The Press., 1894-12-13

grand organization is fine illustration of evolution. We have heard great many delightful things from those who partici- pated in the crusade. This organization did not have it's origin in an ape, but it had it in the heart of the mothers, the heart of Mother Thompson, and others, and the first offshoot from that was the crusade. We have listened with great delight to those who participated in it. am ashamed to confess before you to- night that am one of those belated in- dividuals who did not believe in that cru sade. l said, "the thing ought to be done, but that is not the way to ''- iV' I called mvsals O conservative and l felt very superior. But have learned later to define a conservative as one who is too stupid to keep up to the light of the age. How many times I have thought since with what scorn must God look upon those pusillanimous creatures here who sit back in their self-righteousness and criticise any progress in any cause for lifting up mankind, for instilling courage into the weak and opening opportunities for progress. This great host of women are publishing the tidings of the outgl owth of that little seed of brotherhood. In old Roman days they knew no such idea as brotherhood of man, much less of woman. All those who were outside the city, the Romans looked upon as enemies and the law of nations was the triumph of supert- l Tn haH n word to express humanity. The world was di- vided into Greeks and barbarians, and Socrates but voiced his contemporaries thoughts when he caused Damon to give thanks that he was born man, not beast, male not female, a Greek not barbarian. When Christ came He taught common brotherhood with a con- mon Father. It is because that Christ came that this great organization of wom- en is possible. It is in spite of his wishing that our great nation violates the law of brotherhood by it's continued injustice to woman. The law of brotherhood involves the proper estimation and consideration of our industrial classes. It is very easy to look out over Boston common and see an idle forlorn set of men listen to the harangue of Morris and Swift, or to fol- low the Coxey army with it's folly and imbecibility, or to shudder over the atroc-
 ty of a miners strike in Colorado, or to condemn Pullman boycott in Chicago, and then exclaim, "The work people of this country are fools and never know when they are we'll off, they ought to be crowded to the wall and compelled to sub init to the fashion of life as they have found it." It is not so easy, but it is wiser to discriminate between a body of tramps who are posing as the unemployed and demand food and shelter and cloth ing which they have not the will to earn, and asking for work which they have not the energy to do, and the great army of industrial work people that is to-day reaching out for better conditions. In the broil for means to live, all that makes life worth the living is trampled under foot with many of our unfortunate poor, the submerged classes that never knew loves consecrated dew, and they never u CT had the tendrils of happy home bound about their lives, but side by side with heartsease grew the fatal night shade and bitter rue, It is true, those people are not very wise, but they know that they are hungry, and that a great many people who do not work half so hard have enough and to spare. In this state of mind they do not have a very great re- spect for the law, having felt only it's sting, very easily imposed upon by agita- tors who use them for individual gain and for personal ambition. And we, deeming ourselves Gods elect, sip our coffee and call them fools. A pastor in one of our worthy churches, not very long ago, preached to wealthy congregation, not single member of which had ever known a want which money could not supply, and he told them that poverty was 0 blessing, that it was intended to elevate the poor to more spiritual life, and that luxurious congregation returned to their luxurious homes perfectly content that the poor should enjoy their means of grace unmolested. Why didn't that man tell his people the truth? Why didn't he tell them that poverty is a curse that is pressed in on the lives of the poor by the luxury and selfishness of the rich? Why not tell them that riches is gift of God, and the possession of it involves a tre- mendous responsibility for the uplift of the masses. The law of brotherhood, it seems to me, involves purity in municipal politics to the end that the ignorant may be lifted out of the darkness of ignorance and the stumbling blocks taken out of the way of the wicked. To this end it is very important that we stop the immense influx of immigration that is pouring so constantly to our shores and then begin a national housekeeping, close broJneie and saloons and make an end of base monopolies Most of all this arrogant, heartless, selfish monopoly, the liquor traffic, of which it is not too much to say that it holds the balance of power in our political machinery. It lays it's strong hand on all town councils, on all state legislatures, on all national affairs at the capital. It dictates to our legislators and buys what it cannot bear. It is an insat-% fable power that year by year dominates ever more the departments of our gov ernment. In it's memorable hand it holds the wealth of multitudes, 8 willing sacri- flee to selfish greed. It fastens on broken hearts, desolated homes and debauched manhood and crippled and diseased child hood, and strange to say, it asks the pro- tection of law in the care of such as these. How any man in this great country of ours, in this beautiful city of Cleveland can pass up and down through your streets and pass two thousand saloons and then re- member the debauched manhood, the