St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-16
n PLAIN DUTY.
The Christian Pulpit Should Re-
sist the Maunmonism of the Day.

Inc CnEiStian IulplC SnOuLu re
sist the Marnmonism of the Day.
Rev. w. J. Lhamon, at the Church of
Christ yesterday, preached upon the
Causes of Poverty"
''ltis the duty of the Christian pulpit
to resist the mammOnsm of our day."
lie said. Socially, a man passes for
what his p0cketboOk is worth. Too
often churches are estimated by the
amount they can eXpend in granite
walls, pipe organs and freScOeS: preach
ers by the salary they get; one Is a
81 600 man, another Il $1,000 man, an
other $4,000 man. The money-roIl IS
big in politics. Without it our political
Hamlet would be minus Hamlet. In our
boosted free country we are in danger
OF having Doodle for president, bar
rels'' for his cabinet, rings" whisky
rings, railroad rings, gambling rings
and corporation rings by the hundred,
for congressman and senators. We are
obsequious TO wealth. We think a man
happy Or miserable according to the
amount of cash he can command. Many
an American has already reached that
state of faith described by one as hav-
ing no god but Mammon, no devil but
the absence OF gold no damnatiOn but
being poor, aud no hell but an empty
purse. Many purse-prOud man is not
happy; ignorant, blOated, sensual, blcar-
eyed, fOul-mOuthed. stingy, conscience
less, without God and without hope in
Inc world. Is such a wretch rich be-
cause he has cash? On the other
hand. is there no intrinsic wealth in
manhood? When man is strapped
might he as well be buried? Gold is not
the highest wealth, nor the lack of 1t
the deepest poverty. just here many
social cure-all fails. Shower gold upon
bad man; you only help him 10 curse
himself. fake away good man'S
bread: that is cruel on your part, but
alter all you Only put him to inconven-
fence; you cannot curse him so. | pro-
test against the common use of the
words poor and rich, after which l use
them as they are commonly used in
order to be understood.
The first cause of poverty that name
is suggested by the apostle James when
he says, "Ye have deSpsed the poor"
To begin with the churches, remember
ing that there are noble exceptions:
Some churches have despised the poor;
rented peWS have shut them out; cold
Indifference has chilled them; meaning
less. unScrlptlral forms and ritualistic
munmeries have been like barbed wire
fences to them; the sermons have shot
moved away from the crowded tene-
mentS Of the poor far up onto the ave-
nues where were the people with
princely fortunes: pastors have been
fond of calling where they might sit
on upholstered chairs and chat
pretty nuthings about philosophy and
art ana science and literature with
people of culture:" historic Christian
lily itself Las resigned its mission of
! ministry 10 the poor for arid discussion
about theological trifles; and lastly, the
Roman Catholic church, wherever it
has been dominant in the world. has
kept the people prieSt-riddcn, i'll igno-
rance and superstition, mot forgetting 10
sell them indulgences and To collect
| Peters pence. So the church has
dcspiSed the poor. Commerce has de-
spiSed the poor. The poor mans time
is bought on the -blooded theory of
supply and demand: so much muscle
for so much money; the poor man
taking his muscle 10 the market
and rich men buying it there at
, the lowest possible figures, remember
| ing that the poor man must have bread,
whereas the work can wait. Worse
| still. commerce has turned the man
| away from the market, and has called
| to his child. saying, Come, little fellow;
| have lever that you can hold as well
as your father. and your time is worth
! third as much as his; I'll buy your
little arm by the day, and you shall feed
your hungry father" Commerce has
compelled the mother to die at the
needle that she might put morsel of
bread into the mouths of her children
while she lived; it has compelled the
maiden to sell her virtue and
| 20 ragged on the streets: it
has compelled the father to go
Idle, while the children earned the
scanty bit of bread, and the mother
| pieced their rags together for another