Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-21
FRYEANDTHE POOR
The Earnest Preacher Again
Talks TO the Point
CONCERNING OUR IDLE MEN
And Suggests a Remedy for EXISTING
Evils-Grand Rapids Receives His
Passing Compliments.

nue NJ. +. church last evening.
In beginning his lecture Mr.. Frye
gave a review Of the work he was able
TO carry on among the poor of the city
with the help of the Herald fund. He
speak of the unseifishness of the gen.
eral press Of the city in taking up the
work and commending it, and the
hearty cooperation he mad received
from all classes OF people.
The particular theme of the lecture
was Idle Mon and Idle Money" and
upon this be said:
Agitating Both Hemispheres.
"The battle for bread is still raging,
aud the mightIest problem that IS
agitating Dotn hemlspheres today u,
how 10 give US this day our daily
bread know that many good peo-
pie criticize me for speaking OF these
secular things IN the pulpit, but can
prove that have scrlptural backing
for my position. The first part OF the
Lords PRAYER ascr:bes unto Him the
honor and glory due to His position,
due HIS great name. But the next
thing the Lord taught h.s disciples,
after teaching them reverence to the
Almighty, WAS give us this day our
daily bread. Jesus Christ regarded the
temporal wants first, then the moral
and spiritual. You might as we'll try
TO convert stone as To convert
hungry man. When you feed and
clothe man then you may talk
tofs him about his trespasses;
and not TIL then. If you
follow the teachings OF the Lords
prayer and the churches will never SIC
ceed IN christlaIizDg the masses until
they regard these teachings. We must
quit praying God to feed and clothe
somebody and 60 out and feed and
clothe somebody ourselves. What is
needed today mere than anything else
is the gospel of peace and plenty, of
bread and butter, of daily bread
When We have preached that, 1t will be
time to preach spiritual gospel.
Poverty aud Wealth.
Poverty drives people to sin and to
crime. The battle for bread, give me
bread is the great and piercing cry of
the world today. Only few DAYS ago
this was 9xemplificd in Berlin, when
the honest and industrious workIngmen
of Germany went to the palace gates
and said We demand bread for our
starving families. We are not here tn
destroy any mans property, but we
must have something to eat The
bible says In the sweat OF thy face
shalt thou eat bread and many man
would be glad to sweat If he could only
be sure of getting that something 10
eat.
Idle men on the one hand, idle
money on the other. In New York.
city alone ten men control $500, 900 900.
That sum would deck the equator with
\ necklace of silver. Some of these
men live in homes worth $3.000,000,
and rgnt under their gorgeous display
OF wealth there are little tenements
where ten, twelve and fifteen people,
men, women and children. are huddied
together in one room. It's no wonder
these men and women envy the com-
mon cart horse that travels the street.
The horse has rubber blanket for the
rain, y wooden blanket 70: the cold, a
stall to shelter him from the elements,
food as he needs it, and maybe little
cricket in the corner to sing him a
melody when the piercing winds blow
outside.
How Shall 1t Be Solved.
In the city of New York there are
100 600 idle men, many of whom have
families to support; l50, 900 men there
earn less than 60 cents day. Over
against them are thousand million
aires. In that same city in go one
person in every ten was buried in the
Potters' field. The United States COM
misHoners' statistics show that IN tins
country there are 1000, 600 idle men;
1S nj az a III tho All nj lpypd N I,
sixty railroads work less than half the
year. More than 100000 OF these men
average only - cents n day. With
continual plling up of the circulating
medium and lesscning demand for
labor, We have n mighty hard problem
tv solve. Political economists are put
TO their wits end to know what TO do
with it. One would solve il by pro-
lection, another by free trade, still
another by pr0hlbiuon. | believe that
it will take the application of the best
that is in all parties. Leve, up the low
places by pulling down the high.
Bridge over the chssms that separate
the classes from the masses. Educate
the people to . broader. higher plane
of fraternity. When the aristocrst and
the poor man meet on that plane, the
problem Will be solved.
Women and Wages
In Chicago the female population IN
the factories - estimated at u, 1000. and
they average 20 cents day for wages.
In Boston there are twenty sweating
shops, and in New York snd London
there are many more. But men are
now investigating this sweating system,
and are bringing 20 the surface the cor
Iuption existing. The interest shown
IN all these systems by men and women
In the high walks OF life. believe, -
the entering wedge OF the solution of
the problem.
But | am tired of this diplomatical
correspondence on the subject. WHAT
can the common people understand by
all the hong words diplomats use?
| Who understands about this modus
vivendl' that Blame saj Victoria have
been into. There's one good thing
/ about diplomatic orrespcndsnce Iii
/ cant DO auv harm. because nobody
( snsws what i ali means. Bat when a
man comes ont. az the German empe-
TOR did, and says. De "a wsos yen q,
or III puiverize every man Of you
then ia Tine TO get tne dust of your
musksts. AZ for our own state. Nfchi-
/ gan y not as bad off ss some states.
/ S6e Guy bss slas 900 100 Of mortgages.
snd ihs women of Nichlgsn svsrsss 1e
cents day What woman vouldnt
I've n Mgohlsanf The woman ct
Grand Rapids average p cents day
Good fer sFsna Rspids' Ard another
/ thing. cant find from statistics thst
there Is = eity ia the I'nien rhsrs more
sensss ere aNhsa thsn n efsud Rep.