The advocate., 1894-03-07

Cheers upon cheers.
"And if you should do that, what
then? Must not the man to whom you
gave way-must not he in turn surren-
der his job forthwith to someone else
among the unemployedP Come closer
home. Right here in this city there
are men out of work, no doubt. Per
haps their families are destitute. Can
you endure to keep your employment
and continue to draw wages and to eat
your food instead of installing one of
these sufferers in your place while you
and yours starve? The teachings of
Christ cannot be taken literally. He
bade the rich young man go sell all he
had and give to the poor. Suppose we
should attempt to obey that injunction
as a literal command to us of to-day
We should only impoverish ourselves
while encouraging pauperism. Christ
did not mean that as a command for
all to obey. He was urging the young
man to become an evangelist; and for
that reason told him to diVest himself
of his worldly possessions. If you try
to practice the precept-'Resist not
evil, and go about turning the other
cheek to every assailant-What will be-
come of you? And to get judge or a
policeman to punish the aggressor for
you--are you not violating that pre-
cept just the same as if you were to
strike back? Again, are we to take
literally Christ's injunction to take no
thought for the morrow His injunction
to layup no treasures on earth? Why,
it is every mans bounden duty to lay
up something for rainy day. There
would be no enterprise, no progress,
were such preCepts literally followed;
and the man who should attempt to
live thus to-day would be put under
guardianship or be locked up as insane.
Hence, we must understand these pre-
cepts as mere hints at a principle
which should be taken as guide, and
to be followed only so far as it does not
conflict with some other principle
equally obligatory-such as that of
Self-preservation, or that of our duty
to our families. 1t is for the very
reason that, do what we will, there can
never be happiness in this world, that
the Christian clings so tenaciously in
these skeptical days to his hope of a
life beyond the stars, where the wicked
cease from troubling and the weary are
at rest.
"But, in the meantime, we are living
in this world, and we are called upon
to play our parts here as in this world
we must play them. We must do the
best we can under the circumstances;
and we shall do that if we follow an
enlightened self-interest. We are here
tonight to decide, not what we would
like to do, but what, as things are, it is
best for us to do. And l think it
beyond reasonable dispute that to sup
port the policy OF protection to Ameri-
can industries is the best thing for
every workingman in this country to
do"
"He's got away with Cotterell; John
can't answer that, +" said one shopman
in the gallery to another. Hes
tackled the wrong man this time, for
sure" eyes" said the other, "John's
smart, but man sometimes gets too
smart and gets left. Look, III be
darned if he amt goin' to talk back. "
John had risen and advanced to the
front of the stage. The audience, how
ever, showed obvious signs of inn
patience. But before he had as yet
said anything, a tall, slender man of
perhaps thirty years, with an "aristo-
cratic look" as Mrs. Cotterell would
have remarked, had already addressed
the chair, and the chairman recognized
the stranger instead of John. The
stranger wore no beard, and a smooth
face gives even commonplace men
distinguished" and scholarly air. l
have known men of some eminence
who, had they worn boards or even
moustaches, would have been the com.