252 W. R. LAWSON 



six or seven hundred men each, where teetotalism was strictly 

 enforced. The miners had all to live in villages belonging to 

 the company in which not a single public house was permitted. 

 They had instead large temperance halls where amusements 

 and soft drinks were provided for the whole population. 

 They had free libraries and bath rooms, recreation grounds, 

 and small gardens if they wanted them. To Scandinavians 

 or Hungarians, fresh from their old world dirt and discom- 

 fort, these model villages by the shores of Lake Superior 

 should be a paradise. So far they have exercised a restrain- 

 ing charm on their rough inhabitants, but it remains to be seen 

 how long the charm will last. Just now it has zealous and 

 enthusiastic managers behind it whose personal example goes 

 a long way. How it will fare under less zealous and vigilant 

 disciplinarians is another matter. 



Considering the chronic scarcity of labor and the pressing 

 demand for it all over the west, it is a marvel how the severe 

 discipline enforced can be maintained. In the railroad service 

 it is particularly strong, and ever growing stronger; neverthe- 

 less it is quietly submitted to. For a locomotive driver to be 

 seen in a saloon, whether on or off duty, would mean a bad 

 mark against him. To be seen a second time would produce a 

 sharp warning from the boss of his division, and a third 

 offence would be fatal. The same rule applies to firemen, and 

 in a slighter degree to all the rest of the train crew — conduct- 

 ors, brakemen, etc. Even clerks and other employees uncon- 

 nected with the operation of the road have to be very shy of 

 saloons and all other institutions of the kind, which if not 

 expressly tabooed would not figure well in the confidential 

 reports made periodically to the management on every em- 

 ployee. The careless maxim of some British masters, that 

 their men can do what they like in their own time, is never 

 heard in the United States. 



American employers pay high wages and do not grudge 

 them. On the contrary, next to making millions for them- 

 selves they love to be able to boast that American workmen 

 are the best paid in the world. But high wages are not paid 

 for nothing. The employer intends to get the best possible 

 return for them, and the workmen admit that he is quite 



