Article July 12, 1919 Issue

Workers and Work

BEATRICE CLAYTON

In Exodus is the story of Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, whose name signifies, "in the shadow of God." Of this Bezaleel Moses declared that God had filled him with His spirit "in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.... And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab ... Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver ... and of the embroiderer, ... and of the weaver, even of them that do any work." And the story continues that Bezaleel and Aholiab, yea, and "every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom and understanding to know how to work ... even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it," wrought for the service of the sanctuary; and so came that transcendent experience, repeated in our day, that the offering brought by the people for the tabernacle was "much more than enough for the service of the work.... So the people were restrained from bringing."

Here in the second book of the Bible is set forth the sacredness of many kinds of work now termed secular; and it is made plain that not only one or two but every "wise hearted man" is privileged to enter into this sacredness. What if in these days the embroiderer, the weaver, the goldsmith, the lapidary, the wood carver, the engraver, the carpenter, the spinner, the metal worker, each wrought as for "the service of the sanctuary"? Could there be any poor or slipshod work? Could there be any people underpaid or unemployed? "It is sad," our Leader observes on page 40 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "that the phrase divine service has come so generally to mean public worship instead of daily deeds." Says Ruskin, "Alas! unless we perform divine service in every willing act of our life, we never perform it at all." It may seem to the worker of to-day that immense business enterprises and complex business organization tend to dwarf individuality. In many cases the daily task of the worker may not seem to call out the best in him, and may seem to possess but little relationship to the higher faculties of imagination, invention, intuition. Conversely, it may be regarded by him as a means to an end; a drudgery which he is compelled to perform in order to secure the necessities of life; something to be got rid of, or got out of, as quickly as possible. Consenting to this false view, how different the status of the worker from that of Bezaleel, the patient craftsman, the Jewish artificer of the fifteenth century b.c. , who lovingly fashioned the ark of shittim wood and overlaid it with gold.

Many there are in the world who see the vision but fancy themselves so hampered by circumstances that they cannot carve that vision upon the enduring surfaces of "the things which remain." Many eager ones there are, men and women who put love into their work and crave excellence above reward. Many disappointed ones there are who feel as though a cheapening process in the world's activities dooms their efforts to be unappreciated. To all such Christian Science comes uplifting the true standard, the unalterable standard of perfection. It presents to the worker the true concept of substance and leads him to see that the only real activity is God's, and that if he reflects this activity his work is valuable and sure of proportionate reward. It shows him the relation between work and service and sets before him the open door of escape from the sense of servility in the task performed "grudgingly, or of necessity," into the realm of the thinker and designer who fashions forms of beauty because he loves his work and his work expresses love. It heralds the day when no false sense will come between the employer and the employee, because it will be understood that all work is the Father's business and that He it is who gives wisdom and understanding to every one whose heart stirs him up "to come unto the work to do it."

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