years, and here and
there a grey head stood out in bold relief--but the majority of them
were mere boys, youthful soldiers in the Social Revolution, fine and
clean and loyal material called together by the compelling ideal of a
New Society.

The predominance of young blood in the organization was noted in the
report of the 1912 convention, where it was shown that ninety per cent
of the membership were under thirty years of age, due of course to the
fact that the modern tendency is to displace the older men in industry.
As one wit has put it "If a man works as hard as the employers want him
to he is worn out at forty-five; if he isn't worn out at forty-five he
is not the kind of worker the employers want." Others have noted the
percentage of the very young. John Graham Brooks, for instance, in
"American Syndicalism--The I. W. W." has this to say:

"Of the same nature as a characteristic is the +youth+ of the membership.
The groups I saw in the West bore this stamp so unmistakably as to
suggest bodies of students at the end of a rather jolly picnic. The
word 'bum' usually applied to them in that region does not fit them.
There are plenty of older men, as there are men with every appearance of
being 'down and out'--with trousers chewed off at the heels, after the
manner of tramps, but in face and bearing they are far from 'bums.' In
one of the speeches the young were addressed as 'best material;' because
they could stand the wear and tear of racking journeys. They were free
from family responsibilities, and could at any moment respond to the
call of duty."

Bearing out this idea, tho along a somewhat different line, is an
excerpt from an article by Anna Louise Strong which appeared in the
Survey magazine just prior to the trial. This and other articles,
together with the personal efforts of Miss Strong, whose official
standing as a member of the Seattle School Board and as Executive
Secretary of the Seattle Council of Social Agencies gave weight to her
opinion, did much toward creating a favorable public sentiment during
the trial. Says Miss Strong:

"The boys in jail are a cheerful lot. The 'tanks' which contain them are
the tanks of the usual county jail, much overcrowded now by the unusual
number. Bunks crowded above each other, in full sight thru the bars; a
few feet away, all the processes of life open to the casual beholder.
But they sit in groups playing cards or dominoes; they listen to tunes
played on the mo