"THE WORKINGMAN'S HOUR".

This article presents information on the first Labor day parade being organized at Boston. Thousands lined the side-walks of the parade route, while hundreds more stood on balconies and rooftops to catch a glimpse of this army of organized workers. At the head of the three mile procession were leaders of the Knights of Labor and the trade unions. Although day laborers and factory operatives participated in the demonstration, the skilled trades comprised the main body of the marchers. The events of 1886 marked the emergence of a viable and growing workers movement in Boston. The thousands of working people at Boston's first Labor Day parade marked the strong existence of the union of wage-earners. However, the kind of "self protection" the movement would ultimately promote is not clear. That would largely depend on the resolution of tensions and ambiguities within the labor movement in the future. The events of 1886 marked the emergence of a viable and growing workers movement in Boston. The upsurge in labor activity in recent times has revealed a movement undreamed of a year before.