The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest / The writings of philosophers, poets, novelists, social reformers, and others who have voiced the struggle against social injustice; selected from twenty-five languages; covering a period of five thousand years

by Unknown

Shame and despair are mine from day to day,

But, being no bird, I cannot fly away.

Free Labor

By Haggai

(Hebrew prophet, B.C. 515)

He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Plutus

By Aristophanes

(Greek comedy writer and satirist; B.C. 450-380. There is probably not a Socialist in the world who has not been asked the question: “Who will do the dirty work?” It is interesting to see this difficulty set forth in a comedy which was staged in Athens in the year 408 B.C. Chremylus and Blepsidemus, two citizens, have taken in charge Plutus, the god of wealth, who is blind. They have undertaken to cure him of his blindness; but an old hag by the name of Poverty appears, and offers to convince them that their success would mean a calamity to the human race)