Sanny M’Nee, voice of the Glaswegian working class, gives, with bitter humor and full Scottish vernacular, a proletarian response to Britain’s Summer Time Act of 1916. M’Nee was the pen name of a popular contributor to Glasgow’s socialist Forward newspaper whose missives were reprinted here by the Review. Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. was introduced the following year.

‘On Daylight Saving and Night and Day Robbery’ by Sanny M’Nee from International Socialist Review. Vol. 17 No. 1. July, 1917.

Arise in the mornin’ early,
Afore the cock diz craw,
An’ hasten tae me slumers,
Ere daylicht flees awa.

Arise in the mornin’ early,
The maister maks the laws,
An’ tho’ A grudge it sairly,
The master hauds the tawse.

SAE we hae gotten Compulsory Saving at last, altho’ it’s only Daylight Saving, still it’s a start; we’ll git mair compulsory saving by an’ by. Bit, it wanna tak the form o’ Compulsory Saving frae the Daylight Robbery o’ the maister cless; it maun gaun on nicht an* day. The Daylight Saving Act is fur the saving o’ the gas, but we hae hid compulsory gas saving this lang while. The maister hes been trying tae save Henry Dubb frae the pushonous gas gien not frae the Socialist gas bags. The pure lamb-like, or is it sheep-like, mind o’ Henry Dubb maun be saved frae a dose o’ Socialist gas. The maister diznae beleeve in ony gas thet diznae come frae his ain gas plant, an’ faith, we hae a’ been weel gassed frae the maister’s plant since the war began. Jist see hoo we ir being gassed owre this Daylicht Savin’ Act; a’ bodie wid think tae hear thim, thet this daylicht bisness wis a piece o’ pure sacrifice on the pairt o’ the maister fur the benefit o’ the wurker. The self-sacrificin’ maister, hooever, diznae seem tae be wantin’ ony o’ the benefits o’ early risen that he hes lavished on the wurkers. The maister is gaun tae lie in his bed is lang as he likes in the mornin’, an’ bide up is late at nicht is he likes. Whit the maister says is this: “Noo, Henry, since A hae bestowed on ye this great benefit o’ early risin’, ye wull be able tae wurk langer an’ harder than ever, an’ A expect ye tae dae it, tae.” The maister, the great maister o’ maisters, wha, abin’ a’ ither maisters, hes the interests o’ the wurkin’ cless it his hert. (A dinnae mention nae names, becis this is a free country), the maister says: “Noo, Henry, seein’ the great amount o’ additional fresh air ye got frae yir early risin’, ye’ll no need ony holidays this year.” Think o’ the great amount o’ fresh air ye git walkin’ frae yir hoose in a back street tae git up in the mornin’ early an’ tak wife talks aboot a holiday, jist tell her tae git up in the mornin’ early an’ tak a walk tae hersel. If she complains o’ bein’ shut up in a stuffy hoose a’ the year lang, jist tell her tae gang an’ git a job in a nice, healthy airy mull, fur a holiday.

They say it maks ye healthy
Tae rise it the break o’ day;
It maks the maister wealthy,
But it diznae rise yer pay!

Whit wid ye dae wi’ a rise in yir pay, onywey; buy pianos wi’ it, when ye ken pianos ir ony fur playin’ in the lang, dark nichts; an’ if ye rise early an’ bed early, ye wull hae nae lang dark nichts tae play the piano in. Of course, it’s a wee bit hard on thim thet’s already bought £50 pianos, sae they’ll jist hae tae think o’ thir neighbour thro’ the wa’ wha hes tae rise in the mornin’ early, an’ gie the piano a rest fur a wee while.

It cannae be said, of course, thet the wurker hesnae been weel telt by the maister aboot the folly an’ sinfulness o’ wastin’ his pay on pianos. In fact, guid advice tae the wurkers is aboot the only thing the maister beleeves in giein’ awa wi’ a free haun, an’ naethin’ angers the maister waur than fur the worker tae scorn the maister’s guid advice, “Tae look his gien co oin the mou.” Gin ye turn up yir nose it the maister’s guid advice, the maister wull dae his vera best tae teach ye a lesson, an’ let ye flen he is the maister.

The maisters fond o’ preachin’
Tae the wurkers in the mull;
The maister’s fond o’ teachin’
Thim thet cross his wull.

It’s a gey bad thing fur the wurker tae cross the maister’s wull, an’ preach Scripture tae him: “Is thy servant a dog that should do this thing?” Of course, the wurker is a dug, an’ if the maister says, “Tae yir kennel early, an’ rise in the mornin’…the wurker maun dae it. It’s guid for the wurker’s health an’ the maister’s pooch. “Is they servant a dog that he should do this thing?” It’s a bad, bad Book the Bible, an’ thir’s a lot o’ bad, bad things in it. The Bible pits a lot o’ bad thochts intae some o’ the wurker’s minds. Thir’s the Commandments, fur instance!

It’s a bad, bad book, the Bible, thir’s nae doot aboot it. It’s time the Censor wis dealin’ wi’ it. Whit the wurker hes tae dae is tae let the maister dae the preachin’ an’ teachin’ an’ no speir questions oot o’ the Bible or onythin’ else.

If the maister says early risin’ is guid fur the wurker’s health, whit richt hes the wurker tae murmur aboot needin’ mair money tae buy peasemeal an’ Curem’s Pills. Whit diz the wurker need Curem’s Pills fur, whin he gets the benefit o’ the caller mornin’ air, an’ his puir maister lyin’ still in bed sae is no tae rob the puir wurker o’ the benefits o’ early risin’.

Oh, the mornin’ may be cheery,
Is tae the mull we trudge;
Bit the lang, lang day is weary,
An’ they pey us wi’ a grudge.
O’ the maister’s fond o’ preachin’,
Is solemn is a judge;
Bit, O, the maister’s teachin’
Is a bloomin’ lot o’ fudge!

— From Forward, Glasgow.

The International Socialist Review (ISR) was published monthly in Chicago from 1900 until 1918 by Charles H. Kerr and critically loyal to the Socialist Party of America. It is one of the essential publications in U.S. left history. During the editorship of A.M. Simons it was largely theoretical and moderate. In 1908, Charles H. Kerr took over as editor with strong influence from Mary E Marcy. The magazine became the foremost proponent of the SP’s left wing growing to tens of thousands of subscribers. It remained revolutionary in outlook and anti-militarist during World War One. It liberally used photographs and images, with news, theory, arts and organizing in its pages. It articles, reports and essays are an invaluable record of the U.S. class struggle and the development of Marxism in the decades before the Soviet experience. It was closed down in government repression in 1918.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/isr/v17n01-jul-1916-ISR-riaz-ocr.pdf