Year: 1873

LABOR Is HONORABLE.


labo. is honorable because It is useful


and elevating to mankind, and for this


reason il should also be considered gen.


teel. Idleness is neither useful nor gen.
teel. This is demonstrated best, perhaps,
in savage life. The Indians Of our own
country continued to live in comparative
idleness and the consequence is, in the


midst of civilization, they continue to
know little Of polished life.


The principal canse Of the rapid pro-


gress that people have been enabled to


make in this country can be traced to the
fact that our ancestors made work fash
ionable-made it genteel. They took
pains to teach the youth Of their day that
idleness was dishonorable and destructive


Of the best interests Of society. Many Of


our ancestors had felt the blightiug effects


Of contrary teaching in the mos: civil
lied portions Of the Old World, where it
had been made fashionable and honorable
for the few to luxuriate in idleness, that
the toiling many were compelled to sup
port. This was the result reached
by European civilization and gov


ernment for the ame!ioration Of


man when our ancestors deter


mined to sever themselves from its


effects and build up government in the
New World that would place members Of


society on an equal footing, no: only


before the law, but in the battle of life,


where they were disposed to make indus


try their chief means Of success. Our an


cestors declared for the nobility Of labor


and established government controlled


by the people. Wherever the people have


mos: adhered to the feeling that labor is


honorable. there our greatest prosperity


has been achieved. The great prosperity


of the Eastern, Northern and Western


States in the past can be attributed to


this fact. that their people, recognizing


the importance Of labor, have thus far


worked to make it honorable, to make it


fashionable. When they cease to work


in this direction and attempt TO


create an aristocracy Of idle,s. then
decline may be looked for in


their prosperity and greatness. But


under our system Of government and


laws, neither the accumulation Of wealth
nor the disposition Of the selfish few to
make government the means of oppress-
ing the many, can be locked upon as
causes that can suddenly bring about
such disastrous results, not only to the
States where such deplorahle condition
has been reached, but to the nation at
large. Therefore, while the accumu.a-
ton Of wealth may have the tendency to
make idleness fashionable to a certain ex-
tent in some Of our States, it is not at all
probable that the wealthy few can succeed
in making labor dishonorable. When
they can do this they can do more. They
will then change the form of our govern
ment into that Of an aristocracy, and in
stead Of being ruled by the true noble.
men Of the land-its laboring men-the
country will be ruled by the wealthy
idlers who have learned to despise labor
and make government the means Of op-
pressing it. But, as we have before said,
we do not think il probable that
the wealthy men Of this country,
admitting that they could be united for
so iSnoble purpose, can succeed in this
generation OF the next in making labor
dishonorable The influence of wealth
will be felt as it accumulates and concen-
trates in the country. This is but natu-
raj. Yet with the government in the
hands Of the people. the great body Of
whom compose the working men OF the
country, it can not be wrested from them
until wealth has organized an army Of
idlers sufficient to overcome and degrade
them to the level of slaves. This may be
said to be the condition Of European So
ciety in the nineteenth century, after
struggling for ages to achieve civiliza-
ton tha: would rob one class of citizens
OF men Of the fruits Of their labor to es-
tablish another class in idleness, debauch-
cry and supremacy. What the people Of
Europe are now experiencing can net fail
to act as a useful lesson to the people Of
this country at the present time, who
are earnestly striving to perpetuate
republican government and complete the
usefulness Of American civilization COM
menced by the men of 1776. They taught
their children that labor was honorable.
This lesson must not be forgotten.
Fathers and mothers Of the present day
should plant this lesson deeply in the
minds of our rising youth. They should
be taught that idleness is crime and dis
grace to the wealthy as we'll as the poor.
No man who is a good citizen and true
will suffer his sons and
daughters to grow up in Incidence. The
sons should be instructed to follow some
useful occupation. and as the professions
have been overdone in the South, as well
as other occupations tha. have been re-
garded as light and genteel, our Southern
youth would find it far more to their ed
vantage to learn trade. The South is
more in want of mechanics and farmers
Ian doctors and lawyers, and as there !
IAN be but little gentility about any call |
ng tha: does not furnish comfort !
.ble living, We would suggest that true
yentiEty can be best sustained by follow
ng calling that will be sure to give us