538 INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONS. 



as hot politicians in our days are commonest among those 

 artisans whose daily work permits continuous conversation, 

 so in these old times the wage-earners who first formed tenta 

 tive trade-unions were those tailors, shoemakers, and sadlers, 

 who, gathered together in work-rooms, could talk while 

 they sewed. 



Germs usually differ in character and purpose from the 

 things evolved out of them. Community of interests and 

 local clustering being the prerequisites to trade-combina 

 tions, the implication is that they have sometimes grown out 

 of social gatherings of festive kinds, and very frequently out 

 of burial societies, friendly societies, sick-clubs. Artisans 

 periodically assembling for the carrying on of their mutual- 

 aid business, inevitably discussed work and wages and the 

 conduct of masters ; and especially so when they all followed 

 the same occupation. There could not fail to result, on the 

 occasion of some special grievance, a determination to make 

 a joint defence. It also naturally happened that the funds 

 accumulated for the primary purpose of the body, came to 

 be used in execution of this secondary purpose : an illustra 

 tion of the absurd delusion respecting the powers of a major 

 ity which pervades political thinking also the delusion that 

 the decision of a majority binds the minority in respect of all 

 purposes, whereas it can equitably bind the minority only in 

 respect of the purpose for which the body was formed. The 

 prevalence of this delusion has greatly conduced to the de 

 velopment and power of trade-unions; since, in any case of 

 proposed strike, the dissenting minority has been obliged 

 either to yield or to sacrifice invested contributions. 



We are not here concerned with the detailed history of 

 wage-earners gilds. It will suffice to say that though there 

 were early attempts at them, such as those just named, there 

 were no permanent defensive associations of wage-earners 

 before 1700; but that, by the close of the century, they 

 had become numerous, and were met with repressive legisla 

 tion which, at first partial in character, ended in a general 



