Page:George Soule - The Intellectual and the Labor Movement.djvu/32

 times of strike or industrial cleavage a minister can often assist definitely in getting the fundamental facts before the public either directly through the press or through the organization of a committee of broad-minded men and women. Ministers have sometimes aided the cause of labor by acting as watchers when picketing is going on in order to testify in regard to illegal interference. Others have opened their churches or other buildings to strikers to whom public halls have been barred. The large number of cases where ministers have been called in as arbitrators in labor disputes suggests another field for those who have won a reputation for fair-minded dealing as well as interest in the human problems involved. The Labor College movement has had conspicuous assistance from ministers in various cities. The Forum movement which has provided platforms from which various angles of the labor problem could be discussed before a general public has had large backing from ministers, George Lackland estimating that more than fifty per cent of such forums are to be found in churches.

In general, the minister’s best field in connection with labor is, from the peculiar nature of his position, primarily that of mediation in such forms as have been suggested above rather than that of direct participation. But the synthesizing element which he can thus supply is one which is especially needed at this time. There is a certain risk that the minister may lose his job by this course of action, but that risk is less than it sometimes seems and there is no job worth while that does not involve risk.

The cooperative movement is still weak in the United States. Therefore at first sight it seems to offer fewer opportunities to the intellectual than the labor movement. As a matter of fact, however, it may offer more. Many a sincere and capable young fellow has sought entrance to the labor movement only to find on getting in that his economic interests were not those of the manual worker and that he did not naturally belong there. There is no such barrier to the consumers' cooperative movement. The intellectual and the laborer, as consumers, have identical economic interests; and many an intellectual has been amazed to see how readily the cooperative society welcomes him even into a position of responsibility.

Also, because of the variety of commercial enterprises which are the legitimate prey of the cooperative society, the demand for skilled workers is much more varied than in the organized labor movement. Today intellectuals, as cooperators, are active in many of the following professions or lines of business and the demand for such experts is increasing: Accountancy, publicity, law, research, teaching, organization work, architecture,