The Progress of the World. 



125 



According to Mr. Ben Turner, 



The Ideals who delivered the Presidential 



the Labo'lir Party. Address at the Labour I'arty's 



Conference at Birmingbani on 

 January 24th, the Labour Party has conceived the 

 modest ambition of making itself the dominating, 

 controlling, guiding and ruling party in the State. 

 Its tactics are to purchase "free rule" for trade- 

 unions by giving Home Rule to the Irish. Free 

 rule would seem to be the right to be above the law 

 — a claim which is illustrated by the "closed shop" 

 controversy in Lancashire and the United States. 

 Mr. Turner seems to imagine that his ideal can be 

 attained by adding to the number of Labour members 

 in Parliament, by increasing the sturdinessof the back- 

 ing and the faith of the affiliated bodies. Hut surely 

 something more is wanting than numbers, sturdiness, 

 and faith. Brains are at least essential, and also some 

 regard for the rights of others, and the liberty of the 

 subject. Without these the new tyranny will be 

 worse than the old. 



The great industrial event of Ihi.' 

 and month was the plebiscite taken 



the Minimum among the miners as to whether 

 ^^^' or not they would authorise their 



(eaders to declart! a General Strike if their demands 

 for a minimum wage were not conceded. The 

 result of the votin;,' was decisive : 445,801 voted for 

 handing in the notice, and 115,721 against it. This 

 is a majority of nearly four to one. Tlii« 

 does not mean that a General Strike will take 

 place; it menly furnishes the negotiators on 

 behalf of the men with a right to resort to the 

 ultima ratio should they find it inipossibli; to 

 come to terms with their employers. .All thi; ablest 

 and most experienced leaders of the miners are 

 against a General Strike, and it is to be hojied that 

 tiie negotiations which have been going on ever since 

 the vote was taken may result in some settlement 

 which will not paralyse the industry of the country. 



'l"he American National Conimis- 



Accidcnts sion on Employers' Liability and 



Railway Servants. Workmen's Compensation has 



prepared a Bill, having application 



to railroads and trolly lines, which will jhortly In- 



reported to Coni^ress. Extracts from this Hill 



that have thus far been published indicate that 



under its provisions a fixed percentage of 



wages will afford the basis of settlement for 



injuries to all tiiiployees. Where death results 



Tom any injury thr compensation to the employee's 



family, to be paid for a period of eight years, will 



The Y.M.C.A. 



vary according to the number and earning capacity of 

 the family. It is also provided that where permanent 

 total disability results from any injury there shall be 

 paid to the injured employee 50 per cent, of his 

 monthly wages for the remainder of his life. Machinery 

 for enforcing the collection of damages is provided by 

 the Bill, and provision is made for almost every con- 

 ceivable form of casualty. 



In the religious world one of the 

 most remarkable events of the 

 month was the effort made by the 

 Young Men's Christian .Association 

 to raise ^100,000 in twelve days to meet the cost of 

 building the new premises which they have erected 

 in Tottenham Court Road, London. The help of an 

 .American expert was called in and the Press aided 

 very liberally, but the sum raised fell short of ^70,000, 

 which is in woeful contrast to the liberality of the 

 people in Canadian and' American towns, where 

 similar efforts have been made. The reason for 

 that is no doubt to be found in the fact that the 

 Y.M.C.A. is a much more virile, active and useful 

 organisation across the Atlantic than it is here. I 

 remember the first Conference of the Y.M.C.A. I 

 ever attended. It was in Darlington nearly forty 

 years ago, and my plea for the adoption of a more 

 secular policy nearly brought upon me the major 

 excommunication of the good people who were in 

 conference. Since then no doubt the Y.M.C.A. has 

 learned something, but still it has never impressed the 

 man in the street with a sense of its usefulness. 

 Perhaps when it gets its new premises it will turn 

 over a new leaf. The bar upon billiard tables is now 

 removed ; that, however, is but a small thing. If 

 the Y.M.C.A. could be but as vigorous, as omni- 

 present, and as ready to help as are the Boy Scouts, a 

 great change would come over the spirit of its dream. 

 As it is, it looks as if the new premises were only 

 going to provide comfortable quarters at cheap rates 

 fur two or three hundred youu'.,' men who may or may 

 not be willing to exert themselves in active Christian 

 work. 



There is a remarkable move- 



* ment now in progress in America 



Notnblo American , . , , ,1 



Movement. which has not yet received the 



attention it de.sorves in this 

 country. It is the attempt to organise a revival of 

 religion upon a social basis. A committee of ninety- 

 seven, with a capital of ;£,"2o,ooo at its back, has 

 undertaken the task of going after souls with just 

 the same businesslike methods as the Standard Oil 

 Company goes after business. There is a conception 



