Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-19
The Traits of Some Kinds
of Christians.
A Striking Sermon By Rev.
John H. Collins.
Are the Churches MOnOpOlized By the
Wealthy?
The Cry of the Poor-A Heart Breaking
Chorus-God is Interested In the
Oppressed = Some Strong,
Straight Talk.

Rev. ]. H. Collins yesterday morn
ing preached a somewhat remarkable
sermon at his church, the Third Con-
gregational. The title of the discussion
was Lop-Sided Christians, and in
substance was as follows;
Whose stoppeth his ears at the cry of the
poor he also shall cry himself. but shall not be
heard.-Pr0Y. 2l:13.
We are living in a peculiar age; an
age made peculiar by peculiar people
and their peculiar methods. From all
parts of our so-called christian land"
may be heard that awful heart-breaking
poverty "cry of the poor"
In our own parish it is heard. Go with
me to the washwoman's home and see
her as she dries her arms upon her
apron and leans upon the wash tub or
sits in broken chair for a moment,
while she answers a few questions as
to the welfare OF her family. Invite
her TO the Sabbath services and often
her reply will be: sob, am compelled
to work for other people during the
week and Sunday is the only day have
to clean my own house and mend the
children's Clothes" Within a few
weeks called at the home of woman
the mother of four children-and
found her in tears. When asked the
cause of her grief she hesitatingly told
the story of her poverty, which she
closed by saying, 81 know this is not
womanly for me to give up
like this, but when one can
not see where tomorrow's bread
is coming from for her children it is
just more than mother can stand"
and the tears flowed afresh-''the cry of
the poor" alas how bitter.
Nor is it alone this class from which
"the cry OF the poor" is heard. Go into
the stores and shops upon your main
thoroughfares and you will, find
young women whose faces wear an
almost indelible stamp of these five
words: "The cry of the poor" and
then talk of the generosity of their en-
ployers, or managers, and the treatment
accorded them by the weather. custom
ers. l am personally acquainted with
large number oi 'young women who
toll for their bread" and were l to give
you their lives in the form of an equa-
ton, it would be simply this: Long
hours of toll; heartless treatment; star
walton wages; "the cry of the poor"
Some merchants in this city are so
nearly brute-like in their treatment of
their employees as to Justly warrant good
people in boycotting their establish
ments.
Nor is this sermon alone in defense OF
the woman who is compelled to rub out
a scant existence for herself and child
rem at the wash-tub. and the ambitious
young woman who finds no other door
open to self-support than clerkship /;
but there are men, honest, brave and
able, who toll month after month at
hard manual labor, thus supporting
their families and laying aside ''nest
egg for rainy day." who meet with
some accident or misfortune, and in
few months the savings are expended
and the wolf OF poverty stands at the
door of their home. When the DOCTORS
bill is presented and they have no
means with which to meet it "the cry
of the poor" may be heard. The land
lord comes for his rent. The family
must have shelter, the money must be
raised; but where is it to come from ?
Some of the furniture must be sold, or
the family must go into the street. In
such dealings who cannot hear "the cry
of the poor?" The grocery bill must be
met or no orders will be taken, and
again "the cry of the poor" is heard.
Would you ask me what l consider
the greatest and most immediate dan
ger to society, I would answer, "the
modern saloon and all its attendant
evils" Would you ask me what con-
slider the second, l would say,
"that inequality of wealth and
power which enables one class Of
men TO Cypress another class until
10 Al
Read the Geographic columns of our
daily papers and you will hear their cry.
Not long since the Baltimore street rail
way companies compelled their men to
work seventeen hours per day-seven-
teen hours of toll, with seven hours for
meals and sleep. When would such
laborers meet their families? Under
such oppression "the cry of the poor"
was heard in the form of a strike, and
reduction of five hours per day granted
Who did not read of the great strikes in
the coal regions of Pennsylvania or the
'lockouts" of the New England manu-
featuring establishments, or the ''tie-up"
on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
railroad? What do all these mean? Do
men love such demonstrations Was it
their choice to engage in that which bor-
dered onto riot? | answer mo" Prac-
tically, these outbreaks were "the cry of
the poor" protesting against wealth,
monopoly and corporations, and asking |
that their families, as the result of their |
toll, might be reared as would become
the families of honest workingmen in an
enlightened and civilized nation.
This heart-breaking chorus "the cry
OF the poor" is increasing in volume.
Daily new voices may be heard. Whole
families catch up the sad strains, and
their pitiful cries reach the heavens.
More or less of this cry may be found
IN the different departments of organ
lzed labor. Can you read of a commit
zee on arbitration being appointed by a
labor organization or a grievance com
mlttee sent off on its mission without
poor?" nv
Is it not true that while the poor form
large part OF our population, on the
other hand may be found men OF wealth
as distinctly separated from the laboring
class as were the southern aristocrats |
from their black slaves a half century |
ago? And it is true that MANY of these |
men are connected, either directly or |
indirectly with churches, and from this |
fact | have announced the subject of
this sermon, Lop-Sided Christians. A |
friend defined the word ''lop-sided" as
"bulged out on one side," and so it |
seems there are many people who try to |
make the world believe that thew are
fsbulged out" on the side toward God.