LABOUR 265 



whether true or false — of the standard of piecework being fixed 

 too high. In America, where people are after " the dollar," the 

 idea of a maximum of pay, whatever be the cost in flesh and blood 

 and premature old age, met with favour among working men 

 Hence, in great part the difference between British trade unionism 

 and American. In our country working men came to think more 

 of themselves than of the maximum amount of money — it may be, 

 too much so. It was not purely a contentious desire to extort 

 better terms in money which inspired the preference for that less 

 exhausting occupation which culminated in " ca' canny." There was 

 an underlying idea that a man should not sacrifice his health and 

 strength, with which Providence has endowed him, for the greedy 

 race after money. He was to work, but not to ruin his constitution 

 and bring on premature decay. The element of human nature, 

 with human needs, by the side of labour, thus came to assert 

 itself. 



Gross abuses — such as not even the most pronounced partisan on 

 the employer side and the severest critic of the excesses to which, 

 in its struggle for "justice," labour has been led, can deny — caused 

 that violent upheaval on the side of labour, which took the shape of 

 trade unionism. Trade unionism, composed as it is, like all creations 

 of mortal men, of good features and questionable, came on the scene 

 to claim " fair do's." And up to a certain — and now very advanced 

 — point, it has not only " seen," but also " conquered." Jack has 

 become, in contentious strength, as good as his master. And there 

 is now no refusing his demands in the simple " I will not " way that 

 was once accepted. 



With trade unionism came the claim for the " living wage," 

 which, in the main, is now generally accepted. It may not alto- 

 gether square with old time-honoured notions. But it is there. 

 The nation has subscribed to it, and has itself shouldered part of 

 the burden. The fully State-paid or else State-assisted old age 

 pensions, which — so far as working men are concerned — relieve 

 employers in part of a charge which in justice employment ought 

 to bear — as we of Lord Methuen's, Sir Joshua Fitch's and Dr. 

 Loch's " Old Age Pensions Committee " have contended — are 

 distinctly a public contribution to the " living wage." It is quite 

 untrue that we were arguing against the rightful claim of labour. 

 We wanted decent old age pensions to be paid, but employment to 

 be saddled with the charge for employment's victims. In any case 

 here was a new standard set up, which a long time ago already 

 found an advocate in the late Comte de Paris. 



