The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1892-11-09
THE CHURCH IND THE POOIs
Docs It Consider that one Man's Sour
Is as Good as Another's2


Is as Good as Another's7
Rev. III. M. Brooks, of Paris,
Illinois, in the K. Of L. Journal,
says:
why is it that religious pa
pers are, SO many Of them, eager
to seize upon opportunities to
say spiteful, uncharitab]e and
often untruthful things in dis
paragement Of organized LAHORE"
My answer to your question is y
because the church is the enemy
Of the common laborer instead
Of a friend to him, as was Jesus
the Christ It is said in the Bi-
BILE that "the common people
heard Him gladly and follow
ed Him in such crowds that they
"trode one upon another"
They followed Him because they
found Him a friend to the masses.
And I wish to say without fear
Of contradiction, that the gov
ernment, society and the church
are all the enemies Of the poor,
the unfortunate and the crimi-
nal Of our country. There are
some honorable exceptions to
this Indictment, but with the
church it is the exception where
it ought to be the rule. We
have a class government, a class
society and a class church. The
preachers and a few representa-
tive laymen are wont to go to
conventions and conferences and
there to discuss "How shall
we reach the masses2" When
the truth is the church dosent
want to reach the masses. If it
did, itwould do it. How does
the politician reach the masses ?
BY going to them. Why does
he reach the masses2 Because
he believes that one mans vote
| is as good as another s. And
when the church conclude that
| one aia d soul as, I'd asass
othefs' i, 81 then & aId 1lOo{ {gt1li
then, will it reach the masses.
The church is after those who
have financial and social infiu
ences. If some one with great
financial ability comes into the
church it constitutes sufficient
excuse for a long newspaper
article, but if a poor man or wo-
man comes into the church it
casts a gloom over the whole
congregation. And I have known
a few persons who were poor on
joining the church break up q
great revival" Here is an H.
lustration: A man may die to-
day whois poor in dollars and
cents, but rich in character, and
when he is taken to his last rest
ing place there are hardly enough
to let him into the cold earth.
But on tomorrow a rich man
may die who is pauper in char
acter and a millionaire in dollars
and cents, and when the time
comes to take him to the confines
Of the tomb every fool in the
country will be following him
to the disgust Of allwell regula-
ted minds elbowing eachother
trying to see who shall show the
most respect. A poor man steals
$50 worth to keep away the wolf
OF starvation, and he goes to the
penitentiary for five years. A
bank cashier steals $1,000 and
|goes "scotfree.' In the great
struggle between the bond hold
er and bread winner the church
has always been on the side Of
the strong. The church has
stood by and watched the COR
morant land thieves and money
sharks Of this and other nations
take the people land and burn
the peoples $ money; introduce a
financial system that is fast re-
ducing us to a nation Of paupers.
All this the church has watched
without saying one word in favor
Of the weak.
The whiskey business in Savan-
nah is ono OF the most important
teatnresin the tradeof that city, We
are told by the Morming Neays the
annual receipts Of one Of Its crack
saloons amonnta to $4,000, and