enterprises great or small should honestly accept and actupon this principle of social service, the complex social problemsof our democracy would be solved; but, with human nature asit is, it is only by the restraint of laws that a substantial justicecan be realized. The great statesman, John C. Calhoun, inhis masterly analysis of the Constitution of his day, fully real-ized that the selfishness and greed of men would wreck anyscheme unless safeguarded by numerous checks and balances.It is nevertheless true that a universal propaganda of educa-tion, through the schools and from the pulpit and platform, canpowerfully influence and elevate public opinion that potentinfluence which is often more efficacious than mere laws.By aid of such extensive propaganda the people may be ledto realize what Woodrow Wilson taught years ago, that "Busi-ness IS no longer in any sense a private matter. Society is thesenior partner in all business." This dictum, embodying themost progressive thought of the day, would have seemed re-volutionary to our fore-fathers.Much has been done in recent years in the interest of harmonybetween capital and labor by schemes of conciliation, arbitra-tion, cooperation, profit-sharing, collective bargaining and in-surance by the employer of the employee against death, diseaseand accident; and it is encouraging to see that some of our larg-est corporations, seeing that arbitrary wage scales have hadtheir day, have lately invited labor's representatives to a seataround the council table, where disputes may possibly be ad-justed and strikes avoided. But such overtures are exceptional,for the great majority of employers are still as stiff-necked asPharaoh, and it will require a great deal of education for themto realize that they are really serving their own best interestswhen they promote the interest of the wage-earner.Warnings have been given to this class of men lately by pub-licists, statesmen, the highest dignitaries of the church and theeditors of the most conservative journals, for it is seen that ifthey bring down their own houses about their ears, that thecrash may be transmitted to the whole of society.Our law makers have not been negligent in legislation for theamelioration of the workers' conditions, as note the laws passedfor the eight-hour day, for the restriction of child labor, againstthe sweating system and unsanitary houses and conditions, forpublic parks, schools and hospitals, as well as accident and lia-15
