It is Labor Day in America and Labour Day – Fête du Travail in Canada!
Back in 2019 I wrote two pieces for Labor Day describing how the mechanic societies organized to bring about more protections for themselves, their families and their actions to shorten the workday.
Rest for the Weary is about craftsmen’s associations and societies and you can find that post here.
From Six to Six covers the long struggle to reduce the workday from sunrise to sunset to a more humane ten-hour day. You can find that post here.
The Lost Art Pressers will soon be back from Handworks and my short residence is at an end.
–Suzanne Ellison
Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for what you will.
The “what you will part”, usually gets me in trouble.
That sounds great in theory, but i wonder where the 2-3 hour commute falls into!
Long commutes were unthinkable in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Now, they are the norm and significantly reduce time for rest and leisure.
My father began taking a fifteen or 20 minute afternoon nap daily beginning in college (at age 16) and did so the rest of his 95+ years. Whether or not that contributed to his long life, I doubt it hurt. As I advance in active years with my 8th decade within sight, I find a nap refreshing.
A good nap is a thing of beauty.
A wonderful residence it has been. Thank you for your work, always comprehensive and impressively concise for the amount of sheer information you must comb through.
That’s very kind of you!
Thank you very much for your efforts in these writings.
Thank you!
Your attention to detail and subject matter are superb. Looking forward to reading more from you. Thank you so much!
By all means, but right after you take a nap!
I am in a slow drift towards one right now…
Thank you! I’m working on a few posts for later in the year.
With all due respect, and a continued love of your writing, it is also Labour Day north of the 49th.
After smacking myself in the forehead, I corrected my declaration of Labor Day/Labour Day/Fête du Travail. Thanks!
There’s a monument to celebrate granting the 888 day in Melbourne from 1856.
Thanks, Michael. I’ve previously read about the stonemason’s protest, but didn’t know about the monument.
There’s also a plaque on the wall of the law faculty cloisters in Melbourne Uni commemorating where they lay down their tools and started their protest.
That great photo was apparently taken by Italian journalist Vittorio Pandolfi in Naples c.1950. Here’s a follow-up shot after the cabinetmaker (but not the cat) woke up from his nap:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PG7IPoiXbaA/WgZmP5eTOLI/AAAAAAABHx8/X665fS4Yrz8MaE9929xgzL33K4sWHdgogCLcBGAs/s1600/Naples%252C%2BItaly%2Bin%2Bthe%2BLate%2B1950s%2B%252812%2529.jpg
I pulled the photo from a French site a few years ago, but never found info on the photo or location. I have updated the photo. Grazie mille!
Thank you for your interregnum postings! I also enjoyed learning that labo(u)r in French is travail! Here’s Wishing you never find travail in your indexing abo(u)rs!
If you don’t mind, I’m going to take this as a invitation to, as my grandfather would say, to “rest my eyes” or “go visit Morpheus”. BTW, I love that photo. I’ve slept in that position. It’s surprisingly comfortable.