The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-04-23

and commands. thriStS great work Is
directed toward the poor.
Now what is the poverty of which we
talk tonight. 1t is not small or limited
means, as we use the phrase; not moder-
ate circumstances 1t is that state in
which people live, where temporal needs
are insut1ciently met; where the food is
too scant in quantity and too poor in
quality to afford proper nutrition to the
body: where comfortable clothing in aI-
pearahce and warmth is not had: and
where the dwellings occupied do not
furnish proper apartments for ordinary
convenience and comfort nor such ac-
commoda tions for the private life of
each individual of the household as is
demanded for the preservation of
modesty and morality. To say TIL" same
thing in another way, the
Poor of whom We Speak
are those whose lives and energies are
centered, of necessity, upon the all alb
sorbing topic of getting living: where
the main battle of life is battle Tor
bread, which leaves room for almost
nothing else in the life. They are those
who are constantly pursued by the fear
that they may come short most any day
of the absolute necessities Of lfe-those
| in jeopardy, that the occurrence of any
| ono of a score of untoward things that
are liable to happen any day. such as
| sickness, loss of work, etc, would de-
| prive of house and home.
And we must go yet further and in
clude those who have no house or home,
| and don't know where the next meal is
coming from-thoSe indeed who are
| starving for the want of any food at all.
| How aStonished we should be if we knew
| how many of our fellow men in this our
| country alone are found included within
| these definitions. How many do you
| suppose sleep outside Of 4 bed, not to say
ont doors in the city of Chicago in
| winter? The daily Nc~s of that city.
| month or two ago, said that at single
| police station, Harrison street in Il cold
snap on a given evening, eighty person
not criminals sought shelter inside the
walls of the station, a warm place in
which to curl up and sleep. For the
first fifteen days of January thirty-seven
every night, on an average. sought
shelter at the station. and the state of
| the murcury determined the number
| of applicants. And on the warmer
nights, where are tie men who report on
| the cold nights? Sleeping out OF doors.
| undoubtedly. and that in the winter. AT
| another station, named Chicago avenue.
! large number are sheltrrcd-l00 on
| warm nights on an average. The men
! sleep on the floors, with IA newspaper for
! a mattress and shoes for pillow. The
writer says: Il saw them one night
| and have been haunted ever since. |
am almost ashamed to have a comfort
| able bed
Oh. that the muititudes that are roll
ing in wealth and are wasting daily
what would make comfortable many
poor pcoplc---Oh, that these could see the
| sights that this reporter saw and be-
| haunted until their hearts would melt
toward the destitute. They would then
certainly be ashamed of having the lux
urious couches that they lay their pam
pcred bodies upon every night. Re
| member the poor" does the scripture
say? Oh, perfect touch. We do not
see these miserable creatures seeking
ont nightly the warm, soft side Of a hard
| plank for a few hours OF shivering sleep.
| The rich do not see them. if they
did they would be haunted and so should
we he. We need to make an effort to
remember the poor. They are out of
our sight. Their poverty forbds them
! to come where we are. Their
Poverty Fstters Them Like Chain and
| I;all.
| They can not dress drcently: they
are ashamed to go among people: as
| they would be gaAcd at and frOwncd
upon: their poverty locks hem up in
the slums, in the dirty corners OF the
great cities, and neatly dressed genteel
people do not soil their clothes or expose
| their eyes to unpleasant sights by
travcrsing such miserable localities. 1ou
need not worry rich people, these poor
ones will not crowd upon you very much:
they are forced off from You by impass-
able barriers. social aud otherwise.
They are broken spirited people: they
wont trouble you. When the cold
pinrhes them beyond endurance. they
may push their way to some roof, but it
won't be your roof They would never
think OF that: it will be only some roof
that commonly shelters criminals.
These wretched people are not amhi-
! tious: they have no longer any hope or
! pride. They won't seek yot-you needn't
worry. You have got them off by them
selves pretty thoroughly lowered down.
| If you and they ever come together it
will come about by your remembering
them and going to them. And wont yon do
this? Jesus remembers the poor and pities
| them, and He wants to help them through
your ministry. OH thank God for His
compassion upon those whom their fcl-
low men have forgotten. He is in these
later years agtating the hearts OF His
children with anxious inquiries for the
| welfare of those whom the proud world
have ignored.
Poor people have been divided into
three classes-thc Lords poor. the dew
lis poor, and poor devils. The Lords
poor have wondrons help to bear their
Ioverty, and even it may be made 4
means of spiritual publication with
great grace. But the devils poor, as has
been said, are quite sure to become poor
| devils.
Now I know that some contend that
it is Gods will that there should be poor
and rich just such as we have, just as
they would say that it is the Lords will
that there should be sickness and health
in the world: but ! don't believe either
statement. Such thought is
| A Libel Upon Good God.
| | believe, not limited means. but db-
.icct porcftU, such as we are speaking of,
| is abhorrent to God and wounds .'the
heart Of the Eternal" sorcly--as much as
external luxury excites his wrath.
He does not intend that men should
have an even amount of money, but he
hates the wide extremes of wretched poy-
erty and guilty luxury.
The good Creator of us all has put
enough within our reach to make
all comfortable-thcr is more than
enough to supply the real need of all,
else we might reproach our Maker with
more reason. A just distribution of
wealth-not an equal distribution of
wealth-but such distribution as God
intended, such a distribution as there
will actually be if every man aid his
duty in life, would give anyone at least
a comfortable living. 1t is outrageous
blasphemy to blame poverty upon God.
when it has come through the sins of
men-either the rich or poor,
or both. No. things are not as
God would have them. They are
as guilty men have made them. And