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Show v"xv CVXN &"-- -v l&S v ;V:-; A - ts. - A Vv pending- upfin Its militant strength alone for its success is doomed to failure. fail-ure. Such utterances as these are evidence evi-dence of the fact that Mr. Gompers' warning so long ago that "intelligence must prevail," has been heeded by American labor, and a part of the American laboring man's prosperity today is due to the fact that he has brought to ids task an intelligent conception con-ception of both its rights and its obligations. ob-ligations. For that reason Uodin's famous fa-mous statue, "The Thinker," is not an inappropriate symbol of the American Amer-ican working-man, a man of brains as well as brawn. Itev. Charles Sielzle, an eminent sociologist and student of labor problems, prob-lems, once wrote : When the last chapter of the story has been written, it will be found that the chief glory of labor has not been in what its leaders or men pained for themselves nor for their generation, " but in what they secured for those who followed. Tills fact should make us more generous in our estimate of the value of the services of those who are today giving their hearts and lives to many a cause which seems to make but little progress. . . . The normal man, be he rich or poor, educated through books or through experience, be he black or white, yellow or red, no matter what his circumstances so long- as he's a man who Is doing a man's Job in the world, Is helping the other fellow In a way which Is rarely appreciated. The poorest, neediest man in the world, who Is doing his best, Is rendering- a real service to the richest rich-est man in the world. He Is making- a contribution to the world's work which mere wages do not repay. Kven the despised immigrant who doesn't understand under-stand a word of English, but who lfl contributing his Bhare to the common com-mon good by shoveling dirt In a construction con-struction camp, Is making a debtor of the man who will later ride over that railroad track in his comfortable oull-man, oull-man, made smooth-running because that Italian made a good Job of his shoveling. But everywhere In human life, in the lowliest places. In shop and factory, on the street and on the road, everywhere, men and women and even little children are bringing their contributions con-tributions to the great treasure house to which we all come and freely draw some more, some less; and ho who draws most becomes the greatest great-est debtor to all mankind. Here's the point, then: Lfs talk less about helping and let's think more about "cxehange" of service for that's what It Is. liead these words again: "The man who Is doing a man's Job In the world who is doing his best making a contribution to the world's work contributing bis share to the common good." They lead Inevitably to one phrase "the dignity of labor." That phrase has been given a slightly different dif-ferent wording by Thornton Oakley, writing in the American Federatlonist on THE DIVINITY OF TOIL Toller, toller of the mine, Kravlng I'lulo's Inmost shrine. JjcIvIiik dark In depths of earth As some god of mystic birth. Wresting from deep-hidden pyres Food for man's Inmillate fires, Toller, toller dost thou see In thy toll Divinity? Toller, toller of the mill. Molding matter to thy will, Hearing towers crowned with flame, r.eHsemerH of Titan frame, Hy thy flcrre, all-potent fires Forging man's proud, cloud-flung HplreH, Toller, toller, dost thou sec In thy toll I'lvlnlty? Toiler, toller of the rail, I'lerelng crag anil spanning vale, With thy engines' hendlong roar "nirdllng nations shore to shore, minting 'lose In mesh of steel Man with man for common weal, Toller, toller, dont thou sco In thy toll IHvlnlly? Toller, toiler of the sea, ("leaving lil.'iell Immensity, With thy hulls, mn.leMIe, vast, Seornlng wave and typhoon's blast, Hearing north, south, cint and west Man upon his renselesH hchI, Toller, toiler, ilost thou see In thy toll I'lvlnlty? Thou 1 1 1 it I through the year's swift flic, lit, l,ed hy soaring vlnlons' lll'.ht, f 'onriueilng I'Milli. H li y and main, r.llllih-nt toll's enduring fnne, Kver lifting mini's dewlre To the pure, relent In 1 fire, Thou, (i toller, thou shall nee In thy loll I'lvlnlty. And llils Is tin- spirit oT I-abor I 1 1 y Hie consciousness of the man who works Unit In HIS Job Ibere Is the dlgnllv of labor, Hie divlnlly of toll. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON i V' "T HAT Is tne spirit of V'.'C Labor Day? There J 'tV may De as many an-L an-L J j swers to that ques- n&'W v i tion as tnere are an" VjrJ J swerers, but from sev- eral of them, though phrased in different terms, it may be possible pos-sible to arrive at some statement which will come near expressing the meaning, not only to labor but to all other divisions of human society, of this day of days for the working man. Labor Day was first suggested in the New York city Central Labor union in May, 1SS2. It was decided to observe the first Monday in September Sep-tember of that year as a festival day, with a parade, speech-making and picnics. pic-nics. Labor held that, whereas there were other holidays representing the religious, civil and military spirit, there was none which stood for the industrial spirit. Accordingly this first celebration was held, and it was a big success. In 1884 the American Federation of Labor officially proclaimed the first Monday in September as Labor Day. All wage earners, irrespective of sex, calling or nationality, were urged to observe it until it should be as uncommon un-common for a man to work on Labor Day as. it would be for him to toil on the Fourth of July. State legislatures were urged to make the day a legal holiday, and 32 of them eventually did enact laws to Uiut effect. Congress Con-gress made it a legal holiday in ISlll for the District of Columbia and the territories and. although a number of states have no Labor Day law, the federal act bus been accepted by all of them, and this holiday is generally observed throughout the United States. I'erhaps one of the first Interpretations Interpreta-tions of the spirit of Labor Day was that uttered by the late Samuel Gompers, Gom-pers, the "Grand Old Man of American Ameri-can Labor," in the first Labor Day editorial which he wrote after con-fcicbo con-fcicbo had mad;: it a legal holiday. The editorial, whirli appeared in the American Federalioiiist for September, Septem-ber, 1801, follows: In the cycle of tlrm; we are again on the dawn of our most Important national holiday Labor Day. Most Important, Im-portant, sine; it for the first time In the history of the world devotes a day tv the recognition of the fact that the w;ji;e earners must hereafter be re-gid'-d as the important factor In the economy of life. In this day when so t:;any look upon the dark side of the pi-orrevH of tl-e labor movement and predict worne thingH In store for the l.iborer. It is not amif;s to direct attention atten-tion to the feel that the life of the I, :i::in f.iinily is one vast s t ru gi; 1 and II, :it thoui'h Ihe process is riot as s.-.i'' a r, we. as weJl as our impatient l,r-'?lie;:j find sislers of labor, would I f.i- !' to he, yet the fact that In our I .If we ,. the rli'lits of labor re.'.ic elenily d'-fincil, Hie vantage rr-.-nid obtained, arid obtaining n c. r.r Insight Into the cxlsllni; v.-i- :,es Me more I n t el i t'.f n I n-n-i-i-tl,,:, an.J 1 c l crin i ii.'i t i ii n to achieve hi -l,or - rights. The pjst y-ar has wli ne. sd several r on : '( Koine of them defeats, but llioui h 'ef.;ited I a the Immi-diale object ob-ject sour, iit , th'-y have awakened a new onsccrice In the American people, arid w;j e o 1 1 ' i' i 1 1 ii t " more to the thorough organization of the wan- workers of our country than hundreds of meet. - ' Ings, -eeclies or pamphlets. The great conquering armies in the history of the world have had their reverses, and the labor movement cannot expect to be an exception to that rule. Each defeat de-feat acts as a trenchant warning to the toilers of America that error must be avoided, that intelligence must prevail, and that no success can come to them unless it is through their own efforts and their own organization, and by their persistency manifested. Pessimism results in Indifference, lethargy and Impotency and this In turn simply permits the corporations and trusts and the entire capitalist class to filch from the toiler rights which have been dearly bought. The organizations of labor must be thorough and complete and above all must be permanent. Those organizations organiza-tions which arise like a flash in the pan only go to show how arduous Is the struggle before the toller. In order to overcome the antagonism of the wealth-producing classes of our country. coun-try. Today more than ever the tollers recognize how essentially they are thrown upon their own resources: that they have few If any outside their own ranks who sym: -thize with them In their efforts for the emancipation of mankind. Toilers, organize. Let us carry on the good work and In a few more revolutions revo-lutions of the earth upon its axis we shall have a better world a better mankind. Watting will not accomplish It: deferring till another time will not secure It. Now Is the time for the workers of America to come to the standard of their unions and to organize organ-ize as thoroughly, completely and compactly com-pactly as is possible. Let each worker bear in mind the words of Longfellow: "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life. Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Lie a hero In the strife!" Written nt a time when American labor had not yet won the many victories vic-tories which have characterized Its progress during the past 40 years of American economic history, that editorial edi-torial Is a striking n-llectlon of the spirit of Labor Day, 1891, when the greatest coiu-orn was for the "rights of labor." Since that time the compact organization of American labor, for which Mr. Compel uttered his plea, has brought about amazing changes. In some foreign countries revolution revolu-tion has failed to accomplish for labor la-bor what a process of evolution has accomplished for It In the United States. Today the American worker is Ihe most prosperous of any in the world, and he Is th: envy of wage earners everywhere. And Labor Day, 11)27, finds him still standing steadfastly stead-fastly for the ."rights of labor," but he Is also conscious of the responsibilities responsi-bilities of labor us well. That sense of responsibility was voiced recently by one of lis leaders, .John 1'. Krey, prcsid'Mil. of the Ohio Stale Feilera-tii Feilera-tii ii of Labor, v. lieu he salil : A portion of our obligation, our duty to the great movement which we represent, rep-resent, Is to ileal with employers with whom we have friendly relations In such a manner that we will riot only retain their full confidence, but hy example ex-ample lend oilier employers to realize that riot only as n' matter of Justice, but as a mntler of individual advantage advan-tage to themselves, II Is to their Interest In-terest to establish friendly working relations with trade union organizations organiza-tions of their employees. I ! our trade union movement Is to fulfill the purpose for which It exists, Its policies, pol-icies, Its methods, Its attitude must be such as to win mid retain the confidence confi-dence arid good will of the majority of employers. Trade union memherH, trade union discipline nod the militant mili-tant spirit are essential lo our weirs wei-rs re, but a trade union movement ili- , a - ''' ? ::. -' " - |