The records of American Labor

...But a l i b r a r y of source m a t e r i a l s i s u n i q u e a n d i r r e p l a c e able...

...One such l i b r a r y , p e r h a p s less known t h a n others, is t h a t of the American Labor Research I n s t i t u t e , housed at t East 15th S t r e e t , New York City...

...In the t r u e sense It is primitive...

...it has been t h e work of intelligence soliciting the donation of records of societies, t r a d e unions, and individual writers and leaders...

...It t r e a s u r e s manuscripts—minute books and correspondence—most of them never published and indeed to t h i s time only p a r t i a l l y utilized...

...I t s precious items a r e no mere second han'd accounts, no derived impressions, but testimony of t h e f o u n d e r s of thought and action...

...Broadus Mitchell MOST l i b r a r i e s , while represeiiting enormous s y s t e m a t i c industry, could be s u b s t a n t i a l l y ' r e p r o duced if destroyed...

...union periodicals...

...In some instances it has* publications of unions which the unions themselves have lost...

...They illustrate t h e hardihood of t r u e scholarly zeal...

...T h e first E u r o p e a n acquisition of the Labor Research I n s t i t u t e was Its di...

...The v a l u e of this mat e r i a l has recently been shown by an e l a b o r a t e index of t h e t r a d e union paperf, and magazines in t h e collection of Jobqa H o p k i n s University, edited by Professor* Reynolds and Killings worth...

...The I n s t i t u t e accepts material on indefinite loan in this way, agreeing not to permit its use without permission of the depositing org a n i z a t i o n . Now that, the American labor movement has come ot age, in numbers and influence, it can afford to t a k e s critical a t t i t u d e toward itself...

...r e c t o r s , Boris G. Nicolaevsky and Miss A n a a M. Bourgoina...

...When the history of t o r t u r e d hope is written, t h i s collection will furnish an indispensable chapter...

...In New York Cfcey promptly began again, building on t h e \ e x i s t i n g collection of t h e Rand School whicV had a l r e a d y benefited from the knowledge and devotion of such students a s AlgVnon Lee and others who deposited important papers in his keeping: I n d u s t r i o u s l y m a i n t a i n i n g their many c o n t a c t s with Europe, Mr...

...It is a young i n s t i t u t e but possesses records...

...The I n s t i t u t e aids labor historical and c o n t e m p o r a r y research...

...N a t u r a l l y , most of t h e m a t e r i a l of t he American Labor Research I n s t i t u t e is p r i n t e d . But it is a special kind of p r i n t e d matter, largely labor journals and newspapers, publications of limited c i r c u l a t i on which unless unfsilingly g a t h e r e d in some such piece would d i s - s p p e a r to t h e l a s t copy...

...Some of this m a t e r i a l relates to celeb r a t e d persons like FViedrich Engels, American followers of Robert Owen, the German leaders who c a m e here a f t e r t he Revolution of 1848, a n d o u r own Eugene V. Debs and Daniel DcLeon...

...This will not ba an academic mutter, but will have tha p r a c t i c a l purpose of guiding present and f u t u r e conduct...

...A few o t h e r l i b r a r i e s have such collections of...

...covering almost the e n t i r e ' 19th c e n t u r y . It w a s not able to r e a c h quick distinction by subsidized search and wholesale p u r c h a s e . Probably few such valuable collections have been brought together with less expenditure of mlney...

...Taken together, t h e y compose a chronicle of Isbor des i g n s , successes, snd failures...

...The I n s t i t u t e can tell numerous unions mora about their own h i s t o r i e s t h / h they know themselves...

...It i s one of t h e f o u n t a i n s of knowledge...

...i„ E u r o p e they presided over a distin* g u i s h e d collection of labor arid socialist rrTaterial, only to "be obliged, when the Nests came into control, to hide h a s ^y w h a t they could a n d flee...

...Such a storehouse of/ r e c o r d s of Isbor unions snd t h e i r politi* cal and cultural adjuncts becomes » necessary means of s t u d y and interpret a t i o n . Equally true with the saying "blessed is t h a t country which h«s no h i s t o r y " is a n o t h e r ; "Cursed is thatc o u n t r y which does not know i t s history if it has one," The American Labor Research I n s t i t u t e has been established to remove t h a t reproach from the unions of this country...

...But mora of it p e r t a i n s to a u t h o r s s u r p a s s i n g even t h e s e in fascination—unknown men and women, nobodies who t a k e on g r e a t n e ss because they tried sincerely t o speak for everybody...

...Nicolaevsky and Miss B o u r g u i n a immediately began d r a w i n g to t h e I n s t i t u t e papers published by the underground in all countries r e s i s t i n g the Nazis and Fascists, By devious routes, often at the peril of those who s i l e n t ly but s u r e l y cooperated, t h e s e papers reached New York to be classified and safely stored, Match of t h i s material e x i s t s nowhere else...

...The wreck of E u r o p e has made thia c o u n t r y the r e p o s i t o r y of much that wo n e v e r thought would •cross t h e Atlantic...

...Such l i b r a r i e s cannot well be graded in o r d e r of i m p o r t a n c e . They all possess the same q a a l i t y of evidence of the r aw m a t e r i a l of n a t u r e , life, and experience...

...Appreciating tnis, some unions have deposited archives with the I n s t i t u t e for safekeeping, a n l mors are- invited to do so...

...source m a t e r i a l s , records of t h e beginnings and development of the labor movement, ind u s t r i a l and political, in t h i s country...

...It contains among its extensive...

...These nameless voices come to us o u t of t h e void of h i s t o r y , defining, in their very anonymity, whst would otherwise be conjecture...

...Wherever it is located It will d r aw students from many l a n d s . Being t h e seedbed, it may bear fruit in more booka thsri it c o n t a i n s . , New York City has s o u r c e l i b r a r i e s in numerous Melds of science, a r t , and l e t t e r s . Their d i r e c t o r s , of course, s re much more t h a n c u s t o d i a n s . They must be originsl s c h o l a r s , i n v e t e r a t e explorers, less concerned with consequences than with causes...

...It is prepared now, though in a way more limited than it hopes will be t h e case at some time in t h e f u t u r e , to a n s w e r inquiries of unions, t o \ furnish microfilm of records in its collections, and t o provide facilities to t h o s e who come to it in person...