Dr. Jonathan | Page 8

who
have too much sense and too much patriotism to mix yourselves up

with trouble makers. But I, too, can understand your feeling,--I'd like to
be going myself. You might have consulted me, but your place will be
ready for you when you come back.
BERT. Thank you, sir. (He turns his hat over in his hands.) Maybe it
would be fair to tell you, Mr. Pindar, that I've got a union card in my
pocket.
ASHER. You, Timothy Farrell's son!
TIMOTHY. What's that? And never a word to me!
BERT (to TIMOTHY). Why wouldn't I join the union? I took out the
card this morning, when I see that that's the only way we'll get what's
coming to us. We ain't got a chance against the, employers without the
union.
TIMOTHY. God help me, to think my son would join the union,--and
he going to be a soldier!
BERT (glancing at GEORGE). I guess there'll be other union men in
the trenches besides me.
ASHER. Soldier or no soldier, I'll never employ any man again who's
joined a union.
GEORGE (perturbed). Hold on, dad!
ASHER. I mean what I say, I don't care who he is.
BERT (who retains his self-possession). Excuse me, Mr. Pindar, but I'd
like to ask you a question--I've heard the men talking about this in the
shops. You don't like it if we go off to--fight, but if we join the union
you fire us, no matter how short-handed you are.
ASHER. It's a principle with me,--I won't have any outside agency
dictating to me.
BERT. But if it came to recognizing the union, or shutting down?
ASHER. I'd shut down tomorrow.
(GEORGE, who sees the point, makes a gesture as if about to
interrupt.)
BERT. That's what I'm getting at, Mr. Pindar. You say you'd shut down
for a principle, whether the government gets the machines or not. And
the men say they'd join the union for a principle, whether the
government gets the machines or not. It looks to me as if both was
hindering the war for a principle, and the question is, which principle is
it that agrees best with what we're fighting for?
ASHER. No man joins a union for a principle, but for extortion. I can't

discuss it,--I won't!
BERT. I'm sorry, sir.
(He turns to go out, lower right.)
GEORGE (overtaking him and grasping his hand). So long, Bert. I'll
look you up, over there!
BERT (gazing at him). All right, Mr. George.
GEORGE. Goodbye, Timothy. Don't worry about the boy.
TIMOTHY. It's proud I am to have him go. Mr. George,--but I can't
think why he'd be joining the union, and never telling me.
(He stands for a moment troubled, glancing at ASHER, torn between
loyalty to his employer and affection for his son. Then he goes out
slowly, upper right. All the while DR. JONATHAN has stood in the
rear of the room, occasionally glancing at GEORGE. He now comes
forward, unobtrusively, yet withal impressively.)
ASHER. I never expected to hear such talk from a son of Timothy
Farrell,--a boy I thought was level-headed. (To DR. JONATHAN)
What do you think of that? You heard it.
DR. JONATHAN. Well, he stated the issue, Asher.
ASHER. The issue of what?
DR. JONATHAN. Of the new century.
GEORGE. The issue of the new century
ASHER. You're right, we've got to put these people down. After the
war they'll come to heel,--we'll have a cheap labour market then.
DR. JONATHAN. Humanity has always been cheap, but we're
spending it rather lavishly just now.
ASHER, You mean that there will be a scarcity of labour? And that
they can continue to blackmail us into paying these outrageous wages?
DR. JONATHAN. When you pay a man wages, Asher, you own
him,--until he is turned over to somebody else.
ASHER (puzzled, a little suspicious for the first time). I own his labour,
of course.
DR. JONATHAN. Then you own his body, and his soul. Perhaps he
resents being regarded as a commodity.
ASHER. What else is labour?
DR. JONATHAN. How would you like to be a commodity?
ASHER. I? I don't see what that has to do with it. These men have no
consideration, no gratitude, after the way I've treated them.

DR. JONATHAN. Isn't that what they object to?
ASHER. What?
DR. JONATHAN. To being treated.
ASHER. Object to kindness?
DR. JONATHAN. To benevolence.
ASHER. Well, what's the difference?
DR. JONATHAN. The difference between selfrespect and dependence.
ASHER. Are--are you a Socialist?
DR. JONATHAN. NO, I'm a scientist.
(ASHER is standing staring at him when the MAID enters, lower
right.)
MAID. Your long distance call to Washington, sir.
ASHER. Very well.
(As he starts to go out he halts and looks at DR. JONATHAN again,
and then abruptly leaves the room, lower right,