The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-02
SERyICESATT THE CHURCHES
A Sermon Setting Forth the Answer of
Christ's Gospel to Labor and Capital.
The Twentieth Anniversary Observed BY the
South-Street Baptist CongregatiOn-Dr.
Jeffery at the Second Church.

Rev. Edward p. Whallon, pastor of the
Fourth Presbyterian Church, addressed
his congregation last night upon the topic,
The Gospel Answer to the Labor Ques-
ton" taking his text from Matthew vii, IL:
Therefore ali things whatsoever We would
that men do unto you. do We even so unto
them" The minister said that this has
been called the golden rule. If it were
universally adopted and acted upon. 1t
would be better for men thar if the stones
of our streets should turn to gold. It
would be the millennium already come. To-
morrow being Labor day. it is well to con-
slider this as a practical question. Every
body sees that there is something wrong
In our society. There are organiza-
tons among .workingmen for the pur-
pose of righting what are called wrongs,
and it is perfectly legitimate that there
should be such organizations. There are
extremes to be found. There are criminal,
yagabond, loud~mouthed men who come to
the front In the name of labor, and perform
acts winch bring into contempt the cause
which they espouse. These men do not
rlghtfully represent laboring men. The
sooner they cease to be heard the better it
VIII De for the whole body of society and
for workingmen as we'll
But back of all these there are some very
serious causes for discomfort and trouble.
Millions Of the population are labOring for
daily wages, and with many the condition
Is not so good as it was years ago. In the
last fifteen years the values of the country
have doubled, and the wages of laborers,
the year through. have diminished me-
fourth: The tide of labor still pours over
from Europe. and there are thousands
ready to keep wages down by accepting
very low prices. A great many have
come with false theories. Nihilism. COM
munism, socialism. insist on the destruction
OF all private rights in property. Here is
one extreme. Whatever concessions the
working people are about to receive are
oftentlmes interfered with by the fear of
encouraging these theories. There is an
other extreme on the side of wealth. There
are those who have been rolling up fort
unes of multiplied millions by stock spec
uiations, wrecking railroads, and other
processes, SO that in the whole fortunes of
some OF these there is not q single honest
or clean dollar to be found. Here is a
class OF sharp, dishonest, successful GRIM
1nals, just as much criminals as the bomb
she'll Anarchist. Between these two ex-
tremes is the large middle class, who. for
the main part, are interested In doing right.
From them, under God, the relief is to
come. They are the ones to work it out.
Men must live together in patience. in
Kindness, and in forbearance, and seek, by
education, the diffusion of truth and the
blessing of God, to make it impossible for
these extreme crimes to be committed.
Civil law is an educator. Good laws have
been q blessing, but all the laws in the
worla can never do as much for man as he
can do for himself. There may be laws
made which shall make it Improbable to
own even q million of dollars by making
The larger fortunes bear increasingly the
larger burden of taxation; that men may
be led, instead of boarding up millions, to
be more c~onsiderate and generous to those
whom they employ. 1t may never be made
a crime to own a township of land, yet it may
hundreds of acres, by reason of increasing
ly heavy taxes as the amount increases. that
landholders hall not care to burden them
selves with any amount beyond that which
is profitable for actual use. There might be
such an lnducement to the poor to own
small farms and houses, in the way of i'm
munity from taxation. that there should be
a largely increased number of men and
families interested IN the maintenance Of
law, order and peace.
Laboring men. said the preacher, need to
learn hat they are doing only q part OF
the work of the world. The work in offices,
studios and laboratories often demands not
eight but eighteen hours. One of the worst
difficulties in the way of the laboring men
is the saloon. If our laboring men were all
total abstainers. as many of them are, they
might be the princes of the land. And those
who are rich must learn to obey the
golden rule, and have more considera-
ton for those who are in humber
circumstances. Two evils go hand
in hand-the love of display and
the love of getting things cheap-snd when
things are gotten too cheap it means the
life-blood out of some and foolish display
for others. We need to realize that the
worlds only hope lies in the gospel OF
Christ. AS we come to love Him we come
to love one another, and living in accord
ance with His spirit and teachings is the
best solution OF the vexed questions Of
society.