The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-07-24

made OF MANI We need only to recall
the atrocitid8 of slavery, the state OF the
French Pc gantry before the Revolution
'nfd~ the awful restitution and misery
that marked the early years OF this
century owing to the long drain of Euro
pean wars. Many and great are the
changes that have taken place since then.
The conscience OF the English aceawoke
to q new sense of the brotherhood of
man, and the curse OF slavery was
swept away. Such has been the rush OF
material progress, SO prodigious the in
crease in the power OF producing wealth,
that to anyone living at the beginning OF
the century who could have foreseen this
alone, it would have appeared impossi-
BILE that want and the misery resulting
from it could continue to exist. With a
power at his command by which one
man today can weave as much as twen-
ty could then have done, why need any re-
main poor; why should any continue to
toll till mind and body are exhausted
for q wage barely sufficient to prevent
starvation? And yet, in spite Of all our
progress, extreme poverty is the condi-
ton OF millions of our fellow country
men today. Nor is it in England alone
that the cry Of poverty is heard. In
France, in Germany, and even in Amer
lea with Its splendid resources, the same
condition of things prevails; amidst the
production OF enormous wealth O large
class is found barely able to exist. This
is the problem Of our time, and one
which we cannot afford to neglect; a
predetermined must be faced and solved,
or our boosted civilization will not
stand the strain. 1t is the riddle which
the Sphinx OF Fate puts to our clviliza-
tion and which not to answer is to be
destroyed. Already the voices of revolt
are heard and FAINT mutterings foretell
the coming storm, 1t is not my purpose
to offer a cheap and easy solution OF
this problem, nor to suggest any simple
humanity endures. One man has one
remedy and n another, and it is well
that these should be discussed. But it
is not to the external and political as
pect OF the question that l wish to di-
rect our attention SO much as to It's
more religious side. What has Christ
ianity to say to this great problem. and
what can the Christian church, as the
professed exponent OF the teachings Of
Christ, do in regard to it? These are
the questions I would have us consider.
Practical Christianity-the acting out
indaily life the principles taught by Christ,
has put down that great world curse Of
slavery; it is on It's way, we venture
amid many discouragements to trust,
to put down war; it is today infusing
here and there into the hearts OF men u
new ideal Of purity and %chivalry; what
has it to say to this great evil OF persis-
tent poverty amid advancing wealth;
OF the frightful inequality and injustice
that prevails in the distribution OF Gods
gifts to men. Here 1 would venture to
meet one OF two objections that are
likely to be felt by some to this method
OF treating the subject. In the first
place it may be said that poverty is a
perpetual ordinance OF God, to be &C
cepted as part OF the providential order.
ing Of things, in as much as Christ said,
1.-THE poor We haye always with YOU"
Now to anyone who fairly looks at this
passage; it must, I think, be clear that
Christ was here simply speaking OF a
TACT that was then palpably existing;
and certainly the mere statement OF a
fact cannot be taken as q valid renson
for it's continuance. Besides it is certain
that Christ had not in his mind the pow.
erty that degrades and brutalizes. The
man who seeing or even hearing OF these
things-The toll OF starving women and
the crying OF the children for bread
can calmly fold his hands and say
with q spirit OF oriental fatalism
that it is the will OF God, shows a spirit
az far removed from the spirit OF Christ
as that Of the meanest Pharisee in
Judea.
Again it may be SAID that this want
and misery is the fault OF the peoples
habits-the natural result OF their i'm.
providence, their drunkenness and theil
other vices. l do not for one moment
deny that there is truth in this; there
are no doubt thousands who actually
prefer a life OF squalor and degradation
to doing honest work; thousands more
who when they might make provision
for the future never do it; and thouss
ands who would lead totally different
lives if the temptation ofdrink were done
away. But if anyone asserts that al
this poverty is due to such causes, he il
simply ignorant OF the facts. Let hin
look them up and let him consider, too
how these very vices are themselves thu
result OF hopeless destltution-hov
many fly to drink as a solace from
grinding misery-how many are wha-
their circumstances have made them
thriftless or vicious, as a result OF thu
life into which they are born and OF thu
absence OF any refining or %elevating in
tiuence.
But another and perhaps deeper oh
lection remains. The function OF tin
Christian church, it may be said, Is t.
preach the gospel, to save the souls 0
the masses and prepare them for an
other world, and it is q waste OF thu
Chnrch's time and beneath it's true dig
nifty to ask it to direct its attention tx
!. mere temporal matters like the distri
button OF wealth. Now here | mus
state my profound conviction that t.
speak thus indicates a very imperfec
view Of the purpose and meaning Q
Christ's life and work. Have We eve