the value of men's immortal souls. What care can men take
of their bodies and minds, let alone their souls, if you work them ten
hours a day?"

"There is a previous question, McNish," said the minister. "Why give
more leisure time to men who spend their leisure hours now in pool rooms
and that sort of nonsense?"

"And whose fault is that," replied McNish sharply. "Who is responsible
that they have not learned to use their leisure more wisely? And
further, what about your young bloods and their leisure hours?"

"Ay, A doot he has ye there, minister," said Mrs. McNish with a quiet
chuckle.

"He has," said the minister. "The point is well taken and I acknowledge
it freely. My position is that the men need more leisure, but, more than
that, they need instruction as to how to use their leisure time wisely.
But let us get on to the third point. 'A Joint Committee of References
demanded to which all complaints shall be referred.' Now, that's fine.
That's the Whitley plan. It is quite sound and has proved thoroughly
useful in practice."

"I quite agree," said Maitland frankly. "But certain conditions must be
observed."

"Of course, of course," replied the minister. "Conditions must be
observed everywhere. Now, the fourth point: 'The foreman must be a
member of the union.' Thoroughly unsound. They can't ride two horses at
once.

"I am not so sure of that," said Maitland. "For my part, I should like
to have retained my membership in the union. The more that both parties
meet for conference, the better. And the more connecting links between
them, the better. I should like to see a union where employers and
employees should have equal rights of membership."

McNish grunted contemptuously.

"It would be an interesting experiment," said the minister. "An
interesting experiment, McNish, and you are not to grunt like that. The
human element, of course, is the crux here. If we had the right sort
of foreman he might be trusted to be a member of the union, but a man
cannot direct and be directed at the same time. But that union of yours,
Maitland, with both parties represented in it, is a big idea. It is
worth considering. What do you think about it, McNish?"

"What do I think of it? It is sheer idealistic nonsense."

"It is a noble idea, laddie, and no to be sneered at, but A doot it
needs a better world for it than we hae at the present."

"I am afraid that is true," said the minister. "But meantime a foreman
is a man w