Combination might seem the natural refuge of
isolated workers beaten down to starvation point
by the iron laws of competition. But history shows
us that revolutions seldom occur when they are
most needed — that is to say, at the extreme point
of depression. People who have sunk too low
lose the recuperative power which would help them
to rise again. The history of labour movements
is no exception to the general rule. The great
and enduring Trade Unions have generally been
formed among the better paid and more skilled
artisans, and it is still uncertain how far the mass
of unskilled labourers can prove themselves capable
of forming durable combinations. Now, a close
combination of highly skilled workmen may com-
mand and deserve little sympathy from the general
public. It may be inspired by all the ambitions
of a narrow ring of monopolists, and it would be
ill to deny that the monopolistic spirit has ever
swayed a Trade Union. Fortunately, it has in the
main been checked and overborne by a wider
feeling of class sympathy, and particularly since
the advent of the " New Unionism " in the later
years of last century, the highly organised work-
man has tutored and led and at times effectively
assisted his less fortunate brother. Combinations
of unskilled labour have, in fact, been formed
from time to time with striking temporary success,
as witness the movements of the past year. Nor
do such movements pass away without leaving
at least a nucleus of solid organisation behind.
22 THE LABOUE MOVEMENT

A permanent and dominant force among miners
and artisans, combination is at lowest a principle
of spasmodic but recurrent and effective energy
among workers of lower grades.
