The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-01-21
THURSDAY. JANUARY q, 1885.

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W0RKIN0MEN AND THE CHURCHES
One of the churches in St. Paul has
arranged for a series Of Sunday evening
services at which representative work.
ingmen have been invited to be present
and state the reasons which have
estranged the wage and artisan classes
80 generally from the churches, and
what in the latter there is that fails to
meet their wants. The other side, or
the church's claims on working people
will also be presented. Such confer
ences have been held in England and
have resulted in generating better
feeling between the masses and the
churches.
Of course, lnfidels ard free. thinkers
have their own special reasons for be-
ing antagonistlc to the churches, but
there is q large class of workingmen
who are merely Indifferent to the claims
of the churches. and these are the ones
who arc invited to take part in this
movement. On behalf of this latter
class the ADVANCE desires to present
some of the reasons for the estrange-
ment which is the subject of discussion.
When such Il one sees on one side a
class Of men who are worth millions of
dollars, and who apparently enjoy all
that wealth can bestow; and on the
other side sees toiling millions who
seem to be dragging out miserable
existence with scarcely enough to eat
although elevators and warehouses are
filled to overllowing with grain-the
free gift Of bountiful creator,
but which has been seized and held
ny few men-or scarcely enough
clothes to cover their nakedness though
stores are full of goods and factories
are standing idle because they cannot
dispose Of their manufact ured product.
he naturally thinks something is wrong
somewhere. lie goes to church and
perhaps hears sermon on the dolngs
Of the lsraclites in the olden times, but
not a word TO indicate that the
preacher is aware that one OF the most
serious problems Of the age. that of
socialism, is coming to the front and
must be- met. lie goes into another
one and the preacher tells his hearers
tl'at All the troubles of lite are the re-
snlt of the transgre ssion OF our first
parents, or that they are sent by a
loving father to make us better. He
goes into still another, and the
preacher tells his audience that every
thing is just about right. and reads an
essay about goodness, and all that sort
of dishwater. And so on to the end of
the chapter. If Il word is said as to a
remedy for the trouble. the preacher
will hold up what lie calls the 'conso,
lations OF religion" as a panacea-that
is, it one is hungry. or naked, or worn
out with ceaseless toll for his daily
bread, let him pray for strength to
continue the struggle, and to remember
that Jesus had not where to Law his
head. Perhaps word is said to the
well'to.do hearers to be charitable. But
it is all based on the idea that the Door
laboring man must be content with his
lot. Anything looking toward wiping
out Of the vast difference between the
rich and the poor is called socialism.
and that would be revolutionary and
an invention of the devil, and must be
frowned down at all hazards
What the weary toilers want to hear
is some remedy for their troubles right
here In this world, and not to be told
to be content and get religion and God
will make it all right in heaven. Oh!
for another Moses who will 20 to our
modern Pharoahs and Say in thunder
tones, release these people from their
thraldom. Pay them good wages and
do not compel them to wear their life
out in ceaseless toll that Ou may riot
and revel in luxury" and not palaver
and say, "Please, Mr.. Pharaoh, can't
you give something out of your store
toward relieving the distress around
you. He that giveth to the poor
lendeth to the Lord" and all that rot.
Moses of old told the children of Israel
to borrow" everything belonging to
the Egyptians they could get hold of,
and to leave their taskmasters, or, in
modern. parlance, to go on a strike.
But Moses of that kind nowadays
would be held up to the execration of
mankind by the clergy.
If a Moses would arise and 90 to the
Vanderbilts with this message: "Thus
saith the Lord: Distribute S2OO, OOO, OOO
of your wealth among those who are
toiling for pittance"-and anything
less than 81. so day is pittance. not.
outstanding there are people who are
glad to get $3.50 week-''or the op.
pressed and hungry multitude will
arise in their might and borrow it of
you." such preacher or leader would
have no cause for complaint about the
indifference OF the masses toward re.
)igion thus exemp]'fed. Vanderbilt's
fortune would have relieved the dire
necessities of 1900, 900 people by giving
each of them 500, and his heirs would
still have a competence left. To those
who arr wealthy the sum of 500 may
seem small, but to the people who are
struggling to live on 81 s. week II
means affluence.
IT the churches will set themselves to
the task of bringing wages up to- S1.5(