CLASS-CONSCIOUSNESS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8613, 26 December 1913, Page 9

CLASS-CONSCIOUSNESS

To the Editor “N.Z. Times." Sir, —One of tho many terms commonly used by tho Federation of Lahour as above I would like to remaik upon. One can understand the necessity of certain, terms being employed hi stating tho case between capital and labour in tho older countries and yet would it he quite out of place in a young country like this, indeed unnecessary, and harmful, because misleading. I can conceive of nothing more mischievous on a worker’s mind than tho idea of class-consciousness, because it infers that Labour brings with it a loss of self-respect. How different is this thought from that expressed by the world’s great thinker Carlyle. Listen to what he says; “Consider how oven in the meanest sorts of Labour the whole soul of man is composed into a real harmony, the instant he sets himself to work! Doubt, desire, sorrow, remorse, indignation, despair itself, all these like hell-dogs lie beleaguering the soul of tho poor day worker, as of every man; bub he bends himself with free valour against his task, and all these are stilled, all these shrink murmuring far off into their caves. The man is now a man. The blessed glow ipf Labour in him, is it not as purifying as fire, wherein all poison is burnt up, and of sour smoke itself there is made bright, blessed flame.” Time was in this country- when the hardest worker bore himself with respect, and I see no reason why it should he otherwise to-day. This is called a democratic country. We have for years held the power in our hands to make it so, but have neglected our duty. The fault lies with the workers in all grades. We cannot expect the capitalist to do for us what we ought to do for ourselves. If we wish to possess the privileges of a democracy we must use our brains to learn and ascertain the moaning of the term. One of our acknowledged authorities defines it thus: “Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is in the hands of the people, and directly exercised by them; hence more usually a form of government jn which the power resides ultimately in tho whole people, who conduct it by a system of representation and delegation of powers; a constitutional and representative Government.;” We enjoy the privilege of adult suffrage, hence the “supreme power is in tho hands of the people” to make or mar their, own welfare. There is no class-conscious-ness required in this, the power is in the hands of the whole people of both sexes, and yet they have failed to make intelligent use of it. They have voted, but their votes were tainted with the class-conscious notion. They do not show a desire for—the general welfare and progress of this country. They do not prepare their minds beforehand by acquiring a knowledge of what is best for all th© people. They will give none of their spare time to that exercise, to mind culture, to the acquisition of genuine knowledge of how to govern and be governed. And why? Because, first, the class-conscious idea binds and fetters them to tho lowest plane of thought, if they do any thinking worth the name; and, second, although education is free, on which w© have spent millions in fitting them to be intelligent and worthy citizens, they find it easier to descend than ascend menially, and intellectually they were born, tired, they never seriously ask themselves what is tho cause which produces poverty in th© midst of advancing wealth. Yet who do they expect to dq the thinking for them? and why should they suppose it ’ shall bo done for them ?

And here, doubtless, someone will be ready to ask why all tho blame should b& laid at the doors df the wageearners? Because with them is the responsibility. They have the numbers, and consequently th© power of tho vote. It largely rests with them whether we degenerate into anarchy or rise on the wings of intelligence and useful knowledge to become a happy, prosperous, and self-respecting nation. The only hope for this or any other country lies in the intellectual strength of the people. W© cannot reform downwards. Here and there a millionaire is doing something for the general good because his wealth accumulates faster than he knows what to do with it, but tho immediate salvation of the worker does not lie in efforts of that kind. There is an old saying and a true one: “Eight is right, and wrong is no man’s right.” Let every wage-earner lay that to heart, determined to have his own rights and respect every other man’s, even a millionaire’s. Tho only com-mon-sense strike is at tho ballot-box. Th© proper place for claiming redress of grievances is in public meeting assembled and the Parliament of the country. It is not sufficient merely to send your representatives, it is also necessary to watch, them when they are there, but wo cannot detect whether they are right or wrong unless we have requisite knowledge. “ Eternal vigilance is th© price of liberty,” and, per contra, “ Continued indifference is the cause of bondage.” It does not require wealth to be a man. Those who spend their lives in heaping up riches often become human hogs or inhuman tyrants. In either case they are dangerous to society. Why, in spite of increase in productive power, do wages tend to a minimum which will give but a bare living? When the wage-earners bend themselves earnestly to the task of solving this problem we shall begin to learn our business, and strikes and Arbitration Courts will go out of fashion. When newspaper editors cease to take sides in the low gam© called politics, and lend their aid to direct people’s minds to some honester way of thinking, wo shall begin to move towards progress. When teachers of sectarianism talk less of the mythical and unknowable, turning the attention of their followers to the eternal verities of the knowable, striving to solve the same problem in the interests of humanity, w© shall move faster. Religion pure and undefiled is to do good. The man who lives to do good will have lost the trick of doing evil. Let us all strive honestly to order our lives by the Golden Rule, ond the question need not be asked if we are Confucians or Christiansi Wo shall be both, and as we journey together along the highway of life, increasing our store of useful knowledge, we shall get a wider and nobler outlook, and strikes, lock-outs, and class-consciousness ” will live but iu tho memory of Time. —I am, etc., INDEX.