The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-30

man who works shall eat as little as we
can help, and the man who does not work
shall eat, drink and be merry; whilst, as
to the hire of the laborer, we shall follow
the example of that worthy Jacob rather
than the example of Jesus, and give hungry
Esau the pottage, and little of that as
possible for his birthright. Who made us
our brothers keeper? There are 100000
people in London who live five in one room
men, women and children; often not even
of the same family-Liverpool Manchester
and all our cities much alike. Glasgow
has over 100000 crowded five into room.
Decency and morality mpossible-children
die in these localities at rate Is times
great as when properly housed. Manners,
morals health-all deteriorate where 300
people live on one acre, as in the slums of
all large cities. The darkest page in our
social life, as DR.. DrysdaLe puts it, Is the
dissipation of that physical strength ac-
Quired by generations of country life-in
our horrible city life. Gibbon, in philo-
sophical reflection, said it was pleasing to
think there were no more German forests
or Eastern deserts from which hordes
might emerge to destroy worlds civiliza
ton Gibbon did not see that worse hordes
than those that Aarc led into Italy, or
Omar into Alexandria, are being gener-
ated here in the midst of our civilization;
anarchists and socialists may yet prove
themselves the scourge of God upon so
ciety that set at naught the Mount or
Olives. 1t was not until Roman virtue was
dead-till the palaces of the merchants
covered the once cultivated Campagna, and
till the brave peasant"y, their coun-
trys pride, had disappeared that
the Goth and Huns dared to
cross the Alps. (Applause) Ireland is as
society is beginning to heave and toss in
the social convusion. l have faith in the
advanced rcformers of Great Britain. We
shall avert terrible revolution, but that
can only be done by fearlessly facing the
facts and doing justice, though the heavens
fall. How has all this come abOut-so much
progress and increasing poverty? an
swer, competition Adam Smith, one
hundred years ago, laid down the econom-
ical proposition that has been unquestion-
ably accepted by every authority from then
till now, viz, ''that with the object of
increasing the wealth of the nation it was
our duty to buy in the cheapest market
and sell in the dearest, apart from every
other consideration" In stating this true
principle, Adam Smith had his mind
governments were constantly making
against nations freely trading with each
other. Even men like Napoleon, so-called
the Great, could not imagine that if one
nation grew rich by trading with another
it was not to the impoverishment of the
other. Smith showed clearly both could
be benefited" But later economists OBJ
served-Mill and Marshall, to wit-that a
nation might be growing rich and owing
to bad distribution majority of its people
might be growing poor-'wealth might be
accommodating and man decaying." 01ear,
hear.) Now this is the problem of our day.
Pope Leo KILL of whom, as Protestant,
it gives me peculiar pleasure to say, that
since HE WHO spake as never man spoke, y
no such ma ghificent utterance upon behalf
of the poor and industrial classes has been
launched upon the world, an authority that
will reach all nations kindreds and
tongues, as this noble pontiMs encyclical
upon the rights Of Labor" Translated
into every language and read from every
altar of that great church which contains
800 100000 Of souls, the following has come
upon a sick civilization like a comforting
voice from heaven. Leo says: 1.-THE spirit
of revolutionary change has passed beyond
politics into the field of political economy
The elements of conflict are unmistakable,
The enormous fortunes of individuals and
the poverty of the masses, the closer COM
bination OF the working classes and a
general moral deterioration. The moment
Gus seriousness of the present state of
things fills every mind with painful appre-
hension. Some remedy must be found
quickly for the misery of the poor. Work
defenseless to the callousness of employers
and the greed Of unrestricted competition.
Thus small number of rich individuals
have been able to lay upon the masses
yoke little better than slavery itself. y
And further he says: IT'S it just that the
fruits of a mans sweat and labor should