The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-09-04
I. SERMON FOR PARSONS.

SAV ~ - 20 49, |
Carman does not believe the message to
be merely a spiritual one, teaching the
way to heaven. What false prophet has
notpromised to pay the debts OF time in
the gold of q future life? Ii all that have
grown rich upon the labor OF others
should meet in secret council to frame a
religion to there liking, whatbetter could
they do for themselves than provide a
pulpit that should preach to the rich a
dollars and cents charity, and to the
poor content with the state in which 1t
has pleased God to place them and an ex-
ceedlng greatreward in Heaven? Yet the
gospel heard in upholstered pews by rich
congregation is much like this. Christ
would not use his matchless eloquence to
draw struggling humanity to an empty
gospel. The Jew OF that day hadhls diff
culties. There were those that devoured
widows houses and for a p%retence made
long prayers. These men were respectable
citizens, and doubtless in devouring
widows houses they acted clearly within
the law. Widows thus despoiled were I'M
employed women who could no longer
maintain houses and were glad to sell
them for bread.
The Jewish Church OF Christ's time was
corruptly governed, but it did provide a
way t. heaven. If the sole auty OF the
Church was to make it's members sure OF
future bliss, the Jewish Church was accom-
plishing it's full mission. Christ, however,
was not satisfied with it, and He wished
to benefit the men upon earth. Hejustified
Moses in eating the shew bread, and Him
self in plucking corn on the Sabbath.
Hunger was d higher law thar the mere
iormal,ties Of the Church.
Mr.. Carman formnlates his complaint
against the modern Church by laying
down the principles upon which itshould
be judged. To him Christianity is not an
alienation OF human ills, but a cure. 1t
is widowed with sufficient vitality to
bring the world in line with it's teaching.
There is no wrong in the world for which
Christianity does not provide IL remedy.
A Christianity that does not meet all
these requirements Is a failure. A Christ
ianity OF compromise is Il contradiction
in terms. While the land has a forest
OF church spires, We see hideous
wrong un~denounccd. Wn,n the ewing
woman earns Il bare pitta1ce and
the sweater f~attens, thcrs is robbery.
The sweater has-t1ken part OF her
earnings. Its not charity, but justice,
that Is Ieeded here. The annual wages OF
hand workersin Ontario average &42o.O7
pei year, and yet manufactures become
m9lionaires in a short time. DO the me
c%hSanics get all they earn? do the manU-
lecturers get no more then they earn?
Xhe church, the manufacturer, even the
Hpoor themselves, think this right. Bat
presently a goddess agltator teaches the
people that robbery has been committed,
and the church is astonished that the
common people here him gladly.
"Sell all and give to the poor" was
the command to the rich young man
that wentaway s%orrowful. Thecommand
has been softened into ''glve literally to
the Church." and in return the Church
breaches the sacredness OF vested rights,
content and future reward to the strug.
Cling poor, Love has been translated
charity. and taken to mean not brother.
hood Gilman, but the mere doing ofpence,
The old Jewish law that forbade abso'
lutte land ownership is full OF hints. Here
it was long before Henry George wrote
God showed in the Mosaic law that he
did not send men upon the earth to beg
the right to live Of others who are its
owners. The right to own land implies
the right to deny another a chance to
earn a living. If Levitlcus is not fatal to
ownership OF land, as now practiced, the
laws OF logic and OF exegesis fail.
The Gospel OF ''charity'' and humility
seems to have soaked into the very
arteries Of the modern church. We labor
with anguished hearts to help the victims
OF our system, but we let the system it
self stand. Mr.. Carman finds, in various
current manifestations OF radicalism, ar
attempt to supply the real want OF mod
ern Christianity; but it must be comics
sed that Mr.. Carman is not clear as tt
the distinctions between these various
forms.
Criticism of the doc trine Of the clergy
if well founded, must be fatal to thei
power. The clergy can have no compro
mise with wrong; they can do naught foI
expediency. Is there no wrong, asks Mr.
Carman, when honest industry brings tx
one mere bread, toanother millions
Should one man man have power OF lif'
or death over another, and does he no
possess such power, having the abilit'
to afford or to withhold the op%portunit!
to earn a living? If one man or a com
pany OF men held all the land and al
the capital, could they not sentence al
the rest to death? Is it right that on
man, owning a plot OF land, shall max
$4,000 out Of his neighbours industry
Let the church nswer such question:
honestly and logically, and it viii
reach the masses. The prison is mad
lighter and prettier, but stronger
When John Burns led the dockers
Manning, the Romanist, stood between
the workmen and the rifles Of the Gaurde
but the protestant priesthood waite
for the lull to preach repentance. Th
drift is toward bloody socialism; will til
Church not lead the way with love. il
stead OF letting others lead with hate
Standard.
AyARIETy OF oPINIONs.
The farmers alliance movement ha
been treated by public speakers an
writer's, from every conceivable stant
point. It has been lauiiea and rldicuie,
praised and blamed. commanded an
denounced, characterized as a schen
Of d~emagogues, and represented al