Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-09

fessed teacher of religion than there may be reason in them. I am perfectly conscious that anything which minister can say is at once discounted in the minds of many men to-day by their distrust of the ministry as llass Of the ministers in general the New Haven Anarchists are kind enough to say to the people, "While they fatten on high sala- ries, which you are foolish enough to pay, they admonish you to bear your burdens in patience. They make you believe that di- vine providence has decreed your pitiable condition. These hired tools of capital'- and so on. I might, indeed, did wish to argue the matter, contend that socialism is not necessarily irreligious, some of it's chief and apostles themselves being wit ness. might quote from the leading histo- risn as well as advocate of the emancipation conflict of the fourth estate" in Germany, who declares: ''It is to me incomprehensi- ble how those national economists who have have not adduced the evidence that all earnest socialism has it's roots in Christianity, and follows ten dencies which are grounded in the Christian religion" (M. Meyer, ncipationskampf, l. p. 13.) But it is not now my purpose to reason about Christianity. There are many of us who still believe in the Christians creed That creed has outlived many revo-t lutions, and we are not anxious for it's future. We believe Christian truth to be able-bodied and if we let it go forth freely out in the world we can trust it to take care of itself. That ancient creed which we still believe, 1t would be dishonesty and cowardice for any man of us in any presence or for any cause to conceal or to deny. No minister would be worthy any mans confidence should he not preach both to the rich and the poor, before any power of this world or in behalf of any wrong, that gospel of divine friendship and which he believes to be the hope of the world. And probably the min istry as distinct calling and class in society will not cease to exist until through good re- port and evil report, in abundance or in want this gospel of the Cross shall have been preached throughout the world. But with this declaration and understanding l shall not seek in this discourse concerning labor to impose my own belief upon any man, but only ask for my Christian faiths such consideration as at any point of their application to social problems they may show themselves entitled to receive.
 Furthermore, and ill particular, l do not propose to meet any present wants just now by preaching 8 religion of future comforts and soft cushions for all weary souls in some other world. I do not propose to meet men who tell me that this world is purgatory to them by preaching to them merely future heaven I believe, indeed, that the hereaf- Ger has much to do with the present as well as the present with the hereafter. A Rus sian convict left these words of advice scratched upon the walls of his cell: "There is no heaven and there is no hell; therefore all ye rascals grab what you can, only don't get grabbed yourselves" I will not insist that the convict's premises lead necessarily to the rascal's conclusion; but while as an observer of human affairs must recognize as one persistent social force the power in the thoughts of men of the life to come, I shall endeavor in this discourse to accept the con ditions of those who would have the minis
 try deal with present and palpable facts. There are, indeed, some troubles of life to which one must preach some gospel of the king 1om of heaven or be silent But should beg some questions which have been asked me should I assume that all social inequalities and disadvantages are natural evils to be endured or mysterious providential decrees to which men, women and children should be obediently sacrificed. admit that all men have right to look for a Messiah for this life as well as for the life to come. And once more, for these explicit preliminary statements are necessary to 8 fair hearing and understanding between us, do not propose to hide any question of social right or wrong under the cover of the charity of the church. Charities, however we'll meant or helpful, are not arguments to men who are smarting under any grievance, real or imagined. If, for example, a manufacturer pays woman less money for making shirts than is sufficient to maintain life upon the cheapest food during the time which she must give for her pittance of wages, and if then some Christian church comes in and ekes out her earnings with its charity, it is e fair question in political economy whether that charity is a contribution to that woman or to the profits of the manufacturer.
 We do not like to take up collections in church for the benefit of any employer, and if poor men say to us, We are going for so- cial justice minus your pity rather than for patient endurance of wrong plus your Chris tian charity-then do not care to argue that point against any instinct of their manhood.
 Only the fundamental question remains,
 What is social justice? What in the present industrial development of this world is eco nomically right and what is wronga Seek
 ing further light upon this question, and having now done with these prelimina- ries let us consider next the complaints against the present state and tendencies of
 things which may be gathered from the so- cialistic literature as we'll as from converse tions with workingmen. shall not presume to include all; I shall enumerate such as seem to me to be worthy serious thought.
 First, It IS said that the interest of the la
 borer in the product of his work under the
 present principle of competition has been re-
 duced to an unjust minimum, and that con
 sequently, although the condition of work
 ingmen may be absolutely better than it was
 a hundred years ago, class they are not receiving their fair share in the advance of civilization. Second, The development of
 machinery is separating the wage-workers into permanent class and making it more and more hopeless for factory operatives to rise out of that class. Formerly the me chanic owned his tools and his time, and if he had the ability to set up for himself it
 was not impossible to get some of the raw
 ofo al which tn work hTIt the factory owns the tools, capital seizes upon the raw material, and the laborer's working power becomes a ware to be bought and sold in the market like any other commodity. Third, The minute divisions of labor and the uncertainty of steady work which result from excessive competition or rover-p1eduetion tend still further to the degradation of labor. Fourth, It is alleged that capital, massed and used as a unit of power, has immense advantage over whole classes of men, women and children in the struggle of life Fifth, It is feared that with the danger of corrupt class legislation, and under the increasing high pressure and grinding weight of social greed and luxury, the industrial conditions will grow worse rather than better, the strong will become stronger and the weak weaker, the rich richer and the poor poorer. The mon who are at the bottom suffer for the sins of all higher up, and not for their own sins only. Adulteration of food, for in stance not to mention worse examples, brings most harm to the homes of the poor. The man at the bottom of the ladder leading up to the social heavens may yet dream that there is & ladder let down to him; but the angels are not seen very often ascending and descending; one after another, 1t would seem, some unseen yet hostile powers are breaking out the middle rungs of the ladder, and 1t becomes harder and harder even for the strong who are down to climb up. The man who started years ago with almost nothing upon a successful career would need how much more, under existing industrial condi- tions, in order to give his son as good 8 chance as he had in the world.
 To these complaints, which abound in the literature of modern discontent, might add many particular grievances such as arise from bad air in factories, a wrong, however, which even wealthy churches have not succeeded in overcoming, and also many incidental dangers to health, and needless discom- forts under which work is carried on, as well as the petty injustice which sometimes creeps in through the lengthening distance between the workman and the office, all of which as pertaining to individual cases and conditions need not be considered by us in detail.
 Of course anyone who does not belong to the great host of wage-reeeivers may put these matters lightly aside, if he pleasss; but believe thkt no one who reflects upon the immense industrial revolution which has been and is taking place will be disposed to treat lightly these matters. Every one who has any power of putting himself in the other mans place will wish to gain what light he can upon that which is right in his own con-