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Show Church Edition f dl a BY ELDER STEPHEN L RICHARDS ; the Council of the Twelve) This is another of the series of jiddr esses by Elder Richards . It wa$ywrt on the Church radio hour over KSL Sunday, Jan. 17, 1943 at 9:15 p.m. (Of THE DESERET NEWS, SATURDAY, ar Ancl lira The Gospel Of Work nothing but a dimension line between, with the same - potential soil,-- equal water rights, the same air, the same sun, the same climate, lies- a field the fOOD friends of the air: I am proud beautiful beyond description with -- nature abundantwhich havea who productivity people torepresent ...Tied.s see fat cattle and lean, good homes and poor ones.' I go into stores. Some are attractive merchandise is so arranged, service so efficient and courteous that goods sell, while in others, on the same block 'perhaps there, is evidence of sIovenlinessT poor buying, lack of the art ojf proper display, and the proprietor wonders why customers do not come. Now what is the determining factor in these contrasted results and a world of others comparable to them? Why of course, with relatively few exceptions, it is the personal equation, ,the skill and the energy of the proprietor or his employees or both. CAPITALISM DEFINED idleness. Our books, our sermons, our leaders, and particularly our present President, have glorified industry. The busy hive of the honeybee, Deseret, has been our emblem. Work with faith jsacardinal point of our doctrine and our future state, our heaven, is envisioned in terms of theo-logic- al eternal progression through constant . labor. This fundamental principle of the honor of work is sorely needed in application in our country today. All the fraudulent schemes, the rackets, governmental corruption, and most 6f the factors whh so seriously retard unity and efficacy of effort in our war projects are chiefly attributable to the failure to recognize the integ- - rity and dignity of work and the satisfaction and happiness -- that flow- - from honest toil. What is honest work? I believe it as rightly interpreted only in terms of service and the value of true service is measured by someone elses gain. Such a concept is not only Christian, but it lies at the foundation of -- MUST BE ABLE To succeed, not only must our workers be loyal but they must also be able. In the highly competitive markets for goods and services, as with our war industries, the skills are usually the deciding features Ability is generally the product of training and education. The most skillful not only have the best chances themselves, but. they contribute most to the success of the enterprise with which they are associated. It is a notable fact that during the years of depression, with some exceptions of course, particularly in industrial centers, the really skilled worker has been little in evidence among the unemployed and today it is the man of skill only, who in certain specified lines, is exempted from military service because of his f work. the bther"hand, our recent his- tory demonstrates that theunskilled laborer has a hard time of it His service is the first to be dispensed with. He is the least wanted. And, I regret to say it for fear of hurting feelings, he makes the least contribution to - economic progress. In saying this, I want you to understand that I do not limit skilled labor to the professions, the artisans, or any white collar or - other group who may consider it them to do any honest work. I class any man as a skilled worker who has cultivated the ability to do . his assigned job exceptionally well. It is my privilege to traVel around the country a good deal. I see many-farmland- I often note that on one side of a fence is an area of stunted crop growth, weeds, barren patches, and unproductive desolation, while on the other side of the fence, with -- that- - oyr-selve- PATIENCE, TOLERANCE URGED must be patient with our American system. It will take a long' time to eliminate the imperfections in its operation. To be patient it is necessary' to be tolerant" tolerant of other people sjind their views. Everything we do In America is a composite of many opinions. The unify- Jng element ln our national affairs is common purpose and desire. I believe that the war effort, however discouraging some of its aspects may have been, has certainly indicated beyond question, a common desire to maintain our fundamental liberties, one of the most important of which is our- system oT free enterprise. So I hesitate to impugn mens motives, even though I do not agree with their We -- - " - methods. Our citizens themselves must be educated to understand the economic systems under which they live and s I lay emphasis on economic education. I am sure-thin the long view of our living that emphasis is not misplaced. It is not misplaced because happiness and culture and progression come to people only who are not hampered by destitution and poverty and who are able to maintain the right kind of manhood and woman-- r hood in reasonable independence and prosperity. Self reliance, itself, is a necessary concomitant of the prirtci- P'e of free enterprise. There is no sin in proprietorship and every man and woman can be a proprietor if he or she but will. All may not be landed proprietors or the owners of great property but all may Ire proprietors of their services, so developed and executed as to make them indispensable units in the progiess of the people. at In-m- the-cloc- k On This doctrine of work lies at the very foundation of "the' capitalistic system ot what we choose to call the American way. Many people misin- - terpret capitalism They -- think - - because the word capital is used to designate the system that its chief purpose is to make wealthy men who are usually called capitalists, and whose wealth it is feared is too often accumulated at the expense of the poorer classes. I admit that there are instances, altogether too many, when this comes about. But this is not the true concept of capitalism. In its inner essence, it is little, if anything, more than a man's free right to work, to choose his work, and to enjoy the estimarewards of his efforts. tion, it is a most precious thing, and it is indispensable to the liberty and freedom of which America boasts. It is the only tried and tested system of free. enterprise i.n this world and' every other opposing system is built on" an abridgment of personal liberty, We are fighting for it and we are determined we will not lose it. But we will lose it some day if we do not understand it and recognize its virtues. It is not thf capitalistic system itself that makes some men rich and some men poor. The men themselves do that, again with some exceptions. The system merely offers the opportunities. Vhere are, of course, abuses within.it-a- s there mutt always be when humanity is involved. It does not guarantee that all men will be richand it is worthy, of note that all systems which do, usually succeed only in making all poor. To eradicate abuses within the system is almost as difficult as to reform humanity. But who would advocate killing humanity because they are slow to reform? all sound, profitable business. IIlus- trations of this fact are so innumer able, I shall not mention any. There are at least two factors indispensable to efficient Work: first, integrity, which includes loyalty; and second, ability. No one can succeed unless he' is dependable. If he works for another, be must make his employers interest his own. If hesworks for himself, he must be faithful and true to his enterprise or he will fail. The -- watch variety of service with no interest in the job but to get the per diem is as much responsible for failure as any other item which I know. - - -- They must know enough to establish the proper education for themselves and their children and ' reach conclusions fori themselves- - I believe that it is neither wise nor safe to leave the determination of our edu-- ' catkmal system, and policies exclusive- ly Jo the professional educators. I do not discount the valuable services of our teachers. I should always want their expert advice, but I am confident that the patrons of the schools should have a much larger voice than-the- y now have in the establishment of curriculums, school polices, and management. I am in favor of more concentration in our educational processes on the development of the useful skHIsT For the time being the war has made this imperative.- The student who comes out of a high school or university without ability to serve in useful capacities has failed, whatever his alleged scholarship may be.. I am willing that the term ir eful should be applied to every form of human endeavor that contributes to ' tne welfare of humanity, but I demand that it be consciously useful in the mind and heartof the : tudent himself. What better could we do than to teach every boy .ar.d girl, and meanwhile, that the ambition df each life should bo a distinct contribution to the economic and spiritual welfare of the whole people. For the purpose of this discussion . WORK INDISPENSABLE And now to return to the gospel of work, and it is a gospel, if ever God gave us a message and principle for our stdvation. It would seem apparent, without further comment, that the spread of this gospel is absolutely indispensable to the solution- - of the problems of both our individual and national economy. I think we can lay jt down as an almost unfailing rule, because the exceptions are so few, that the loyal, able, skilled, industrious worker is successful. His loyalty is. his character. He makes that for him-self- r But we cannot safely" underesti--mal- e the part played by home influence and environment in the formation of that character. The first essential step is implanting the concept .of useful service for others. This is the doctrfncLoF altruism and basically it is -- a religious principle There can-b- e little doubt that the outstanding workers of America and the greatest contributors to her incomparable progress have been those who, either by direct descent or through the heritage of tradition, have imbibed the conceptions of duty and honest toil from the old fashioned homes of this land wherein life was regarded as a mission and not a career. It is a shame to permit children to grow ujfwithout. such a sense of obligation to both their family and society. Parental Indulgences and un -- pc warranted privileges have literally robbed thousands of the opportunity to bless the nation and themselves and realise a happiness and joy that can come from no other source. Not only are opportunities missed but it is the contra doctrine of "riches without work which has filled our- - jails and made law enforcement in all its work. - -- .lwaysdigmfiedLwork andLreproved . JANUARY 23, 1943 ramifications .perhaps the. most-co.e.a!!.LiS?l1Lj0- ?atO..an(l pa.ti.onnl pays this tribute to the worker: No man Is born into the world whose " work Is not born with him. There is always work And tools to work withal forthose who will; And blessed are the horny hands of st. - - toil. SCORES What AVORK STOPPAGES it that this basic asset in all progres&j.his God given endowment, work and the right to labor should be made the subject of such vicious contention, manipulation, and intrigue. Everyone agrees, without a moment's hesitation, that it is the one .and only thing that will Save . us in our time of peril. There is abundant evidence that all our citizens, with but few exceptions, wish to work fqr the great causes to which they have given their allegiance and yet, while I am speaking, this very night, there are work stoppages which ?re materially impairing the war it and from present indications the end of such costly disputations is not in sight I heard a lecturer a few months ago who had recently returned from a trip of inspection and study in Britain, an economist of experience and prominence, say that if the vvorkers of America would add but eight hours to the work work, Hitler could be whipped before the coming summer has gone. I suspect that he contemplated, also, that a new zeal, proportionate to the increased hours, would be added Whether this prognostication could be realized, I do not "knowrWtit is certain that our production could be enormously increased and the prospects of early victory correspondingly enhanced by greater opportunity to utilize one of the foremost of the freedftms for which we say we are fighting: the right to work. What a spectacle we must lie making of ourselves in the eves of the people to whom we propose to open the democratic way of life' It is a most reprehensible and regrettable do- -, thing that we should permit-t- o velop within our own national family animosities and hatreds as vitriolic as those between enemies at war. I am sure that I voice the sentiment of the great majority of 'our citizens when I say that this thing should stop, and stop now' Our national ideals and principles demand it and utimately it will be requisite and indispensable to the preservation of our union a pity is ef-fo- NEED OF RECOGNITION . - I do pot wish it to be undei stood from these statements that I am appealing for the triumph of any faction in the great cbntroversy, in fact, 1 think that a factional victory only would be disastrous. I am hoping for two things; first, a widespread recognition of theTseriousness "and grave import of these conditions." I doubt that -- the- questions- - and problems confronting the country before the Civil War were more pregnant with danger and threat to national unity. And secondly, what I am hoping for most to follow in the wake of a consciousness of the urgent importance of the situation, is a reconciliation' of differences in righteous and equitable adjustment Labor troubles in this country, or in any other country, can be com- ( Continued on Page EigM) |