The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-16

nality the entire race. It is as anxious
4 to educate the poorest as the richest
the slave as the prince. 1t ignores the
petty distinctions of human life, and re-
CARDS men only in those high endow'
ments which distinguish them as Gods
offspring. In its estimation thec children
of beggars are as dear as those OF kings
1t recognizes the awful fact that IN the
most unfortunate doomed from infancy
to be made brutal by surroundings Of
squalor, misery and Yice-are wrapped
all the measureless possibilities OF hu-
man destiny.
The great disparity in physical con-
ditions between a few and the many
the bottomless gulf between the multi
tudinous poor and small class Of the rich
caused by this Capitalization OF wealth,
constitutes the mighty barrier to its sue
cess. 1t curses, both the rich and the
| poor !; 1t blights manhood both ways 1t
antagonizes the gospel on both wings,
and along the whole line. 1t dooms the
toiling masses to drudgery, inadequate
food, clothing and shelter; depriVes
them of access to mental. social and
spiritual helps, leaving them slaves to
animal wants and superstitions which
are the lowest forms of spiritual activity.
We will dwell moment on the disa-
bilities which poverty imposes: 1t nee
essitates drudgery it requires that all
vital forces be expended in struggle
for subsistence, leaving none for moral,
social or spiritual activities. When the
life of family is a perpetual contest to
keep the wolf from the door, its mem
bers cannot devote time to reading or to
thought which reading inspires. In our
eastern factories both parents and chill
dren drudge from early morning to late
evening; when the toll of the day Is
over they are too weary for converse,
especially on any theme that requires
thought, and they sink into their stupid
slumbers without those sweet ministe-
ries of love that should make the even
ing in every household a scene of re-
fning joy, inspiring heart communion.
Drudgery so exhausts vital forces as to
chill the affections and sour the tempers,
causing cross words and quarrels, amid
which millions of children unfold their
exquisitely sensitive natures Thev are
forced to look on scenery which must
form the furniture of their immortality.
Childhood Is being cruelty treated,
shamefully abused, dwarfed and de-
formed by squalid poverty in its parent
age.
This Capitalization of wealth deprives
millions of claim to any spot of earth
they may call their own. Impoverished
families are not permitted to feel that
there is one place on earth where they
may be sheltered from all intrusion one
halIowed temple sacred to their worship,
from which no landlord can eject them,
into which no tyrant may enter to make
his exactions. They are deprived of all
the divine MINISTRIES, the freeman's in
spirstions, the unspeakable joys which
are embodied in that word home.
Such poverty degrades. Its victims
are likely to lose the feeling of dignity
that belongs to being made in Gods
image. This degeneracy is manifest in
our society. 1t was exhibited in our
last county election. One man hung
around the polls all day trying to sell
himself and his two sons for SIS each
The henchmen of one rich briber par
AIDED line of such creatures, having fur
nished them his ticket and paid them
each $1.5O to vote it. A man hired to do
the dirty work of another rich briber,
slipped along behind him and hired
them to change tickets for so cents each ;
and then boasted that it cost the other
side 81. so each to lose votes and them
selves 30 cents each to secure them.
These instances of naneless vileness,
with several others like them, have been
given me by men who were personally
conversant with them. l need not COM
ment on these scenes exhibiting the
depth of degradation of those engaged in
them. 1t is worthy of note that the
rich bribers went lower down than the
poor sellers of manhood for the paltry
sums mentioned, for they we're the
tempters.
Jesus knew what was in man and
made no mistakes in stating the philoso-
ply of human life. He spoke the sad
truth VIII IN He said, "It is easier for a
camel to 90 through needles eye than
for rich man to enter the kingdom OF
God"-which consists in being pure and
noble.
The undue accumulation of wealth has
an almost resistless tendency TO make
sordid, selfish, sensual.
The fact that our elections, on which
our institutions rest, are turned into
measuring the powers of rich men to
bribe voters, shows the horrible demor-
alization of our millionairesl Look on
the Vanderbilt family. Behold the sons
and daughters of the Commodore, parad.
ing before the world the private vices Of
their dead father, who had accumulated
for them $780, 900, In quarrel ovel
division of the spoils.