Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/332

 js6 The Plan of the Ages.

its comforts, even if with all of its necessities. They reason thus : It is the inevitable ; the law of supply and demand must govern ; rich and poor have always been in the world j and if the wealth were evenly divided in the morning, some would, through dissipation or improvidence, be poor before night, while others, more careful and prudent, would be rich, Besides, they will argue with effect, Can it be expected that men of greater brain power will undertake vast enterprises, employing thousands of men, with the risks of large losses, unless there be hopes of gain and some advantage ?

The artisan and the laborer, on the contrary, will say : We see that while labor enjoys many advantages to-day above any other day, while it is better paid, and can there- fore procure greater comforts, yet it is in this enjoying only its right, from which it has long been debarred to some extent; and it is thus properly deriving a share of the ad- vantages of the inventions, discoveries, increasing knowl- edge, etc., of our time. We recognize labor as honorable, and that, when accompanied with good sense, education, honesty and principle, it is as honorable, and has as many rights, as any profession. And, on the contrary, we esteem idleness a discredit and disgrace to all men, whatever their talent or occupation in life. All, to be valued and appreci- ated, should be useful to others in some respect. But though realizing our present improvement and advancement, in- tellectually, socially and financially, we realize this to be more the result of circumstances than of human design on the part of either ourselves or our employers. We see our improved condition, and that of all men, to be the result of the great increase of intelligence, invention, etc., of the past fifty years particularly. These came up so rapidly that labor as well as capital got a lift from the tidal wave, and was carried to a higher level j and if we could see a pros-

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