The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-06-05

some carriage and cit on silken seats
dressed in furs and broad cloth. and
listen to some protest against the wick
edness of the poor devils who toll for
their daily bread while they never felt
a want. repeat, it is mighty nice for
those who never felt the pangs of pow
erty to thus rest as the organ, the flute.
the cornet and the happy voices all
join In n mighty outburst of melody.
but to the poor sinner dressed in thread
bare garments, hungry and discour-
aged it is not much consolation. He
goes away cursing fate, cursing des-
tiny, cursing everything. There is no
fit place in this old world for the Door
and humble. The modern churches
would cruelty the Lord again should
He come to earth-crucify him by
sneers and mockery, if not upon the
cross. The highest test of loyalty and
honor in the churches to day is to be
wealthy. Gold is a passport into them ;
Christian character very often a him
drance, a stumbling block. The best
men on earth are the poor men, yet
who ever heard of poor folks leading
In these matters. There ia many a
whltewashed scoundrel, manya whited
sepulcher praying in our temples who
ought to be in the chain gang.
Joe Jackson is only a tramp, but he
considers himself too good to speak to
such trash in high positions. I'd rather
worship out in the wild wood with ma
ture asa church, the breezes my choir,
the grass my pew, the stars my lamp
and get near to God and humanity,
than to attend some of these modern
places where the drama, comedy of
errors" is meekly rendered. I glory
in the pure, unselfsh, broad, unfair
nished, real religion as taught in the
life of Christ, but His so called follow
ers of today in many instances are as
far from His standard as Heaven is
from hell. No honest mind will dare
deny this. If it is bigotry to believe in
the pure religion of Christianity, then
call me a bigot, and if it is infidelity to
follow His humble example, then call
me an infidel. And, if to be a modern
church member requires a denuncia-
tion of the poor and the humble and a
money distinction as a test of loyalty
I want none Of it in mine. There is
many an angel in Heaven who was
called an infidel on earth, and hell is
packed with So called Christians. There
is more sympathy among the devils
for poor, outcast humanity than among
a certain set of dude church payers.
Belzebub is better than many bank
officers and bondholders and credo
slaves who pray for the wicked poor
folks on Sunday and prey upon their
manhood and womanhood, their liber-
ties and their all during the balance of
the week.
Joe Jackson takes an independent
view Of everything. He is subject to
nothing, belongs to nothing and can
afford to think and write and pray and
vote as he pleases. Customs and creeds
that are not built upon reason and
common sense don't appear in his die.
tionary.
There is one custom the wisdom of
which I can't see into, viz: the custom
of placing certain handles as append
ages to certain peoples names and not
to certain others. We say Rev. so and
so to the preacher and DR.. so and so to
the doctors and Hon. 80 and so to the
politians, but we do not say TT. so and
so to the tramps or FIR. SO and so to the
farmers. And why note The laborers
and tramps have as good right to have
their names printed with a handle to
them as the professional men. We are
all Americans. We are equal by birth
but not by customs and laws. 1t is
just as much a mark of respect to call
me Tramp Jackson, as it is to say Doc
tor Jones. Equal rights to ALL" It
is just as great an honor to be a farmer
or a mechanic as to be a preacher.
Then is it fair to show a distinction in
reference to men of different profes-
sions9 Give every man a handle to his
name or give it to NJ man. And the
present way of honoring certain pro-
LESSONS is unfair, for by it the ablest
men of the country very often are
simply Mr.. SO and so, while the fools
and ignoramuses are hailed as D. D.,
Esq, or Rev. True worth don't need
a handle to catch it by or a glass to see
it in. Tt is the want of worth that is
paraded in big titles. I ask nc higher