tension. The nervous speed with which the work must be done is to my mind a very real factor in it. And this must be always borne in mind, that they are not merely like the man who has so much ordinary work to do, but this particular work must be done with a very high percentage of accuracy. Mistakes are not to any considerable extent allowable at all. So that there is here not merely a physical but a mental tension, the tension of a keen mind directed to very accurate work. Under these circumstances, which I have tried to describe as simply as I could and very briefly, I have felt, and feel now, that this legislation, which provides for these carriers working 8 hours in a continuous 10, is in the first place practical legislation, requiring no serious trouble, causing no injury to the service, and occasioning no special difficulty or excessive expense in its establishment and operation. In the next place I feel that it is wise. We have a force of men that is, I think, admirable. The gentleman whose testimony I have read spoke with great pride of his working force. I believe the force is now somewhat overstrained nervously. I believe it ought to be so adjusted in these details that we may feel that these men are working within and not beyond their powers. From speech of CONGRESSMAN REDFIELD, on portion of Postal Appropriation Bill relating to hours of carriers. April 13, 1912. (Slight omissions made from report in "Congressional Record.") Although many theories, both scientific and moral, have been proved true to the satisfaction of most people, there are new ones always arising which are doubted for a long time. Some will be accepted, others overthrown. In this age of individualism many people express theories contrary to tradition. These can be tested only by experience. All of us have occasion to set forth for others the proofs of a recent theory of physics, or of medicine, or of the rightness of certain lines of conduct. We should be able to do so with clearness and force. Exercise XIV. Formulate in a brief, and afterward develop in an argument before the class, one of the following: 1. Air is a mixture. 2. The law of multiple proportions is tenable. 3. The wave theory of light is tenable. 4. The kinetic theory of gases (or of matter) is tenable. 5. The theory of magnets is tenable. 6. All bodies fall at the same rate. 7. The electron theory is tenable. 8. The theory of natural selection is tenable. 9. The theory of biologic evolution is tenable. 10. Tuberculosis is infectious. 11. The nebular hypothesis is tenable. 12. New York State is a glaciated region. Exercise XV. Let two or six pupils debate as to the validity of one of the following: 1. Alcoholism is hereditary. 2. Cigarettes are harmful. 3. The vegetarian diet is better than the mixed diet. 4. Most failures in school are due to physical defects. 5. German (or French) has as great disciplinary value as has Latin. 6. A natural science has as great a disciplinary value as has Latin. 7. All men are created equal. 8. Woman suffrage would purify politics. 9. Homicide in self-defense is justifiable. 10. Capital punishment is right. 11. A man is justified in spending Sunday according to his personal beliefs. 12. A voter should place party loyalty above personal convictions. 13. A boy is justified in refusing to tell the name of a culprit (under certain conditions). 14. The rule of the sea, that women should be saved before men, is a right one. 15. The theory that ignorance of the law excuses none is justifiable. Some questions which may be argued are a combination of belief and policy. Many of these affect our every-day conduct. Exercise XVI. Give concisely, in argumentative form, your reasons for the attitude you take on one of the following questions: 1. Is smuggling by tourists justifiable? 2. Should people give money to beggars? 3. Should stores be open evenings the three weeks preceding Christmas? 4. Should people celebrate Christmas by giving presents? 5. Is a detective justified in using a dictograph, or in concealing himself so as to overhear private conversations? 6. Should people patronize only those shops which sell no goods without a union label? 7. Are labor unions justified in demanding the "closed shop"? 8. Are labor unions justified in demanding reinstatement of employees discharged for what the employer deems just cause? 9. Should men be expected always to give up seats to women? 10. Should baseball games be allowed on Sunday? 11. Should museums and libraries be open on Sunday? 12. Should children be allowed to read the newspapers freely? 13. Should children be allowed the "funny pages" of the Sunday papers? 14. Should children be allowed to select their own books? 15. Should employers be forced to provide schooling for employees under sixteen? 16. Are pupils of the public schools justified in "going on strike" because they disapprove of some action of the Board of Education or faculty? |