The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-10-25
A LAY SERMON
To be Read by the Rich and the Poo

enough, and to have a monopoly of sym
palhy for misfortune.
: Certainly he cannot complain of lacl
of sympathy; nor of good things don
for him.
Over five billions of money were spent
and the lives of over million of poo
white men were sacrificed in order to giyt
him his freedom; and eleven States wcr,
desolated and their white inhabitants i'm
poverished and degraded, to confer on hin
a franchise for which he was wholly unfit
Even now, the balls of Congress, and Tho
pulpits and press of the Northern sectioi
of tho Union, are filed with complaints
that the condition of the black man is
not more felicitous than that of his pool
white neighbor. At home, we have homi-
lies against buldozing, and exhortatons to
more affechonate state of mind towards,
and a more sympathetic protection Of our
black brother. If he sins we are expected
to condone his offences; if he is indolent,
we must still believe he is valuable labor
or if he is wasteful and extravagant, we
are held responsible for his want of thrift
! and foresight. If we trade with him We
must take care that he gets the advantage.
In all this, have seen no allusion to tho
poor white men, women ana children-nore-
cognition so far as they are concerned, of the
words of the Saviour, that we 'have always
| sympathy. 1t is not even clear that it is uni
versally recognized that poverty is mis-
fortune and not crime in the white race.
When L speak of poor white people. |
moan those who are compelled to labor
with their hands for the whole, or consid-
cradle part of The means of subsistence.
l do not include all, who, in comparison
with other and happier communities, would
he considered as poor, for indeed by any
standard known to other countries, rich
imam is r0iu 0Dis i'll our midst. Poor,
however, as we all are, still there is differ
bnce and a vast one, between those who are
Ihomfortable and independent and possess
lomo of the means OF luxury and refine
hcnt, and some of the leisure essential to
culture and intellectual improvement ON
tlo one hand aud those who are without
N opegsa a;isStleP f.ar
! .sffr daily support on the other
The condition of the poor is hard one
1 best. In peace they perform the labor
fhich makes their country rich and pros
lerous; in war they carry the musket and
hapsack as private soldiers, meeting dan
hr and death without the stimulus and ex-
| itement of the hope of personal renown.
| hey fill unhonored grayes-their names
do not mentioned in the bulletins which
anouuce the victory, or herald the heroism
Tich saved the army in retreat.
| rhey are not consulted as to the declaTa-
| tin of war, OF rs to the conclusion Of
/ pkce.
| wen the consultations of the religion of
od Saviour, who had special mission to
thl poor, have, in many places, been denied
/ thSl. In the splendid churches of the
citE, the poor do not hear the Gospel.
Thl are either excluded by the high prices
chaked for the pews, or the obtrusiyo os-
teni ition of wealth, and the sharp line of
dis 9ction by which its possesors are sepa>
ratb from the unfortunate.
II the late civil war, the inequality Of
the lombatants was such that the whole |
AUTHORIZATION of the South was needed |
for Hillary service In the expressive Ian |
guaa of Northern soldier, our conscrip- |
ton as so severe that it ''robbed the !
cradA and the grave to fill our armies,
B,arl less boys and gray haired and de-
ct pit Ed men were alike needed to send the .
missl4)f death against our enemies; and in
turn become the victims Of the deadly |
assault of tho invaders. Yet in these
slraitl intellect and cunning found place
for thHmctice of nepotism; influence was
power enough TO secure easy places for
the wd conuected, and TO have law en-
acted tempting from service, the possesaor
of wodh represented by twenty slaves,
in pbce, all manual labor, however irk~
some, performed by the poor They
create wealth; yet have none of it, There
can be b wealth, not the creation of hu-
man laBr. Gold is dug from the mine by
human lhur; it is coined by human labor;
its sole HUE consists in its power to pur-
chase h4ian labor OF its results. man
possessed Of all the gold of California and
Australil would be us poor as the poorest
of theselif he could not exchange 1t for
human lbor directly or IFS products In
what resict would his condition be better
than thd of the humblest lahorer if he
had to bhd with his own hands, the house
that she red him, spin and weayo the
cloth tha clothed him, plant cultivate,
gather, all prepare for the table, the food
he consuiAd: make his own boots aud then
black theIi?
There istot single comfort We ENJOY,
not a wans,upplied, nor luxury furnished
which doe not come from human labor
the toll, uien unrecompensed, of the la
borer. Tb world could not subssi one
week. if ulhuman labor should cease.
That tbere 1hould be poor peopie--nlen,
women aud q alaron-s,cuis 10 De the law
OF nature --tls Vlocroe OF inerolslle fate. /
n seems also tolAo necessary 70 ANY eonsid-
erablo deerao of vilization, al advance
ineui, that here iould be t.us who are
under fiie ns o,ait a iai,oring a sub
.istonca NIihopi such labor, ui.i i>eannot
ui.i, ami viz he psrfosisase iti'y /
a lAr,,c nuul., tacse indu.ti'sA vs.. tlie
Aid @ oapi asAn produce niose haa
iheg consiaA. .ess..ss Be no is'sse q