Forced to be immobile, I have been sitting here watching the men next to the lake house put in a new pier . I have been admiring the precision with which they work. They work together like a well-oiled machine knowing what to do next and which man will do what to accomplish their goal. They both carry out the long pieces of wood , one on each end and lay it carefully in a predetermined order on the part that is finished. One does the welding and the other holds the framing piece upright and checks that it is straight.
Long have we extolled the artists, the musicians, the writers, even architects but I do not know of any museums dedicated to workmen. And where would we be if we did not have skilled workmen in many fields? The knowledge that they possess and the skills they have honed and passed on to future generations is unfathomable. In our everyday lives, the skill of the electrician, the desperate help of the plumber, the carpenters that build and add on to our homes all bring to mind the value of these people. The mechanics, the repairmen for every appliance, the roofers—all make the world go around and we just accept it as an everyday thing when it is really a great thing.
So I say, HAIL TO THR WORKMEN OF THE WORLD and God bless ‘em for being.
