The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-05-28
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Initial Discourse Of q Series On
the Labor Question.
The Relation Between Employer aud In.
ploye One OF Mutual Dependence
The Meaning Of Anarchy-So.
luton OF the Problem.

following 70 the opening discourse Of Q
series on the Labor Question delivered by
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage In Brooklyn
Tabernacle. The text was:
The earth was without form. aud void;
and darkness was upon the face OF the
deep. And the spirit OF God moved upon
the face of the waters.-fGenesis, h.
DR.. Talmage said:
Out in space there hung Q great chunk
OF rock and mud and water and shell.
Thousands of miles in diameter, more
thousands of miles in circumference. A
great mass of ugliiess. confusion and
distortion, uselessness, ghastliness and
horror. 1t seemed like great commons
on which smashed up worlds were dumped.
1t was what poetry and prose, scientist
and Christian agree in calling chaos. Out
OF that black, rough. shapeless egg our
beautiful world was Matched. God stood
over that original anarchy OF elements
and said:
"Atlantic ocean, you go right away and
lie down there! Pacific ocean, you sleep
there! Caucasian range of mountains,
you stand theres Mount Washington, you
be sentinel there! Mount Blanc, you put
on your coronet Of crystal there! Missis-
sippi, you march there and Missouri you
marry it there!"
And he gathered in his almighty hands
the sand and mud and rock, and rolled
and heaved and nodded and denied and
compressed them into shape, and then
dropped them into four places; and the
one was Asia. and another was Europe,
and another Africa, aud another America,
north and south.
The original chaos was like the confusion
and anarchy into which the human race
has ever and anon a tendency to plunge.
God has said: Let there be light of law,
light OF justice, light of peace, light of
love" "No! no." say anArchic voices;
''let there I've darkness, let shere he cut.
throatery, let there be etarnal imbroglio,
let there be chaos"
Such q social condition many are ex.
pectiug because OF the overshadowing
contest between labo~ and capital; there
ha- not been an intelligent man or woman
during the last tive months who has not
esked the question: ''Shall We have
bloody revolution in this country:" 1
have heard many answer the question in
the ALTERNATIVES; answer it in the mega
tive.
The only impartial institution on this
subject is the church. for it is made up of
both capitalists and laborers, and was
founded 10y Christ, who was a carpenter,
and so has right to speak for all labor
ers: and who owns the earth and the solar
system and the universe, aud so eau speak
for the capitalists.
As for myself, as an individual have
fight TO be heard. Ny father was a farmer
and my grandfather and they had to work
for a living, and every dollar own l
earned by the sweat of my own brow, and
l owe no man anything, snd if any obliga-
ton has escaped my memory, come and
present your bin when I descend from this
pulpit and l will pay on the spot. l am
going to say all / think and feel on this
subject, and without any reservation, ask
ing your prayers that 1 may be divinely
directed in this important series Of Sab
bath morning discourses.
That labor has grievances I will show
you plainly before I get through this
course of sermons. That capital has had
outrages committed upon it will make
evident beyond dispute. But there are
right and wrong ways of attempting a
reformation.
When l say there will be no return to
social chaos do not unierrate the awful
peril of these times. We must admit that
the tendency is toward revolution. Great
Thongs gather at some points of disturb
ance In almost all our cities. Rail trains
hurled over the rocks. Workmen beaten
to death within sight Of their wives and
childr en-. Factories assailed by mobs.
The faithful police of our cities exhausted
by vigilance night and day. In some
cases the military called out. The whole
country asking the question: "Wbat
nexts" An earthquake has with one hand
taken hold of this continent at the Pacific
beach, and with the other hand has taken
hold of the continent at the Atlantic
beach, and shaken it till every manufact.
uring, commercial, agricultural, literary
and religious interest has trembled. A
part OF Belgium one great riot. Russia
aud Germany and Austria keeping their
workmen quiet only by standing armies
20 vast that they are eating out the life Of
those nations. The only reason that Ire
land is in peace is because she is hoping
for home rule aud the triumph Of Glad.
pheric, aye. . Worldwide quarrel, and
the whole tendency is toward anarchy.
But one way in which we may avoid an.
archy is by letting the people know what
anarchy is. We must have the wreck
pointed out in order to steer clear of it.
Anarchy is abolition of right of property.
1t makes your store and your house and
your money and your family mine, and
mine yours. 1t is wholesale robbery. 1t is
every mau's hand against every other
man. 1t is arson and murder and rapiue
and lust and death triumphant. 1t means
no law, no church, no defense, no rights,
no happiness, no God. 1t means hell let |
loose on earth, and society a combination
Of devils incarnate. 1t means extermina. |
ton Of everything good and the corona
ton of every thing infamous. Do you
want it: VIII you have it?
Meanwhile, my brotherly counsel 10 to |
three classes of Iaborers.
First, to those who are at work. Stick |
to it. Do not amid the excitement Is: |
these times drop your employment, hoping |
that something better will turn up. He |
who gives up work now, whether he be |
railroad man, mechanic, farmer, clerk or
any other kind of employee, will probably |
give it up for starvation. You may not like
the line of steamers that you are sailing |
in, but do not jump overheard in the mid
die of the Atlantic. Be a little earlier |
than usual at your post of work while this
turmoil lasts. and attend to your occupa.
ton with a little more assiduity than has
ever characterized you.
MY brotherly counsel, in the second
place, is to those who have resigned work.
1t is best for you and best for everybody