Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-30
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
Father Sheedy Brightly Treats This
Most Potent Subject.
MISSION OF THE CHURCH In LABOR.
Henry Georges Single Tax Doctrine Is
Inconsistent.
THE FIRST OFFoUR TALKS

Rev. Father Sheedy, of st. Mary of Mercy
Church, last night gave the initial talk of
1our to be given during Advent on Capital
and Labor" The announcement had the
effect of drawing a large crowd of people of
all creeds The recent encyclical letter of
the Pope on the Condition of Labor"
prompted Father sheedy's discourse.
He began by reading a clause from the
encyclical letter, viz: Neither must it be
supposed that the solicitude of the Church
is so occupied with the spiritual concerns of
its children as to neglect their interests
temporal Its desire is that the poor should
rise above poverty and wretchedness, and
should better their condition in life, and for
this it strives" Then he continued in his
own words:
''To what higher and nobler purposes
could we direct our thoughts during this
season of Advent than the study of the
labor problem? No matter how we look at
the question it is one of tremendous import
ance. 1t is important from the social,
moral and political, as we'll as from the eco
nomic point Of view. Until the problem
is solved there will exist many serious diff
fculties in the way of peace and good will
among men which the Prince of
Peace came to establish on earth.
There necessarily must be strife
and conflict. dissension and suffering,
grinding poverty, hatred and injustice, sin
and crime all the more in the world as long
as the present condition Of affairs continue.
Labor Is a Religious Question.
'sIn short, society will be continually
menaced, trade and commerce at times dis
turbed, industry retarded and periodically
paralyzed, and the material happiness of
the community sorely impaired. The labor
question is a religious question, inasmuch
as it cannot be settled on any other basis
than moral right. As of old, the Church
raised aloft the spirit of redemption, so to-
day the conflict that RACES the world over
between labor and capital must raise the
the Lord We begin by calling attention
to the mission of man both earthly and tenn
poral, and to the divine institutions which
are now in sympathy with this paramount
question. We not only invite the Chris
tian ministry, but the labor element itself
appeals to the aid and assistance of the
church."
Then he cited the biblical story of Christ
as the child of an artisan, who spent his
young days in the mechanics shop.
He Bitterly Opposes Henry George.
Henry George, who refutes one of the
chief principles of the encyclicaI letter,
was touched up quietly by Father Sheedy
on ''The right of private ownership in
land" Mr.. George denies this right.
His theory" continued Father Sheedy,
sis the single tax system can alone remove
the evils of capital and labor. He asserts
that as the Creator gave land like he did air
and water, no individual had right to own
land; it belongs to the community. Again
Mr.. George says man has a right to possess
only what his labor produces. These two
assertions are implicitly condemned by the
Pope:
I'VE can possess air and water in COM
mon, but not land. Mr.. George says we
can possess only what we produce; we don't
produce land. His doctrine leads to COM
munism. Would it not be wrong to want
to give to the community gold, silver,
precious stones, cattle. etc, simply because
man did not make them? If his theory
should exist England, Germany and China
would have as much right to us as we
have"
The speaker spoke of Andrew Carnegie's
opinion on the emigration question saying
that only the cream of Europe came over
here to live and work with us.
His main idea throughout the talk was to
impress upon the minds of his hearers that
the church's mission was not onlv to save
souls, but also to save society.
Rev. Father Coyne, of Sewickley, will de-
liver the next talk on the labor question at
ST. Mary of Mercy Church, on Third ave-
nue., next Sunday night.