The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-11-03

Gals and the economists they in
spired. Herbert Spencer lifts up his
voice against the growing tendency |
to State Intervention in social and
economic matters. He has, however,
an inadequate conception of the |
State, and he argues from the par
ticular to the universal. The State |
is not an aggregation of individuals, |
but an organic unity that has to |
discharge different duties at differ !
ent times. Governments must now
think of the general welfare, and as
a comparison Of Morocco or Turkey
with Britain or the States shows
how much the production, the pro-
lection and enjoyment of wealth is
due to society, Justice demands that
society receive its share. This is
now generally admitted though
there will always be discussion as to
the extent and methods of state in
reference. Measures that were
scolded as Utopian the other day
are now accepted by the general
reason and conscience. Among
these are the protection of work
ers, and especially of women and
children; sanitation; the extern
sion of municipal laws; free common
schools and compulsory attendance,
and even free textbooks; technical
schools and schools of art, open to
all; industrial schools and reforma-
tories for waits; limitation of the
! hours of labor; income tax, with ex-
emption of small incomes, and pos
sibly graduated scale according to
income; tax on inheritances with
possibly an increase of rate as the
amount of property left increases
and the appropriation of the tax to
objects most likely to benefit the
residuum of society. We are face to
face with pressing questions and Mr..
Spencer offers no solution. If no
solution is attempted we shall soon
be face to face with the very mill
tarism out of which he believes we
are emerging into industrialism.
What should be the attitude of
Christianity towards these questions
which the principle of state inter
ference raises? Chiefly dynamical
Christianity balances the economic
law that inequality of capacity in
wolves inequality of remuneration,
by the spiritual law that superiority
in capacity must prove itself by
superiority in service. 1t alone has
the dynamic that delivers mar rom
selfshness and recreates him i'm
planting a new spirit. The Church
exists to work miracles of this kind.
One reason why it fails is that now,
as in all ages, she is apt to mistake
religion, or even religiosity, for the
godliness which involves brotherli-
ness. 1t must beware of this. 1t
must train its members to be noble
citizens and noble statesmen. Why
should not its courts take cognizance
of social questions? Have we no wise
men who can confer with organized
capital and draw up reports that
would receive the earnest attention
of general assemblies? The children
of the Church should hear the voice
of the Church, not in tones of child
ish Boosting, and not as an infallible
voice to be submitted to on pain of
accommodation, but as the utter
ance of calm unselfish wisdom, near
to God and apart from strife.
This would seem next to be wise,
for | declare to this Council that the
subject on which the hearts of mil
lions are set, in Christianized Eu-
rope and America, the questions
they passionately crave to have solv-
ed, are not those that convulsesl Eu-
rope in the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries; are not questions
of doctrine, ritual, and of a future
state; are not home missions, foreign
missions, and missions to the Jews;
are not funds for aged and infrm
ministers, or for widows and or
phans of ministers only. On all these
their minds are made up. They are
thinking of things more pressing,
more primary and fundamental, and
more in accordance with Old and
New Testament ideals. They ask
that their labor be not exploited,
, and that weary, honest workingmen
be sure of decent home. A society
so constituted would be an argu-
ment for Christianity that India and
China would understand. They look
round and see such wealth as earth
never groaned under before, side by
side with poverty, quivering all
through life on the brink of starva-
ton; miles of palaces in the same
city with novels and the crowded
tenement house; and as they reflect
that without their faithful labor, this
wealth and splendor could not have
been created, they ask whether the
present adjustment is the best that
Christianity can make? If so, they
do not understand Christianity; nor
do |.