MINERVA 



3819 



MINIMUM WAGE 



It is prepared by forcing the molten slag of 

 a blast furnace through a crescent-shaped 

 opening by the pressure of steam. The slag 

 cools in long, fibrous threads, which are pressed 

 into mats. It is an excellent nonconductor 

 of heat, and cannot be set on fire, hence it 

 forms a valuable material for packing around 

 any heated object. It is employed as a cov- 

 ering for steam boilers and pipes to prevent 

 loss of heat, and also to protect water pipes 

 from frost. 



MINERVA, minur'va, in classic mythology, 

 was the goddess of wisdom, science and the 

 arts, known to the Greeks also as Athene. 

 She is represented in legend as the daughter 

 of Jupiter and Metis. Shortly before her 

 birth her father 

 swallowed her 

 mother, and it 

 came to pass that 

 Minerva sprang 

 full-grown from 

 the head of Jupi- 

 ter, clad in shin- 

 ing armor and 

 singing a trium- 

 phant song of 

 victory. Many 

 attributes are as- 

 cribed to her by 

 myth writers. As 

 patroness of the 

 arts and indus- 

 tries she super- 

 vised the build- 

 ing of the wooden 

 horse which 

 caused the fall of 

 Troy (see TROY), 

 and she directed 

 the construction 

 of the Argo (see 

 ARGONAUTS). 



She presided From his awful head 



over agriculture Whom Jove brought forth, in 



warlike armor drest, 

 and navigation, Golden, all radiant, 

 spinning, weav- SHELLEY. 



ing and needlework, and though a warlike di- 

 vinity, bestowed her favor only on those who 

 practiced defensive warfare. Ulysses was her 

 favorite warrior. It is told that Minerva in- 

 vented the flute, and that she cast it aside 

 because Cupid laughed at her puffed cheeks as 

 she was playing. In the reign of Cecrops, first 

 king of the Athenians, she contended with 

 Neptune for the possession of their capital 



city. Neptune produced a horse as the most 

 useful gift to mankind; Minerva brought forth 

 the olive, and to her the gods awarded the city, 

 which was named Athens, in honor of her 

 Greek name, Athene. The olive tree was sacred 

 to Minerva, and oxen and cows were offered 

 as sacrifices to her. She is sometimes repre- 

 sented wearing a gilt helmet and carrying a 

 shield, and sometimes she is clad in the garb 

 of a Grecian matron. She was the only one of 

 the gods to whom Jupiter ever entrusted his 

 wonderful shield, the aegis, which bore in its 

 center the head of Medusa. 



Consult Gayley's Classic Myths in English Lit- 

 erature and in Art. 



MIN'IMUM WAGE. When the Australian 

 state of Victoria, in 1896, decided it unwise 

 for a worker to be paid less jnoney than he 

 needs to keep himself and his family in good 

 condition, and created boards with power to 

 determine the least wage which employers in 

 certain trades might pay, the step was con- 

 sidered a bold experiment. Agitation for simi- 

 lar legislation in other countries received en- 

 couragement from neither capitalists nor wage 

 earners. Not for fourteen years was there any 

 imitation of Victoria, but thereafter the prin- 

 ciple of the minimum wage quickly spread. 

 In 1910 boards were created in Great Britain, 

 where it was found that in one industry about 

 one-fourth of the employees received less than 

 five and a half shillings (about $1.35) a week. 

 The principle was adopted by Massachusetts 

 in 1912, in 1913 by Wisconsin and seven West- 

 ern states, in 1915 by Arkansas and Kansas 

 and the republic of France. Other states have 

 appointed commissions of investigation. The 

 American laws apply only to women and chil- 

 dren. Utah has fixed the amount of wages; 

 some states give this power to boards, others 

 merely give the boards power to recommend. 



The theory of the -minimum wage is that an 

 industry which cannot afford to pay a "living 

 wage" is a detriment rather than an asset to a 

 community. Oregon, after a year under its 

 law, determined by an investigation that it 

 had not resulted in the displacement of women 

 by men, that it had not tended to lower the 

 wages of the better-paid women, and that it 

 had increased the cost of commodities only 

 three mills per dollar, that is, three-tenths of 

 one per cent. Massachusetts and Washington 

 have reached similar conclusions. It is gen- 

 erally conceded that the establishment of mini- 

 mum wages increases efficiency and adds to 

 cheerfulness and contentment. 



