Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-24
LAB0R'S FATAL PITFALLS
REV. TALMAGE PICTURES THE
EFFECT OF STRIKES.

- -
Relations.
BROOKLYN, n. Y, May 23.-Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage, DID, to-day preached
the second in his series OF sermons on
the great labor discussion, the subject be-
ing: "How Employers Ought to Treat
Employees" The opening hymn was:
''Glory to God on high,
Let heaven and earth reply"
DR.. Talmage chose two texts, the first
from Galatians, V. 10, ''lf ye bite and de-
YOUR one another, take heed that We be
not consumed one of another;" and Phil
ippians ii. 4, "Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the
things of Others" Following is the SER
mon in full:
The labor agitation will soon quiet. The
mills will again open, the railroads resume
their trathc, our national properties again
start. or course the damage done by the
strikes cannot Immediately be repaired.
Wages will not be go high as thew were.
Spasmodically they may be higher, but they
will drop lower. Strikes, whether right or
wrong, always injure laborers more than the
capitalists. You Will see this in the stsrva-
tlon OF next winter. Boycotting and violence
and murder never pay. They are different
stages OF anarchy God never blessed mur-
ueI Auo NoIne u5c you can put man 10 Is
10 kill him. Blow up Tomorrow all the
country seats on the banks OF the Hudson, and
all the fine houses on Madison Square and
Brooklyn Heights, and Bunker Hill, and Rit-
tenhouse Square, and Beacon street, and all
the bricks and timber aud stones will justfal
back on the bare hands Of American labor.
The worst enemies of the working
land are their demented coadiutors.
Assassinati0n--the aBsassinations of Lord
Frederick CRvendish and Mr.. Burke in Pho
nix Park, Dublin, Ireland, in the attempt to
avenge the wrongs Of ireland, only turned
away from thaG afflicted people millions OF
sympathi1ers. The attempts TO blow up the
House Of Commons, in London, had only thus
euec5-to throw out OF employment tens of
thousands of innocent Irish people IN Eng
land. Ia this country the torch put to the
factories that have discharged hands for good
or bad reason distractions on the rail tracts
in front OF midnight express trains, because
the Offenders do NOT IKE the president of the
company strikes on shipboard the hour they
were going to sail, or in printing offices the
hour the paper was to so 70 press, or in the
mmes bho day the coal was 10 be delivered, or
on house Hcaholdlngs 50 the builder fails in
keeping his contfact-al these are on v hard
blow on the head of American labor, and
cripple Its arms, and lame It's feet, and pierce
ITS heart. Traps sprung suddenly upon en-
ployers, and violence never took one knot out
of the knuckles of toll, or put one farthing Of
wages Into callous palm. Barbarism will
never cure the wrongs Of civilization. Mark
that. ...t
Frederick the Great admired some land
near his palace at Potsdam, and he resolved
TO get II. 1t was owned by a miller. RE Of
fered the miller three times the value of the
property. The miller would not take it be-
cause II was the old homestead, and he felt
about as Naboth felt about his vineyard when
Ahab wanted it. Frederick the Great was a
rough and terrible man, and he ordered the
miller into his presence, and the King, with a
stick in his hand-a stick with which he some
times struck the officers of state-said to the
mlllerii''Now, have Offered y0uthree times
theNalue Of that property, and if you won't
seH 1t IN take 1t anyhow" The miller said:
your majesty, you WON'T" ''Yes," said the
King, 81 will take it." Then" said the mill
Ter, IF your majesty does tase it | will sue
YOU in the Chancery Court. At that threat
Frederick the Great yielded his infamous de-
mand. And the most imporious outrage
against the working classes viii yet cover
before the law. Violence aud contrary to the
law VIII never accomplish anything, but
Righteousness and according to the law will
accomplish it.
But gradually the damages done the laborer
by the strikes wilt be reBa red, and some i'm
pOrtant things ought now to be said.
The whole tendency OF our times, "a you
have noticed, is to make the chasm netween
employer and employe wider and winter. In
Olden time the head man OF the factory, the
M aster builder. the capitalist, the head man
of the firm worked side by side with their
employees, working sometimes at the same
bench, dining at the same table; and there
are those here who can remember the time
when the clerks of large commerca estab-
lishments were accustomed to board with
the head men OF the firm.
All that is changed, ana the tendency is TO
make the distance between employer aud
employe wider and wider. The tendency Is to
maze the emplOye feel that he is wronged by
the success Of the capitalist. and to make the
capitalist feel, "Now my labOrers are only
beasts of burden; ! must give 50 m 1ch money
for 20 much drudgery, just so many pieces OF
silver for 80 many beads Of sweat" In other
,s.fa Nn -
at both ends. That feeling was well de-
seribed by Thomas Carlyle when he SAID:
"PlugsOn, Of st. Dolly Undcrshot, buccaneer-
like, says TO his men: Noble spinners, this Is
the hundredth thousand we have gained
wherein mean to dwell and plant my vine
yards. The hundred thousand pound is mine
the daily wage was yours. Adieu. noble
spinners; drink my health with this grOat
each which give you over and above"
Now what we want Is to re build that bridge
OF sympathy, and 1 put the tr0wsl 20 one OF
the abutments to-day; and preach more es-
pecay this morning TO employers as SUCH
although what 1 have to say Will DO apprO-
pirate TO all who are in the house
The outrageous behavior OF a multitude OF
labOrers toward their employers during the
last three months, behavior Infamous ana
worthy or most cOndlgn punishment. may
have induced some employers 10 neglect the
real Christian duties that They owe to those
whom they employ. Therefore, want to say
TO you whom 1 confront face TO face, and
those TO whom these words may come. that
q I shipOwncrs, all capitalists all commercial
firms, all master builders, all housewives. are
bound to be Interested In the entire welfare
OF their subOrdinatcs. Years ago some one
gave three prescriptions for becoming mil
liOnaire. First, spend yourl fe IN getting and
keeping the earnings OF other people. Sec
Ondly, have no anxiety about the wOrrments,
the losses, the dIsappOinLments Of others.
Thirdly, do not mind the fact that your vast
wealth implies the poverty Of great many
people. Now there Is not man IN my audi
ence who would cOneent to 20 out into ne
with those three principles 10 earn fortune.
It is your desire TO do your whole duty 10 the
men and women In your service.
First Of all then, pay as large wages as arc
reasonable and rs your business will an1rd
Not necessarily what others pay, certainly
not what your nired help say you must paw
bearable The right OF u labOrer 20 tell his
employer what he must pay, implies the right
Of an employer 70 compel q msn into a SER
vice whether he will or not, and either Of
those ideas Is despicable. When any en-
ployer allows a laborer 10 say what he must
do or nave his business ruined, and the em-
plOyer submits 20 lt, he does every business
man In the United states q wrong and yields
TO principle which, carried out, would dis
solve society. Look over your Affairs and nut
yourselves In imagination In your laborer's
place, and then pay him what before God aud
your own conscience you think you ought 10
pay him.
''God bless yous" are well in their place,
but they do not buy coal nor pay houec rent
nor get shoes for the children. AT the same
time, you, the employer, ought 10 remember
through what straits and strains you got tho
fortune By which you built your store or run
the factory. You are 10 remember that yon
takes none, or scorooly any. You are 10 re-
member that there NAV Re reyerses la for.