Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-25
CHRISTMAS FOR THE POOR.
Felix Adler Speaks About Its Significance
10 Humble People.

"The Christmas festival Is once more at our
| door, says Pfo' Adler, land will be celebrated
| IN many families. But the question with which
we have to deal this morning is How will
Christmas como to those who i've in tenement
houses 2 Christmas was originally festival
Of good It'd ms to the poor. Jesus was one of
those prophets sent by God. whose sonl re-
beIled against the inequalities in the condition
OF life. Christ said the whoe terrestrial house
must be rebuilt and kingdom Of perfect
justice established.
The second phase OF the message Of Chris
tianty was that the cherished hope OF the
Christian faith should be fulfilled in the life
ner after. Aud this has been the theme of
Civ stian teaching ever since. A preat many
cnllBhtcne men ask to-day rs 1t nOt a cruel
t'hng to deprive the poor man Of tki Chris7
tan comfort 10y t.lling him that there is no
personal immortality Of the soul 2 Must not
de-pair OF the lOwy Of this world be the ont
come OF destruction Of such faith ? And is
tn bell in Heaven not au Indispensable
fancy hat IA necessary 10 keep the depressed
and poorer elements u society IN check
'Aly answer is that this belief need not 10
be weakened, though | admit that working
people nowadays read and have learned TO
make uss Of their common sense. /. IS fact
that Is patent to all that especially the women
OF the poorer classes have deserted the church
en- masse.
AZ VI SO ptppie WHAT uleaHug6 OF hone
does this Chris mas season bring? Christina
% in reality only the old MD winter festival
revived. II is the turning po Mt Of darkness
which has passed, aud spring Is certain u
come. 1t Il therefore a festival peculiarly an
propriato for the poor to coIebra'e. The winter |
OF the discomfort Of the poor - not vet over. /
Their condition cannot be changed at once.
But they may celebrate Christmas by anticipa- I
tion /
The turning point Of darkness for the poor
Il nothing but great moral movement among |
the working classes and the employers AZ I
we'll The hopeful outlook for them is in CO. |
operation. They mus. establish factories and |
commercial houses with their own saving /
1 his idea OF cooperation il not a new idea. IL /
has been successfully tried IN Germany sine. |
ochuitz-Deltsch, IN 1852, started the co-opera-
tive associations which have powa conitai ~
$3.50 100000. But especially in France has
productive cooperation succeeded wonder
iuNy. The societies OF piano and chair makers.
The masons and many other branches OF in
iustry on the cooperative principle, are IN a
highly hourish'ng condition. France is far
Ahead OF the word in this respect
"But the higher forms OF co-operAtion has
very often failed in England. The reason OF
his failure Is deficiency in the moral gu IL
Ties OF The people. At the outset sacrifices are
always necessary, and SONS enthusiasm is in
lispensabe IN making these sacrifices. The /
-rench possess that important moral q1alih-
'hould keep down the spirit Of joalou,y and
'nvy. There must also be a spirit OF strict sub
'rd nation under the appoint d aders The
masses must learn To yield 90 superior menisl
1ower, fr without these qualifications IN, re
Will be lack Of Conference and unity. Moral
esehlng alone can effect this change, which
= necessary to success.
''But the lack OF business sbiliiy is most Sri
nsly felt among Tire working people Honesty
lone IS not Sufficient. Cooperative aAsocia-
ions must have The commercial equipment Of
PRACTICAL business men. The moral impulse
must therefore seize the employers a. well as
he employed, as the former generally possess
he commercial equipment. The mGnufac-
uters aud great merchants mus. learn to give ,
Up their exclusive profits and employ part OF
heir talents for those who work under them
jnt you may say Can human nature be so
hanged 2 By that you really mean the dirty
ICE OF human nature. Employers must learn
D value their work, for the sake Of the work ]
nd not for the sake Of the profit Practical
isiness men have higher profession than a {
eacher, because they translate all our moral /
Ileas into practice. But admit that il Is Al
most hopeless 10 preach unselfshness to men :
rho live under the competitive system Of to- !
ay, because everybody else is doing his best ,
, out-bid his neghbor. complete change
I the outward nature Of life Is necessary in
rider to accomplish such a relief.
" saw plainly, therefore. that the ethical !
"'eW'nt must lead 10 such attempts AZ
nose. II must reach the life or else il is but
mockery, We must live our moral principles
Mt. No partial approval is asked. Our teach
lgs must penetrate to life and spread among
10 working classes. address myself especi- y
y to the young men in the Society OF Ethi- =
Il Culture. But has this Christmas season no 1
Encouragement for us? Yes, il has. There il '
consoling thought We all have our burdens
carry we are fellows OF the poor in endnr- 7
x many hardships and we suffer from the I
nperfectons OF human existence on earth. v
" Christmas Is the festival Of childhood. and u
lr children are the consolation Of our soula. /
e ought 70 try to keep away from them what
n proved a bitter experience to us. In our I;
hldren remains to us a species Of immortality :
earth"