The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-05-28
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Initial Discourse OF q Series On
the Labor Question.
The Relation Between Employer and Em-
plOye One OF Mutual Dependence
The Meaning of Anarchy-SOs
tuition OF sns Problem.

series on the Labor Question delivered by
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage In Brooklyn
Tabernacle. The text was:
The earth was without form. and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the spirit Of God moved upon
the face of the waters.-fGenesis,L l., 3
DIR. Talmage said:
Out in space there hung n 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 ugliness, 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 ia 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 therei Pacific ocean, you sleep
there! Caucasian range of mountains,
you stand thereP Mount Washington, you
be sentinel there! Mount Blanc, you put
on your coronet of cry stal there! Missis-
sippi, you march there and Missouri you
marry it thereP'
And he gathered in his almighty hands
the sand and mud and rock and roll ed
and heaved and nodded and dented and
compressed them into shape, and then
dropped them into four places; and the
one was Asia. and another was Europe,
and another Africa, and 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.
I AT Al L 9
light of justice. light of peace, light of
Lowell" "Noi nop say anarchic voices;
'Het there be darkness, let there be cut
throatery, let there be eternal imbroglio,
let there be chaos"
Such a social condition many are ex-
pecting because of the overshadowing
contest between labor and capital; there
has not been an intelligent man or woman
during the last two months who has not
asked the question: ''Shan we have
bloody revolution in this country?"
have heard many answer the question in
the affirmative; l 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 by 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, and so can speak
for the capitalists.
AS for myself, as an individual have a
right to be heard. Ny father was farmer
and my grandfather, and they had to work
for living, and every dollar I own
earned by the sweat Of my own brow, and
1 owe no man anything, and if any obliga-
tion has escaped my memory, come and
present your bill when descend FROM this
pulpit and l will pay on the spot. I am
going to say all I 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 1 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 I say there will be no return to
social chaos do not underrate the awful
peril of these times. We must admit that
the tendency is toward revolution. Great
thrOngs 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
children. 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: "What
next?" 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
and Germany and Austria keeping their
workmen quiet only by standing armies
so 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 and the triumph of Glad
stoneism. The labor quarrel is hemis-
pheric, aye, a 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
every mans hand against every other
man. 1t is arson and murder and rapine
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-
tion of everything good and the corona
tion of every thing infamous. Do you
want it? Win you have itp
Meanwhile, my brotherly counsel is to
three classes Of Iaborers.
First, TO those who are aS work Stick
to it. Do not amid the excitement Of
these times drop your employment, hoping
that something better viii turn up. He
who gives up work now, whether he be
railroad man, mechanic, farmer, clerk or
any other kind of employe, 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 mi d.
die of the Atlantic. Be q little earlier
than usual at your post of work while this
turmoil lasts, and attend to your occupa
tion with a little more assiduity than has
ever characterized you.
My brotherly counsel, in the second
place, is to those who have resigned work.
It is best for you and best for everybody
to go back Immediately. Do not wait to
see what others do. Get on board
the train OF National prosperity
before it starts again, for start IL will,
start soon and start mighty. Last
year in the city Of New York there were
forty five general strikes and III shop
strikes. Successful strikes, ninety
strikes lost, thirty -four; strikes pending
at the time the statistics were made, fifty
nine; strikes compromised, thirty two.
w WOE7d you like me to tell you who win
make the most out of the present almost
universal strike? can and will. Those
win make the most out of IL who go frst to
worE.
Ny third word Of brothaTly advice is to
another class Of laborers--nanaeiy, those
who save been a long tiEpe cut of work