“Nonsense, Malcolm. You can't object to talk over these points with us. You must talk them over before you're done with them. And you'll talk them over before the whole town, too.”
“What do you mean, 'before the whole town'?” said Malcolm.
“This is a community question. This community is interested and greatly interested. It will demand a full exposition of the attitude of the unions.”
“The community!” snorted McNish in contempt.
“Aye, the community,” replied the minister, “and you are not to snort at it. That's the trouble with you labour folk. You think you are the whole thing. You forget the third and most important party in any industrial strife, the community. The community is interested first, in justice being done to its citizens—to all its citizens, mind you; second, in the preservation of the services necessary to its comfort and well-being; third, in the continuance of the means of livelihood to wage earners.”
“Ye missed one,” said McNish grimly. “The conserving of the profits of labour for the benefit of the capitalist.”
“I might have put that in, too,” said the minister, “but it is included in my first. But I should have added another which, to my mind, is of the very first importance, the preservation of the spirit of brotherly feeling and Christian decency as between man and man in this community.”
“Aye, ye might,” replied Malcolm in bitter irony, “and ye might begin with the ministers and the churches.”
“Whisht, laddie,” said his mother sharply, “Mind yer manners.”
“He doesn't mean me specially, Mrs. McNish, but I will not say but what he is right.”