The advocate., 1894-03-07

less we hear them2 we must not learn
these new doctrines from their oppo-
nents alone. If you read only what
the Pagans said Of them you will think
the early Christians were a bad lot.
Every new theory should be learned
from its advocates from it's enc
mics.
"But all other considerations aside,
what does prudence dictate? These
doctrines have been industriouSly
spread among workingmen, and if So
cialism be really perniciOus, is it not
the part of wisdom to drag it to light
in such meetings as this, where so
many Workingmen are present, and
while you have with you speaker so
able to combat such ViewS2 l confess
I have been greatly impressed with
the strength of the able speakers
answer to our Workingman orator, and,
for one, | am quite anxious to see If
he can reply to it. But lam stranger,
and, of course, cannot insist that you
shall entertain me"
AS the stranger sat down, cries OF
"COtterellp' 'John COtterell!' began
in the gallery and were taken upby the
people in the rear of the hall. Those
in front were impassiVe and i'll at ease;
but the ''labor vote must be deferred
to, and the chairman motiOned John
to proceed.
81 don't know that l can say much
after what's been said, and l won't be
long saying it," began the blacksmith.
"What troubles me is when the gentle
man says everything's to come all right
in heaven, that | understand we're to
have the same God up there that we've
had over as here; and ii he lets us
working people drudge and go hungry
here, with no show to enjoy this world,
while those we wear our lives out for
get rich and have a good easy time,
what right have we to expect that the
same God will change his mind after
we're dead and run the other world
different from this one? l suppose
what God does must be right; and
what's right on earth must be right in
heaven, for rights right, always and
everywhere. You folks tell us the
miserable here will be happy there.
Lazrus goes to heaven and the rich
man to t'other place; but, somehow,
rich folks all seem mighty willing to
take chances on the next world if they
can have good time here. This talk
reminds me of Bob Ingersoll's saying,
that we're to drink skinned milk in
this world in order to have butter in
the next"
In spite of themselves, even the
"businesS men" smiled at this sally.
"But about keeping my job while
some other man is going hungry-lt
was mighty hard hit this gentleman
gave me. 1t would take lots OF grit to
let nv old folks starve and be put out
doors while ! let somebody else have
my job to help him take care OF his
folks, and I'm not going to say just
now that I'd do it,"
Applause, in which all the business
men heartily joined.
"But what an internal world were
living in, anyhow, when a man has to
choose aCh0Se folks, 1OhOSe father and
mother, qghOSe wives and babies, he'll
starVe or freeze to deathl The gentle
man saws there's a whole million OF
Workingmen in this country hunting
for work and starving while they hunt,
and the working people all over Eu-
rope. are all paupers, and we've got 10
either starve these poor devils or StarVe
ourselves and those dependent on us;
and | admit he makes it look mighty
much that way. But he don't say one
word about changing this awful state OF
things. He takes it for granted that
this is all right here, though, OF course,
it wouldn't do in heaven, and his
whole argument is that we must vote
for protection and make our brothers
over the water die of hunger, or else
take the same medicine ourselves.
Now, l say that as soon as we've dis