THE WORKERS [Illustration: THE SENSE OF INFINITY IS HEIGHTENED BY THE FLOATING MIST.] THE WORKERS AN EXPERIMENT IN REALITY BY WALTER A. WYCKOFF ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL ECONOMY IN PRINCETON UNIVERSITY _THE WEST_ NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 1909 COPYRIGHT, 1898 BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS [Illustration] CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I THE ARMY OF THE UNEMPLOYED 1 CHAPTER II LIVING BY ODD JOBS 40 CHAPTER III FINDING STEADY WORK 86 CHAPTER IV A HAND-TRUCKMAN IN A FACTORY 147 CHAPTER V AMONG THE REVOLUTIONARIES 190 CHAPTER VI A ROAD BUILDER ON THE WORLD’S FAIR GROUNDS 247 CHAPTER VII FROM CHICAGO TO DENVER 288 CHAPTER VIII FROM DENVER TO THE PACIFIC 338 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE SENSE OF INFINITY IS HEIGHTENED BY THE FLOATING MIST Frontispiece FACING PAGE “THAT MEETING IS NOT FAR,” HE IS SAYING, “AND IT’S WARM THERE. WON’T YOU GO?” 16 IN THE CORNER NEAR US ARE THREE MEN, SLOUCHING, LISTLESS, WEARY SPECIMENS OF THEIR KIND, WHO ARE PLAYING “COMRADES” 24 SHE IS FACING US NEAR AT HAND, HER HEAD FRAMED IN THE DARK UMBRELLA WHICH RESTS UPON HER SHOULDER 30 OVERFLOWING THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR OF THE FARTHEST PASSAGE UPON THE FLOOR OF THE MAIN CORRIDOR ARE THE SPRAWLING FIGURES OF MEN ASLEEP 36 THE POLICE-STATION BREAKFAST 42 “OUT YOU GO, NOW” 50 “WE’LL FEED, PARTNER, WE’LL FEED” 54 ALL OF THEM WERE SHOUTING OATHS AND VIOLENT ABUSE 60 SHE DREW BACK AND LOOKED AT ME PERPLEXED 66 HE WAS PUTTING THE MEN THROUGH A CATECHISM RESPECTING THEIR NATIONALITIES, THEIR HOMES AND OCCUPATIONS, AND THEIR MOTIVES IN COMING TO CHICAGO 88 I THINK THAT THE COOK THOROUGHLY ENJOYED FEEDING US 94 IN THE MIDST OF THE APPLAUSE WHICH MARKED THE PASSAGE OF THE RESOLUTION, SHE WAS ON HER FEET 106 “DON’T YOU TOUCH IT,” SHE SAID, FIERCELY 114 “WE’VE GOT SOME GRUB, MA!” CRIED THE OLDER CHILD, IN A TONE OF SUCCESS, AS SHE RAN UP TO HER MOTHER WITH THE BASKET. “RILEY’S BARREL WAS FULL TO-NIGHT” 118 WAITING FOR A JOB OUTSIDE THE FACTORY GATES 130 I WAS STRONG AND WARM IN THE WILD JOY OF THE LUST FOR BLOOD 136 LOADING THE BOX-CARS UNDER CRIST’S GUIDANCE 150