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Article A FEW WORDS ON BENEFIT SOCIETIES. ← Page 3 of 9 →
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A Few Words On Benefit Societies.
extermination of thc individuals , can kill the life that is in them . Not only did tho Guilds bafllo all the adverse edicts and denunciations , but they continued steadily to advance , obtaining not merely the toleration but the favour of thc State ; and from the thirteenth century , these associations , AA'hich had hitherto boon governed by thoir private regulations , obtained full sanction of their ordinances from those authorities Avho could render them coercive according to the law . " *
That there was a permanent vitality inherent m a society thus based upon deep religious motives , as Avell as upon the most tender regard for personal and mutual security , cannot be matter of doubt . The Craftsman looked upon the implements of his trade not merely as the means of obtaining his OAVU existence , but was taught to look upon that very existence as a
privilege , as a something for Avhich he Avas bound to render an equivalent , either by protection afforded to his Brothers in the same department , or by such Avorks as Ai ere creditable to the whole body of ivhich he felt himself a member , and Avith whose soundness he felt his own Avelfare indissolublv connected .
Moreover , the link between the employer ancl the employed was riveted far closer than in these days , AA hen to be " aboA'e one ' s business " is too often the highest aim of the manufacturer or superior tradesman . Ancl the A ery existence of these Guilds , like that of Freemasonry , was a problem . We mig ht have asked with M .
Michelet , "whence came they ? " In fact , they had a natural birth in the heart of man , yearning for some means of uniting himself Avith his felloAV , struggling to realize by combination that success and perfection Aidiich belongs not to the singlehanded worker . To preserve a proper respect for their art , it Avas necessary to protect it from the innovations of pretenders ;
there ivas , so to say , a kind of mysterious copyright in these systems of design and reproduction , which , even despite their frequent quaintness and Avhimsicality , render the art-efforts of the Middle Ages still models for admiration and imitation . I ivill HOAV "take another leaf" out of the good book just quoted , ancl give Sir Francis Palgrave's clever sketch of the "Constitutions" of the "Painters' Craft : " —
" Do you , reader , listen attentively to their words , for the monk of Croyland has extracted them from ' Liber Ordinationum , ' and I doubt if you have ever had an opportunity of hearing them before . " Humbly , we good men of the Painters' Craft , of the Guild of St . Luke , beseech your worships to confirm the ordinances , b y common assent made , for the advancement of our trade , and the prevention of fraud and falsehood in our praiseworthy mystery . " Imprimis . —That no Craftsman shall use or employ other colours than
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Few Words On Benefit Societies.
extermination of thc individuals , can kill the life that is in them . Not only did tho Guilds bafllo all the adverse edicts and denunciations , but they continued steadily to advance , obtaining not merely the toleration but the favour of thc State ; and from the thirteenth century , these associations , AA'hich had hitherto boon governed by thoir private regulations , obtained full sanction of their ordinances from those authorities Avho could render them coercive according to the law . " *
That there was a permanent vitality inherent m a society thus based upon deep religious motives , as Avell as upon the most tender regard for personal and mutual security , cannot be matter of doubt . The Craftsman looked upon the implements of his trade not merely as the means of obtaining his OAVU existence , but was taught to look upon that very existence as a
privilege , as a something for Avhich he Avas bound to render an equivalent , either by protection afforded to his Brothers in the same department , or by such Avorks as Ai ere creditable to the whole body of ivhich he felt himself a member , and Avith whose soundness he felt his own Avelfare indissolublv connected .
Moreover , the link between the employer ancl the employed was riveted far closer than in these days , AA hen to be " aboA'e one ' s business " is too often the highest aim of the manufacturer or superior tradesman . Ancl the A ery existence of these Guilds , like that of Freemasonry , was a problem . We mig ht have asked with M .
Michelet , "whence came they ? " In fact , they had a natural birth in the heart of man , yearning for some means of uniting himself Avith his felloAV , struggling to realize by combination that success and perfection Aidiich belongs not to the singlehanded worker . To preserve a proper respect for their art , it Avas necessary to protect it from the innovations of pretenders ;
there ivas , so to say , a kind of mysterious copyright in these systems of design and reproduction , which , even despite their frequent quaintness and Avhimsicality , render the art-efforts of the Middle Ages still models for admiration and imitation . I ivill HOAV "take another leaf" out of the good book just quoted , ancl give Sir Francis Palgrave's clever sketch of the "Constitutions" of the "Painters' Craft : " —
" Do you , reader , listen attentively to their words , for the monk of Croyland has extracted them from ' Liber Ordinationum , ' and I doubt if you have ever had an opportunity of hearing them before . " Humbly , we good men of the Painters' Craft , of the Guild of St . Luke , beseech your worships to confirm the ordinances , b y common assent made , for the advancement of our trade , and the prevention of fraud and falsehood in our praiseworthy mystery . " Imprimis . —That no Craftsman shall use or employ other colours than