The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-11-28
FROM louislAsA.
NV ORLElss, Sept. 9Th. 1877.

NEW ORLEANs, Sept 9th, 1874.
To the Editor Of THE wor kIsexAEs ADVOCATE
In your able and eminently useful pa
per, read, under date Of the oath o.
October, a letter from Mr.. j. F. Bray,
-critizising lecture delivered b. me some
time ago, IN which ! proposed Christian
Charity as a principle Of Political Econ
omy. Mr.. Bray is evidently thinker,
whose heart il full Of charity for his fellow
men, aud particularly for the oppressed
laborers of the world. He fam would
initiate Christ, who, loving the working
man, revealed the cause" of their misery,
and pointed out the remedy" Hence |
have no fault to find with Mr. Bray, but
regard him affectienately a. . worthy ar
sociatsJ6 all those who have welded the
pen 20 show the world the right Of labor
and the wrongs Indicted on lahoE. All |
~ish to do, in as lew words a. possible, il
to correct an error into which Mr.. Bray
mas .allen, in regard to the tenor and pur-
p4.-t IS a. l-sturvst He thinks. if / do not
misapprehend him. that mean by charity
merely the act Of the rich sharing their
wealth with the poor. This I auppose he
would not condemn, (Taccheus and Da1n..-
has set a good example) but Charity, as
defined in the lecture, and by all Christian
writer's, means a good deal mere. The
worI ,4.ale :. r,@ R,rl;.A "a :. 49, o.
word for LOVE-, and was introduced into
our language BY the early translators Of
scripture, because il expressed nors indeed
than our word loveconveys. IL means not
merely the giving Of money, aims, small
or great, by the rich to the poor, but hui
manity, beneSoleues, generosity, sympathy,
social feeling, suberdination Of self inter
ests to the common od,-brotherhood;
not merely disposition to give, but to do
atfectionately and fraternally all kind
ness, and for the greater reason, all JUS
tice to the neighbor and society, especially
to those who are suffering from wrong
Love thy nelghbpr as myself, means
equality, and equality means liberty, and
the very word love implies fraternity.
There is not a labor reformer, from Sir
Thomas Mora down to this day, Fho has
not made these three words equality,
liberty, and fraternity, (which are mere
explicetives Of Christ's doctrine of love or
charity the basis ofltheir theories and re-
medal plans This charity is what preach
ers have been teaching for centuries. True,
they have not suddenly converted the
world to its observance; but their success
the success Of Christ's principle, has, by
no means, been small. IL succeeded in
abolishing slavery in the Roman Empire,
then the serfdom established by the con-
quering barbarians; then it founded the
guilds or trades uniops and communes of
the latter part Of the middle ages; then it
presided, to great extent, over the for
nation Of this very Republicans first
real republic that ever existed. Our con-
stitution does not indeed carry out the
principle of brotherly love to all its conse-
quences, but it certainly shows what i'm
mense progress had been made by means
Of the preaching Of the principle and its
general penetration Of the minds and
Of the people.
A moments reflection will enable US to
perceive that the cause.-the moral and
fundamental caused of all the social and
political wrongs and crimes, is sel6shness,
with its progeny y avarice, fraud, inc
quality, usury, Injustice, usurpation, mo-
nopoy, privilege, oppression, corrupt instr
buttons, and laws, etc Now, Christian charity
or brotherly love y the appetite of this
Unsuitable sel6shnsss. Charity ia the cause
of effects directly opposite Of those pro.
ducsd by seltishnebs No mind but one
imbued with charfy (the charity Of Christ,
above de6ned) evd thought Of redeeming
the poor from the dominion Of seltishness
Mr.. Bray, for instbnc shows that he has
builded up his theory of reform Oh this
principle. He fUuld tain carry it into
leBislation, and advoc2te the giving the
aid OF government to associated labor,
Well, what 10 government aid to labor but
an act OF brotherit love, done by major
ity OF the people, kOntfary to sel6Bhness
What u assocaitldh but one Of the forms
= brofhsrhood-erf h&rityl Was it not the
6rat practical outdPme Of christian preach
ing In Jerusalemi He seems 10 think l
cannot imagine vi \, for my lecture clearly
states otherwise, pat you'd limit char
ity TO ''beseeching khe ffeh man to share
his wealth with th4 poor" BE IN certain
~ mistaken IN this, Nor NJ much mn the cur
rent and length Of be discourse permitted,
indicated the necessity Of laws for the
furthsrence OF the Hdnciple Of charity, and
the eradication of ts existing social evils,
~ HIGH are foumdAd On the princinle of mi