Show ROSE ELIZABETH CLEVELAND The following editorial article from I Miss Rose Elizabeth Clevelands first edition Literary Life is published to give our readers idea of the calibre of the lady as a thinker and reasoner as well as to show the wide range of subjects sub-jects she handles Indirect blows sometimes reach the right spot first A straight line in ethics and economics is not always the shortest distance dis-tance between two given points When the laboring class strikes it is not always the directest way to return the blow It is better to weaken the arm that strikes There is no way to weaken the arm that strikes like strengthening the head above that arm and softening the heart below that arm When the brain takes a wider view and the heart takes a kinder view the bigotry and hate that nerves that striking strik-ing arm will subside and cause that arm to waver and to fall from its deathdealing aimAny plan that looks toward this widening of the intellectual horizon of the laboring man will tend to make him a more reasonable reason-able man and therefore a more tractable II and friendly man and by logical sequence a better citizen Such a plan seems to be that of Rev Charles F Goss of Chicago who is planning a series of educational entertainments en-tertainments for laboring people to be held in his church that formerly under the charge of Mr Moody sometime in the autumn There is real Christianity and real philosphy and real patriotism in a plan like this one wonders if it might not be as well worth taking hold of as some other things Even in the line of selfimprovement one may ask ones self a question hereTo here-To be the means of letting in afresh a-fresh cool thought into the vexed brain of the man whose head is hot through and through with the one monotonous inflammation inflam-mation of study how he can get oven with the hated tyrant who buys his work for less than its value to so enlarge his vision of the social order that he may see the relations of things with sane and reasonable sight and insight to relieve his mind with a thought of beauty to enliven his muddy imagination imagina-tion with the touches of a master would not this be practical work in the way of solving the problem of how to subdue the strikers And would not the reaction upon ones self of this deed done result in possibly an equal degree of leverage as would come from a dissection of Theosophy or an analysis of the Elective Affinity That Miss Cleveland is an educated lady there is no doubt but that she is the one woman to place at the head of a literary venture which addresses itself and contents intelligent readers is by reason of the queer logic above giyen very doubtful The class of people whom she reaches through this magazine are those who have come to the surface in the race of life by giving and taking the hard knocks necessary in that hotbed of competition and who are not at all given to view such everyday questions as labor strikes and kindred troubles through glasses rimmed with gilded edges The subject of selfimprovement of working men is a veritable chestnut in the newspaper world and has done duty for two decades in the hands of more able writers than Miss Cleveland and the dissection of Theosophy Theoso-phy or the analysis of the Elective Affinity Af-finity though they be new factors in the argument can in no manner tend to decide de-cide the present labor troubles in the country or help the hornyhanded son of toil to decide whether 250 per day for eight hours work is not fitter for laborers than 190 and twelve hours work If Miss Cleveland would devote space in her next number to the oneness of the bears on the grain question or the decidedly de-cidedly twoness of the fellows who engineer engi-neer corner in the pork market she would strike a more responsive chord in the breats of her readers than she can ever do in those of the sons of toil |