do with the
legitimate contest between the honest
uplifter and the honorable down.
pusher engaged in the great contest
Of life to determine who shall sur
vive. Fairly fought In reason and in
Justice. those Of US who look on
should not complain. But there is a
condition about which we have a
right, lazy and useless as we are, to
mako a few observations whether or
not they get anywhere.
All that uplift which comes from
the submerged million seeking to
stratghten theiS backs and get a
larger outlook. IL sought without
riot or revolution and with due
q ~ oil
and feelings OF others, Is beyond
all question justiflable and laud-
able. These uplifters should in
crease. But there Is another up
litter about whose utility and
value to civilization I have my
doubts. He is the ind-hearted
man, filed full Of theories that have
over America contributing to dis
content by condemning conditions
which he believes to be unjustifi-
able, but which have never been
complained of by the men suffer-
ing under them. He adds the d.
vine quality of telling every man
in the land what he ought to have
would do no favor to a charming
woman with a mole by recommend
ing a beauty doctor unless we
knew that the mole was remov-
able with safety and certainty.
We might be creating discomfort,
with no hope OF relief.
wish professional uplifters
might be required to furnish bonds
guaranteeing that the wrongs
they depict are correctible. Their
activities are all right when prac-
ticable. but their appeal should be
made to those who can bring rec
tification. not to those who are un-
II
fering from. Uplift must be con-
Quoted with brain and heart and
conscience. Otherwise IL is apt to
spread discomfort and accomplish
nothing.
Copyright. 1923, by Thomas R. MarshaIl.)