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The Commoner.
15
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THE RELATION BETWEEN, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND THE
CAUSE OF LABOR
There is no doubt but -what there
are men in the Christian church who
have too little sympathy with, men of
toil. There is also no doubt that there
are laboring men who are very in
different toward the Christian church.
But my acquaintance with the
church and with laboring men induces
me to feel that the supposed so-called
"estrangement" between the two is a
blind and foolish error which ema
nates from a few conspicuous church
men who are, unsympathetic toward
the men of toil and a few materialis
ts men who have become bitter to
ward organized Christianity.
Certain I am that the idea that the
Christian church is, on its side, es
tranged from the workingmen does
that organization a jrreat wrong. The
Christian ministers especially are, al
most to a man, in deep sympathy
with men of labor. If it happens that
a minister of the gospel unhesitatingly
tries to shield organized labor against
errors of judgment, It is evidence of
the depth and thoughtfulness of his
sympathy.
How can Christian ministers be
other than sympathetic? Nearly all
of them are the sons of workingmen.
Almost to a man they have gained
their education, and made their way
into their calling'by the work of their
hands. They live in recollection of
hard boyhoods in workingmen's
homes, of poverty and hardship be
cause of the insufficient recompense
of their father's toil to meet the needs
of humaa. life.
Their present condition in life is
that of the workingman, and the act
ual figures today show that the aver
age salaries of ministers are consid
erably lower than those of skilled
workmen.
How can the Christian church do
other than commit itself to the moral
cause' of labor? Its founder and lead
ing personality was-a carpenter and
the son of a carpenter; its great crea
tive apostle and preacher was a tent
maker; its first disciples were the
fishermen of Galilee and the slaves
of Caesar's household. Its origin thus
commits it to the workingman.
So does its platform of principles
enunciated by its supreme personality.
The articles of that platform are the
love of God and the love of neighbor
as of self; the fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood of man. Its rule is
not the rule of gold, but the Golden
Rule. Thus in its ideal the Christian
church is committed to Christ, and
Christ commits it irrevocably to hu
manity. How about its constituency? The
idea that it is composed of ruthless
capitalists is wrong. It is so demo
cratic and its door opens so widely
that such do gain an entrance, but its
rank and file are the successors of
the carpenter, the fishermen and the
tentmaker.
My own particular church has in
its membership only about half a
dozen employers of labor; the rest
are men and women of toil. Upon the
standing committee of that church sit
together in loving fraternity the con
siderable employer of labor and the
labor man.
The churches of today, at least most
of the churches of today, are trying
to do more than express the ideal in
words. Its social conscience is rap
idly developing. It is a rare pulpit
now that simply points men to a far
off heaven for the alleviation of hu
man ills.
It recognizes the close relation be
tween physical and spiritual better
ment; it recognizes the need of suffi
cient wages and larger time, that men
may be permitted to seek the uplifting
of their intellectual, moral and spirit
ual natures. The finest gift to our
democracy was the bequest of the
Christian church. It is the public
school that today improves the con
dition of the son above 'that of the
father that public school which was
instituted by the Congregational
church of New England.
"When all has been said, it is still
.true that the church has not always
reached its ideals. That is, in part,
because its ideals are high, if it has
been neglectful in its obligation to
ward the workingman, let him not
separate himself from It in bitterness;
let him join its fellowship and re
store it to its rightful sense of human
needs. The social aims of the labor
union and the church are one, if both
are' dominated by a high ideal of
manhood.
There is a magnificent chance for
church and union to work together in
the name of Christ, the love of God
and the brotherly service of men. The
church and the laboring men, in the
plan and thought of the Infinite, are
one. No man can do a greater injury
to humanity than to seek to 'rend
asunder what God and Christ havd
thus joined together. Christ said of
such a man: "It were better for
him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck arid he were cast into
the depths of the sea."
In this whole social situation the
Christian church and the men of la
bor must stand together or both will
falL If the church loses its sense of
humanity it goes down, for humanity
without religion would be better than
a religion without humanity. If the
union of labor loses sight of the moral
needs and purposes of life, it can not
last.
The only hope of adjustment be
tween employer and employed, and
the only prospect of destroying sus
picion, arrogance, bitterness and hate
between them lies in the bringing of
employer and employed together in
the name and spirit of Christ. The
final estrangement between the
church and labor inevitably means
the degradation and the dissolution
of both. Their co-operation in the
social aims of Christ means that each
has found its true end and spirit
Rev. Charles S. McFarlane, in Chica
go American.
The American trust was within sight.
Both roads planned to ask tho govern
ment to bo allowed to fix a tariff that
should fluctuate witli the rise or fall
of silver. Soon all industry would bo
taxed tho maximum rate, and with
rates already high and Mexican silver
low, the roads would put a burden on
tho people.
Then President Diaz stepped in. He
sent his finance minister. M. TJman.
tour, to New York to borrow $12,500,
000 and wlth'n part of this sum ho
bought enough shnrcn of tho National
railroad to givo him a controlling in
terest. Tho Moxlcan congress rati
fied tho purchase, and tho Mexican
government becamo tho controlling
stockholder of tho most powerful rail
way system In tho country. Tho pres
ident thus made a good Investment
for tho country, a monopoly was pre
vented, and tho nconlo nro not com
pelled to pay excessive railroad rates.
1RUS ON
"Painkiltav
and tho Hhenmatitmfa crono.
PRESIDENT DIAZ'S WAY
President Diaz is a man of action.
In the March- number of "World's
Work," we are told how President
Diaz prevented a monopoly. In this
article it ic said:
"By a clever business stroke, Presi
dent Diaz of Mexico, a dictator, pre
vented a railroad monopoly and inaug
urated a movement for public own
ership. Mexico's two largest systems
are the National and the Mexican
Central. Both link the capital to the
American border on the north. Low
rates for long hauls between compet
ing points used to prevail. But the
short hauls had to pay for the long
hauls. One day the National acquired
the Interoceanico, and thus secured a
gulf outlet at "Vera Cruz. The Mexi
can Central, having a gulf outlet, the
two lines at a bound -faced each other
as full competitors from coast to fron
tier. Mexican silver was depreciat
ing in value, but railroad dividends
had to be paid in gold. Operation was
costly. It was reasonable to assume
that the two systems would not be
long in reaching an agreement. Then
they would raise their tariffs to the
maximum anuweu m.. --
'seemed inevitable. Necessities like
corn and fuel ana nrncinueij vuulu
have to pay very high freight rates.
! J ti.
FREE LAND
8,000,000 ACRES
3j3&
i
&c
IN NORTH DAKOTA
ALONG THE
Northern Pacific Ry.
For maps and pamphlets address C. W. Mott, General Irri
gation Agent, St. Paul, Minn. For rates and further information
write to B. D. Rockwell, District Passenger Agent, No. 318
Citizens Bank Bldg., Des Moines, Iowa.
A PIANO THAT YOU CAN PLAY
r
and that every member of your family can play whether they
know anything about music or not, will surely afford you more
pleasure and a much larger return on your investment than will
a piano which you cannot use until you have spent long years
and many dollars in acquiring a musical education.
The Sohmer-Gecilian Piano
AND
The Cecilian Player-Piano
are high-grade upright pianos, with the mechanism of the cele
brated Cecilian Piano Player built inside the case. They can
be played with the fingers, just like the ordinary piano, or with
out changes of any kind can be used as Player-Pianos. All you
do is simply slip in a roll of perforated music, put your feet
on the pedals and go ahead.
Your choice of music is not limited you can have anything
you want the old pieces which memory recalls with fond recol
lection or the very latest operatic and popular music of the day.
The Cecilian music rolls cost less than any others 45 cents to
$1.50 per roll and in most cities we have circulating libraries
of Cecilian music, which you can join for a small yearly fee.
We will be glad to mail you full information about these
pianos or about the Cecilian Piano Player, which can be attached
to any piano. They can be seen and tried In your vicinity.
The Sohmer-Cecilian Piano costs $ 850.00 . The Cecilian
Player-Piano $600.00, and the Cecilian Piano Player $250.00.
Easy payments if you wish. Why not write us today?
Earrand Organ Company
Detroit, Michigan
LONDON, ENG. PARIS, FRANCE. PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Depr.
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