Note 1066 — Chapter IV · : DOCTRINES THAT OWE THEIR INSPIRATION TO CHRISTIANITY

“More important even than free will, whether of masters or of men, is that higher and more ancient law of natural justice which demands that wages should always be sufficient to enable the worker to lead a sober and honest life. But lest the public authority in this case, as in some other analogous cases, such as the question of the length of the working day, should unwisely intervene, and in view of the great variety of circumstances, it is better that the solution should be left in the hands of the corporations or the unions.” (Encyclical, Rerum Novarum, 1891.)