Labor Day

Today is Labor Day. Americans celebrate Labor Day as the symbolic end of summer. People will travel and visit places, some will grill out, and others will enjoy the holiday off from work. It's the last official day of summer students can enjoy before heading back to school. Today most schools begin their year in August. Years ago students began their school year the day after Labor Day. Labor Day also marks the beginning of College and NFL Football, even though the regular season starts a few days before Labor Day. Labor Day is also marked with parades and the start of many political campaigns prior to the general election in November.

What are the origins behind Labor Day? Labor Day began in Canada in the 1870's as a result of Labor disputes in Toronto and Hamilton, Canada. It resulted in the Trade Union Act in Canada which protected union activity in 1872. The Canadians held labor festivals supporting the writer's strike and the Nine Hour Movement. American Labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed the festival in Canada and helped organize the first Labor Day Celebration in New York City. New York City was the first city to celebrate Labor Day on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in America. Starting in 1884, Labor Day was moved to the first Monday in September.

In 1894, the Pullman's Strike took place in Pullman, Illinois. There was lower demand for rail cars and as a result George Pullman laid off several workers. Those that remained at the company received wage cuts but the rent the workers had paid remained consistent. Therefore, they protested over that and a riot ensued. President Glover Cleveland considered the strike illegal so he sent the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals to break up the strike. Several workers died as a result. Due to that incident, Congress rushed through a bill which made Labor Day a national holiday. It's been a national holiday since.

Let's not forget the meaning of this holiday. While we are celebrating this day with picnics, parades, football, and political stump speeches, let's remember all the sacrifices that have been made in our country over the last two centuries. This great country was built with numerous people and tons of labor. You can't accomplish anything unless you're willing to labor. We live in a society today where we have a generation of people that don't have much desire to work. That's tragic. We've lost the "Protestant work ethic" that has built this nation over the last couple of centuries. You can never know the joys and satisfaction of accomplishment unless you commence a project and then finish it in its entirety. We hear many psychologists stress the importance of building "self-esteem" in our young children. One of the greatest ways to build "self-esteem" in our young children is to instill in them a strong work ethic. Give them a project to work with and make them finish it to its entirety. They will possess a sense of self-worth if we give them opportunities to work. Without labor there'll be no success.

As a result of the Fall of Man, God told Adam that he would have to toil and labor due to the ground being cursed with thorns and thistles. God didn't implement the work ethic due to the fall. It's just that there will be obstacles in working due to the curse. I believe if man never fell he would be working. When you read the Bible, you read the importance of labor. If a man doesn't work, he will live in poverty. Have a great Labor Day and let's get busy and accomplish something.