When capitalism was young and trade unionism was in its infancy, the masters took very little interest in the welfare and education of the “philanthropists” who provided their comforts. But with the development of the tools of production and the necessity for a more highly trained working population, the masters discovered, to their dismay, that the rabble had to be equipped with a certain amount of knowledge. Consequently, schools quickly sprung up and in a surprisingly short period of time the working class had mastered the three "Rs.” Of course, although the masters are well aware that their workers must read and write in order to run the system for them, the disadvantage is that there is no check upon what they read and write. Therefore it is necessary for the capitalist class to engage in a ceaseless barrage of propaganda through the medium of the press and radio, to convince workers that this is the best of all possible systems and that they (the Capitalists) are here to stay. Nevertheless it has become increasingly obvious to the masters that although the “Goose that lays the Golden Eggs” is still blissfully unaware of his amazing qualities and capabilities, there is a considerable amount of drudgery in the poor wretches' life which, if not arrested, might result in a smaller egg. Therefore during recent years it has been found advantageous to invest a little capital in brightening up factory conditions and providing all sorts of undreamt-of welfare amenities to make things more agreeable to the inmates.
It has been proved conclusively that we workers lend and apply ourselves far more willingly to the process of being exploited under congenial conditions., than under the dark and miserable conditions of years ago. This fact reflects itself immediately in an egg of considerably larger dimensions.
So much are our masters aware of the growing lethargy in our ranks that they often print bright little articles in the press suggesting ways and means that we ourselves can assist in making this life a little less humdrum. For instance, the person who travels to work by bus every day along the same old route with the same familiar faces, passing the same familiar objects; he should go by train for a change. Undoubtedly this momentous step in his life will present fresh fields to conquer and provide many exciting hours eagerly scanning fresh faces and scenery. Of course the period in between coming and going will unfortunately remain unchanged but no doubt this will lose some of its boredom with the anticipation of the new and exciting journey home.
Almost every day we read about young people who, rather than spend their lives unobtrusively in factory or office, revolt, and seek to satisfy their craving for colour and excitement along other channels. It is significant that today the prisons and mental institutions are overflowing with customers requiring treatment. It is more than coincidental that with the development of modern capitalism, the population of these respective centres has more than doubled during recent years, and given the continuation of capitalism it is extremely likely that we shall eventually run out of storage space for these unfortunate individuals.
On the industrial field we find that the inevitable trend of capitalism is to reduce previously complicated tasks that required individual attention and skill into simpler operations. The introduction of the conveyor belt system has banished the old craftsman and taken the joy of creating beautiful articles away from mankind, substituting the mass production of shoddy and cheap commodities. To such an extent has this change been accomplished that it is no wonder that society has temporarily forgotten how to appreciate well balanced design and beauty, even to the extent of preferring the ugly to the beautiful, or further, being incapable of distinguishing either.
It is comforting at least to know that capitalism, in spite of its apparent strength and universal acceptance, cannot exist for ever and that a new and better form of society will one day replace it. This will bring with it the joy of living and working for the benefit of all mankind and will instil new and finer characteristics into man’s mental and physical make up.
G. L.
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