International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1947)

Trade Unions in America By JOHN P. FREY President, Metal Trades Department, A. F. of L. This is the second of a series of articles constituting excerpts from the book "Craft Unions of Ancient and Modern Times," which was privately published and copyrighted by this militant American labor leader. Subsequently installments will chart the progress of organized labor from the earliest known to modern times. OF THE Phoenician crafts our principal source of information is from the "History of the Jews" of Flavius Josephus, who lived when Titus conquered and despoiled Jerusalem, and from the account of the building of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem which is found in First Kings and Second Chronicles in the Old Testament. We will return to these Phoenician craftsmen later on, after examining some of the records left by Roman craftsmen. The earliest historical reference is given by that greatest biographer of the Roman period, Plutarch, A. D. 45-120. In his life of Numa Pompilius, Plutarch writes, in part: "But of all his measures the most commended was his distribution of the people by their trades into companies, or guilds; for as the city consisted of, or rather did not consist of, but was divided into, two different tribes, the diversity between which could not be effaced and in the meantime prevented all unity, and caused perpetual tumult and ill blood, reflecting how hard substances that do not readily mix when in the lump may, by being beaten into powder, in that minute form be combined, he resolved to divide the old population into a number of small divisions, and thus hoped, by introducing other distinctions, to obliterate the original and greater distinction, which would be lost among the smaller. "So distinguishing the whole people by the several arts and trades, he formed the companies of musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, skinners, brazers (metal workers) and potters, and all other handicraftsmen he composed and reduced into a single company, appointing every one their proper courts, councils and religious observances. In this manner all factions, distinctions began for the first time to pass out of use, no person any longer being either thought of or spoken of under the nation as a Sabine or a Roman, Romulan or a Tatian; and the new division became a source of general harmony and intermixture." If Plutarch had been a craftsman, his account would have been more illuminating, for his understanding of what was done by Numa Pompilius would have been more explicit. The Roman Kingdom came into existence some 700 years B. C. At that time, small as Rome was, the craftsmen had already organized their craft unions. Unions Increase and Flourish Apparently these unions were composed of separate organizations of the same craft, the division being the tribal or national origin, whether Roman, Sabine, Romulan or Tatian. It was much the: same .as though our national and international unions of today were based upon national origins as well as upon craft. Then we would have a number of international unions of the same craft but conflicting national origin, creating a confusion and turmoil which would make our occasional jurisdictional squabbles pale into insignificance. The crafts, divided against each other by national origins, would have been helpless to protect themselves from exploitation. What is of outstanding importance is the fact indicated by Plutarch's account, that before the beginning of the Roman King Two "Mint Marks" Bring Money to Your Box Office • Two, tiny, colored dots on Super Cinephor lenses mean the finest in motion picture projection . . . better definition, contrast, more shadow detail, greater purity of color, and long-lived high efficiency . . . more box office appeal. PURPLE DOT means that Super Cinephor lens surfaces have been Balcoted, which cuts to a minimum light loss due to reflection from air-to-glass surfaces, increases light transmission 30%. YELLOW DOT means that Super Cinephor lens elements have been cemented by a special heat-resisting, permanently clear, synthetic thermosetting cement, perfected by B&L. This cement withstands the high heat of the arc without fracturing, blistering, or crystallizing. BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL COMPANY ROCHESTER 2, N. Y. 24 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • January 1947