This sale is for an original and heavily illustrated 1885 edition of " KINGS OF CAPITAL and KNIGHTS OF LABOR " by. John McDowell Leavitt.  This work employs fiction in order to present a history of work and industry in America, namely the rise of the Union movement that occurred in response to changing work conditions brought about by industrialization in the mid-late 1800's. It does so with the intent of shining a light on corruption in business and politics, while calling for a return to Christian values.Included you'll find two works of fiction - "Kings of Capital," and the second, "Knights of Labor" - with a third part, an essay on the relations of capital to labor , new to the second edition and presented at the request of the readership.This work was written by the Rev. John McDowell Leavitt, an Episcopal minister, founder and editor of the International Review, and a president of Lehigh University. Leavitt's intention was to show that it is possible to be a successful businessman or politician within a capitalist society while still upholding Christian values and behaving ethically. Each story is structured as a sort of parable - Leavitt presents situations that businessmen might encounter and then illustrates the consequences of choosing a moral vs. an immoral course. Driven by the spirit of evangelical reform, this work is meant to inspire readers to "correct some of the enormous social abuses of our nation," as stated in the book's preface. Leavitt attacks the evils of plutocracy and communism, and asserts that hope for nations lies only in Christianity, "the ultimate cure for political and social ills."