IN

S

IN CANADA

NOW was beginning to fall upon the treeless prairies of the Canadian northwest and the settlers on their isolated homesteads were preparing for winter. But in one respect they could make no provision: they were without fuel, and none could be had. Wood of course there was none; and a strike in the coal mines of southern Alberta, in progress since the early summer, had long before resulted in complete depletion of the slim stock of coal reserves. And the outlook for an early return to work in the mines seemed to grow more hopeless as day followed day. Originally a dispute arising out of a difference of opinion regarding wages and working conditions, it had developed into a contest over the question of whether the coal operators should recognize the unions or not. The men would not deal with the company excepting through their union officers; the company would not treat with the men excepting as individuals. Apparently there was no possibility of settlement until one party or the other receded from its position. In the meantime the likelihood of many settlers freezing to death in their prairie shacks became more and more a matter of grim probability.

Sir Wil

The mines were in Alberta, but the people of the neighboring province of Saskatchewan promised to be the chief sufferers. After the failure of various attempts at mediation by private individuals, the Government of Saskatchewan petitioned the federal authorities at Ottawa to intervene for the protection of the helpless homesteaders. frid Laurier, who was Prime Minister at the time, despatched W. L. Mackenzie King, then Deputy Minister of Labor, who had already attained some distinction as a mediator in labor disputes, to the affected district to see what could be done. After considerable difficulty, arising chiefly out of the non-existence of any machinery by means of which the two parties to the dispute could be brought together, the strike was settled -temporarily, as such settlements usually are-and the men went back to work. The homesteaders again had coal for their stoves, but it had been a close call. That was in 1906.

This strike, and the knowledge that whatever settlement had been effected could be considered only as an armistice, and that similar conditions existed in a number of other industries intimately connected with the public welfare. caused the Government to recognize the necessity for the enactment of legislation which should at least postpone future strikes until every other practicable alternative had failed and which should also be the means of supplying

60

the public with the facts in relation to matters under dispute. Consequently, upon his return from the west, Mr. King was asked to draft a bill which should meet with these various requirements; and the result was what is known as the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, which became law March 22, 1907.

The act has application to those industries which may somewhat broadly be defined as public utilities, and includes mining, both coal and metal; transportation, steam and electric railways as well as steamships; telegraphs and telephones; gas, electric light, water, and power works. No change in wages or working conditions may be made either by employers or employees in any of these industries (excepting by mutual consent) without first giving thirty days' notice. If a dispute then arises, either party may apply to the Minister of Labor for a board of conciliation and investigation. This board consists of three members, two representing, respectively, the employer and the employees and a chairman agreed upon by these two. If they fail to agree, the Minister of Labor selects the third member. Fees and traveling expenses of the members of the board and witnesses as well as the cost of necessary clerical assistance and other expenses are paid by the Department of Labor. Authority is given the board to require the attendance of persons and the production of papers and documents, and generally to secure whatever information, in its opinion, is essential to a clear insight into the facts of the case under investigation. Each side is invited to present its view and outside testimony may be requested as well. Members of the board also make personal inspection of working conditions when considered desirable. After all the evidence has been adduced and considered, the board presents its report to the Minister of Labor, who communicates it to the parties involved in the dispute and also causes it to be published. Provision is likewise made for the presentation of a minority report in the event of a lack of unanimity; and this, too, is published. Neither party is bound to abide by the award. But generally, even though unacceptable to either or both parties, it becomes the basis for further negotiations between them; and then of course if agreement is still impossible, the final arbitrament of a strike becomes the only resort.

In the great majority of cases, however, the appointment of a board of conciliation and investigation either directly or indirectly results in a settlement Frequently the board, acting in its capacity as mediator, succeeds in effecting

a settlement without the necessity for making an award. From its inception in 1907 to March 31, 1921, some 509 disputes were dealt with under the act, and of these only 33 failed of settlement.

Labor at first was, as a general rule, opposed to the act and considered it a restriction of the workers' right to lay down tools at will; but quite recently, in view of the tendency of employers to force reductions in wages, employees have come to look upon it with other eyes. And now there is evidence that, in some quarters, employers are beginning to consider it an abridgment of their rights. This latter was strikingly illustrated during the recent threatened railway strike.

The principal railways of Canada gave the usual thirty days' notice that on July 16, last, they would make certain wage reductions, and upon the expiration of that notice, without referring the matter to a board of conciliation and investigation as provided by the act, proceeded to put such reductions into effect. Union officials protested against this as a violation of the act, but the railways argued that the reductions were only tentative and that the difference, if in favor of the men, could be adjusted later that is to say, if they should ac cept the award of the board in the event of its being against them (which, inferentially, they would not). They further contended that such action on their part did not constitute a violation of the act as interpreted by them; but the Federa! Department of Justice, being called upon for an opinion, held that the railways were in the wrong. This opinion the latter seemed also inclined to dispute, contending that the Department of Justice was not competent to interpret the statutes. But at this juncture public opinion, headed by the Prime Ministerthe framer of the act of 1907-stepped in; the railways, finding their position untenable, submitted to the popular verdict and agreed to restore wages to their original level pending the report of the boards of conciliation and investigation, which had been appointed in the meantime.

For a time the situation had been serious; a strike vote taken by the railway workers stood overwhelmingly in favor of a strike; and there is little doubt that had there been no Industrial Disputes Investigation Act railway transportation in Canada would have been disrupted by a period of bitter industrial warfare. It may come yet, but that possibility, too, has been minimized.

There may be doubts as to the merits or the justice of compulsory arbitration; but as to compulsory investigation and conciliation, at least, there can be none.

F

TORTY American students are over here this summer traveling together. It has been interesting to see a European city in their company.

They are in Europe at the instance of the European Student Relief (represented in America by the Student Friendship Fund), an outgrowth of the World's Student Christian Federation. The American Student Department of the Young Men's Christian Association is affiliated with the Federation, and therefore chose this body of young men among our American colleges and universities. The lads call themselves "Pilgrims of Friendship" and represent some forty of our educational institutions from Oregon to Florida.

They will be gone about ten weeks from New York to New York. They

enjoy very substantial reductions of hotel and railway rates. They travel for a week at a time in their own sleeping-cars, thus eliminating hotel bedrooms. At the frontiers of the various countries they certainly had a very easy experience, compared with that of other travelers.

They journey at their own expense. So attractive were the opportunities offered for this particular journey that half of this student body actually borrowed the necessary funds for the trip, for their pecuniary position would not allow them to undertake it otherwise and their ambition to do so was quite as great as that of those students who had enough money for the journey. In order to pay back the sums borrowed some of the borrowers will have to teach during the coming scholastic year, instead of being in college as students, one of the conditions of the trip being that those who make it shall remain in close touch, either as fellow-students or as teachers, with the undergraduates in our colleges and universities. To the queries I put to learn whether any of the lads regretted having borrowed I received an invariable "No." Some added: "We are proud to have had the chance to borrow and of having taken advantage of it." One boy remarked: "I am going to do the same thing for next summer's trip." Others nodded affirmatively.

As indicating the kind of opportunities the students are having in Europe, let me tell about the two days they have just spent at Geneva.

The first thing they saw here was the International Bureau of Labor. They were received by that notable Frenchman Albert Thomas, the Director. He gave them a good talk-as he is perhaps the most brilliant orator of France, he could hardly do less. He told his auditors how happy he and his collaborators were to note the interest which any

visitor took in the work they were doing. "This Bureau," he added, "far from being a dangerous weapon, as a few critics would have us believe, has no other purpose than to introduce more and more justice in the relations between capital and labor." Then Dr. Meeker, who is one of the secretaries of the Bureau, described the work in detail.

The rest of the morning was spent at the headquarters of the League of Nations. There Dr. Hudson, of Harvard, explained the work of the League among the fifty-one member nations in the development of peace and justice. After his discourse there was a general discussion. The questions from the students showed, not only the great interest they had been taking in what had been told them, but also the excellence of their study of the subject at home.

Then came the luncheon hour, when, to our agreeable surprise, a no less welcome guest than Mont Blanc himself suddenly appeared from behind the clouds and showed himself to us in all his splendor. It was a privilege to lunch amid such surroundings.

At two o'clock we were at the Y. M. C. A. building, where the international work of its World Committee was commented on by Dr. Nitobe, professor at the University of Tokyo and member of the League of Nations secretariat, also by M. Siordet, one of the secretaries of the Committee, whose seat is at Geneva. But the most interesting feature for the American boys was the welcome in such a place by a Japanese Christian.

At three o'clock we were at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross. One of its Geneva members, Professor Bouvier, greeted us in impressive language, and was followed by one of the secretaries, M. Brunel, who described the work in detail.

At four o'clock we were at the famous Athénée, where M. Guillaume Fatio, President of the Society of Arts, vividly described the city and history of Geneva, illustrating his interesting lecture by lantern slides of much artistic merit. After tea at the Athénée, there were ringing addresses by Professors Rappard, of the University of Geneva, and Rockwell, of Union Seminary, New York. Some years ago M. Rappard was instructor at Harvard. He speaks English perfectly; hence that which specially interested the American students was, not so much the fact that Mr. Rappard was President of the Mandats Commission of the League of Nations and Professor of Economics at the University here, as that he addressed his audience rather in virtue of his title as a Harvard instruc

tor. In the remarks of Professor Rockwell his American hearers will remember his insistence on the study of foreign languages, particularly French, and his praise of the University of Geneva Summer School, of which he is one of the thirty-odd American members. He thus spoke from the point of view both of teacher and student. This Summer School, I may add, affords a unique opportunity for the study of modern practical international politics; as Geneva is the seat of nearly thirty international societies, the school numbers among its lecturers some of their most distinguished workers.

Then we went to the Bastions, near by, and saw the magnificent Reformation Monument, recently completed. More than any one else Charles Borgeaud, the eminent historian, had inspired its construction, and who could better instruct us concerning it than he? In the middle of an immense wall against the Bastions stand the gigantic and austere figures of Farel, Calvin, Théodore de Bèze, and John Knox, and on either side are the figures of their notable contemporaries of the Great Elector of Prussia, of Cromwell, Coligny, Roger Williams, Henry IV, and Bocskay.

At the sunset hour we found ourselves in the library of the University, where M. Borgeaud welcomed us on behalf of that noteworthy and efficient institution of learning. None of us will forget the pictures-the noble head of the professor against a background of the old portraits of the celebrities of two, three, four centuries ago, and about us on every hand exposed in glass cases the University's collection of manuscripts and autographs which form, in my opinion, its most precious treasure.

To-day we saw the Collège de Calvin, established by John Calvin nearly four hundred years ago. The picturesque old building is now surrounded by modern constructions, and all form the great High School of Geneva. The person who showed us about had spent seven years here as a student. While the Swiss primary schools are free, this High School is not; the fee is about four dollars a semester, and there are two semesters in the year.

We also saw the "Alabama Room" in the City Hall. There in 1872 was signed the Treaty of Geneva-the first arbitration judgment. That would be interesting in any event, but it interests us specially because the case was between the United States and Great Britain. During our Civil War there were English boats, like the Alabama, which were sold, contrary to international law, to the Confederacy. We complained of this infraction of neutrality. Great Britain

and America finally decided to leave the question to five arbitrators, one of whom was chosen by the President of Switzerland. As a result of the arbitration Great Britain had to pay a large indemnity to our Government.

Then we all went to church in the beautiful chapel of the Machabées, which forms part of the Cathedral. The students were deeply impressed both by the service and by the noble sermon from Mr. Hamilton, of Edinburgh. Some of them told me afterwards that the hour spent in the chapel had been the best hour of the whole trip.

Of course we visited the Cathedral and admired the harmonious lines of its Gothic architecture. In order to explain the Cathedral to us M. Fatio did not hesitate to go up into the pulpit where Calvin used to preach! What is equally extraordinary, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself is shortly to preach from the same pulpit.

By this time the students were glad to partake of an excellent lunch offered to them by the National Protestant Church, after which we all went up the lake by steamer to M. Fatio's country place. The old manor-house, standing considerably back from the lake, was once inhabited by the original John Jacob Astor, of New York, but the present M. Fatio prefers to live in a small house which he built more directly on the lake shore. The students thus had the opportunity of seeing a splendid old property whose development was very characteristic of Switzerland. They also enjoyed a swim in the lake.

Then the steamer took us across to the park, La Grange, where the Mayor of Geneva received us officially. The view of the park, with its splendid trees and lovely old Louis XV mansion, in front of which was a long tea-table, was extremely picturesque, especially as the Mayor was accompanied by his macebearer, clothed, half of him in red and

half in orange, the colors of Geneva. The Mayor made a charming address to the students.

In speaking with the young men about their general impression of Europe I quickly discovered that the various countries, the various cities, and the general economic, social, political, and religious conditions had interested them keenly. But they had been interested even more in the distinguished men they had seen. For the students there were individual and distinct memories of the towns they had visited-of The Hague, Amsterdam, Cologne, Marburg, Göttingen, Berlin, Dresden, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Munich. But standing out with very sharp distinctness were the impressions of the men whom they have met-Wirth, Simon, Leschenfeld, Seipel, Benes, Stepanik, Archduke Joseph, Count Apponyi, Admiral Horthy.

The lads have already seen Holland, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary-that is to say, one neutral country, two new nations, and three members of the Teutonic alliance. They will see France and England-two countries of the Entente for which we of America fought. They are seeing Switzerland to-day-or rather, Geneva, where are concentrated many international endeavors.

But what do they know of Switzerland who only Geneva know? For next summer's voyage why not have a few days in the cradle of Swiss Democracy-her eternal mountains?

For the rest, next summer's voyageso Dr. Gossard, the leader of the party, and Mr. Hoffmann, the Executive Secretary of the European Student Relief, told me ought to be a little longer than this summer's voyage and comprise Italy and Belgium. If that is impossible, perhaps there can be two voyages undertaken at the same time, one for students who are particularly interested in east

ern Europe, and one for those who prefer to spend their weeks in western Europe.

In talking with these students I noted their truly American spirit of "I want to know." But I noted as well their superior qualities of manner and deportment. They were not noisy or boisterous or bumptious. They had a quiet serenity almost beyond their years. Their habits were really austere; not one of them used alcohol and few smoked. All gave the impression of having been well brought up. In speech they were simple, sincere, frank.

Some of them, however, were pretty provincial, as was indeed natural in those who had had little experience of the world. Consequently they were somewhat credulous. They constitute the kind of virgin soil in which good or bad seed quickly sprouts. The hospi. tality which they have received, and will receive everywhere, opens the way to propaganda of all sorts. It is not astonishing that they should be influenced by deception or be an easy prey for the disseminators of false reports.

But the desire of all the students to seek for truth is evident. Let us hope, then, that they will be able to rectify any misstatements which they may hear or read. They represent the coming generation: may the final impression of their sojourn in Europe have its proper influence whenever they debate questions of justice relating to the countries they have visited!

E

R

F

An American lady has just asked, "Do you suppose those boys appreciate all that has been done for them in Geneva?" I had to reply, "No." But, just the same, I had to add: "For most s of the lads, the weeks in Europe, spent as these two days in Geneva have been, ought to be worth a year in college. The boys appreciate that already. They told me so.'

Geneva, August 13, 1922.

T

HE motto of life in America in our twentieth century would seem to be: Speed-more speed-top speed. For speed is impressed and drilled into our youth. The boy is pushed ahead into school, on into and out of college, and finally into the hurly-burly of business, where more speed is required if he is to succeed. The goal of his ambition reached, top speed must be maintained or the man just behind him will jump into his saddle. Result-thousands of broken-down men, or men "gone stale" at forty-five, or fifty at the most.

It has been often said that American business men are gamblers at heart. The lodestar isn't the American Eagle served up on a gold piece, but rather the power and position which it brings and the thrill of the game.

When one stops to analyze life and

BY E. K. PARKINSON

its values, what profit is there for a man to gain millions and boundless power, if in so doing he loses his sense of things worth while in life, to say nothing of his health?

Indeed, to run over the list of men one knows who are close to fifty or have passed it is somewhat of a shock. Jones has grown stout and flabby, Brown is as nervous as a race horse, Green has chronic indigestion, Smith has diabetes, and so on. One in ten is fit and trim as nature intended him to be at that age.

But still more deplorable is the limited capacity of these men for any intellectual enjoyment outside their chosen field. They can talk golf, baseball, racing, yachting, and automobiles, but beyond that they are dumb as an oyster. When one realizes the vast field of

the

interests apart from business, one is tempted to suggest to successful business men that they retire and take up some worth-while hobby with all zest they threw into business, perhaps something that will keep them outdoors. It might be yachting, possibly a trip around the world, or angling, or shooting, or developing a place in the country-in short, any one of fifty different things which would also allow leisure for reading, quiet thinking, a broadening of sympathies, as well as bringing one into a closer touch with nature.

The writer knows a chap who at the age of fifty-one found himself “going stale," and, after talking things over with his wife, decided to break loose and change his whole mode of existence. His two sons were of age, one of them being married. The younger elected to

join his father should he decide to live in the country.

After considerable search a comfortable remodeled farmhouse with all improvements was found on thirty acres of land, within one hundred miles of Manhattan and east of the Hudson River. The property had been previously owned by a retired merchant, who had spent considerable money in its development. There were some beautiful old trees of many varieties, a most attractive flowergarden with a stream running through it, a well-planned vegetable garden, as well as lawns and a tennis court. The outbuildings were well built and ample for all purposes. The location itself was charming, the country being high and rolling, with several small lakes and many streams in the neighborhood. It was about a mile from the railway station and just on the edge of a pretty little New England village.

The head of the family undertook the growing of fruit and the breeding of dogs; the wife 'assumed charge of a flower-garden, and, with the aid of a small portable greenhouse, provided flowers for the house during the winter, and soon became much interested in growing mushrooms for market.

The son at first found his pleasure in

I

sports which were to be had at a near-by country club. In the spring he "flivvered" over to the Catskills for the trout fishing, and in the autumn, when the air was keen and crisp, he could be found almost any fine day tramping the hills and dales with his gun and dog.

An unexpected visit to the Madison Square Garden Poultry Show a few years ago, however, converted this youngster into an enthusiastic poultry fancier and to-day he is the possessor of many blue ribbons, while the sales of thoroughbred stock pay him a handsome profit.

During the summer months these country enthusiasts fill their home weekends with friends, while the winter months are broken by frequent trips to town. It is a safe bet that this chap would never go back into business again, for he has found other and far more absorbing interests to occupy him, as well as an amazing renewal of his bodily vigor.

Of course for the restless man there is always the fun and thrill of adventure in travel to be had, by automobile, for example. What could provide more fun or interest than a modern camp trailer which has two comfortable beds with springs, an oil stove, ice-box, and an

electric light? Surely one may be absolutely independent and go where one wills with such an outfit; yet it is doubtful if one business man in twenty would be capable of looking out for himself and his wife for a week on the road. The joy of the open road is a sealed book to the average town man. One has but to make such a trip and meet the voyageurs to realize the truth of this, for these knights of the road are usually artisans, or proprietors of small shops, or teachers who have become independent and resourceful from necessity.

In a recent number of an outdoor magazine is an account of a man who traveled ten thousand miles in an open canoe, from Chicago to New York City by way of the Mississippi, the Gulf, and inland waterways. It proved a wonderful trip, filled to the full with adventure, but also required plenty of courage, self-reliance, and skill. Would one business man in a hundred at the age of fifty venture in a canoe for one-quarter of that distance? It would prove interesting to collect a few answers to that question. None the less this is an excellent time for the fifty-year-older to break away from stale habit, for business is not over-active, and thus the absentee might not even be missed. Try it!

N the little valley of Dorset, Vermont, there is on informal exhibition this summer a group of paintings by an artist as yet unknown to the world at large. He is a son of the valley, untraveled (save in the sense in which Thoreau once said he had traveled widely in Concord) and utterly untrained in the traditions and theories of painting. His story is such an interesting one that the editors of The Outlook have asked me to relate it to their read

ers.

Some years ago a number of landscape painters came to the valley and took board in the family of a craftsman named John Lillie. They were an enthusiastic, industrious lot, and they soon filled the carriage-house of their host's big barn with sketches and canvases. Also they were genially friendly, as painters are apt to be, and established the happiest relations with their host himself.

They found him a thoughtful, intelligent man, with a strong, rather rugged face and meditative blue eyes. As carpenter, mason, and plumber he had been in demand ever since he could remember, and the quality of his work was renowned through the neighborhood. Especially was he valued by the "summer people" who were coming into the valley and who wanted their houses built or remodeled skillfully. He had an instinctive eye and touch for the finely harmonious.

His love for his native mountains

what atmospheric conditions would make them look most beautiful; and he was never too busy to stop and stand gazing off at them. The interest was unusual. Most Vermonters take the loveliness of their environment pretty much for granted.

Until the summer of which I am speaking he had never seen an oil painting, and he was immensely interested in the productions that piled up in his carriage-house. Feeling himself not unwelcome, he spent a good deal of time with his boarders, watching them at their work and pondering. Finally, one day, when they were all off at a safe distance on the mountainside and he was securely alone, he got out an assortment of house paints for which he happened to be an agent, made a selection of house painter's brushes, augmented by a shaving-brush, found a smooth, thin strip of board, and went to work. When he had finished, he hung his picture, a narrow, oblong panel, beside the others on the wall of the carriage-house.

The next morning there was great excitement among the landscape painters. "Who in thunder painted that?" the chief of them demanded. "Not I." "No, nor I." "Of course not!" exploded the chief. "You couldn't. That begins where you leave off." It was not very long before their host was found, and, being challenged with questions, made his surprising confession, and thenwell, one can better imagine than describe the sensation he caused. For,