The Newtown bee., 1894-08-24

conditions of men may rejoice together as the children of our common Father who cares for us all. We cannot and we God which is sounding so loud and con- tinually in our ears. What have we to | do about it? All that we can do about it according to the measure of our ability | and our responsibility as citizens of the | world, as factors of the government in our own country, and as members of the body of Christ aud heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.
 What does this present state of con- fict and confusion in the social and in- dustrial world mean to us who are churchmen and citizens of the common wealth in which we live?
 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CAUSES
 of such social discontent and industrial warfare? There are doubtless numerous minor causes which have contributed to
 bring about the present state of our country. The unrestricted flood of emil
 grafton has brought us too many aliens
 who are ignorant, and vicious, idle, in-
 capable of self-control, and iu spirit at
 war with all society and government. Socialism and anarchism are abroad and
 in this land of free speech every license
 of abuse is allowed even to the subvert-
 ing of every principle of law and order without which there can be no liberty nor safe ty to any. The love of power | and the abuse of social freedom have contributed largely to produce this pre- sent confusion which prevails in this
 land. The multitude is drunk with the
 excess of liberty, and in the madness of
 mob rule the workingman has thrown
 away the choicest gift of his manhood.
 In order to crush the tyranny of the
 capitalist, the laborer has signed away
 his personal liberties and made himself a
 traitor to his country, and trampled up-
 on the inalienable rights of men to life,
 liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
 In land of real liberty the freedom of
 one must be the freedom of all. Capital
 must be free and labor must be free.
 And when conflict becomes inevita ble the
 fight must be free also, else our govern
 ment ceases to govern, and liberty be-
 comes anarchy and social and industrial
 revolution becomes war of conflicting
 interests which destroy each other. Ii
 the rights of property cannot be protect.
 ed and made secure to the capitalist what
 power is there left to which the laborel
 can look for the security of his owr
 natural rights and personal safety? Aud so it is that "They that take the sword , shall perish with the sword.'' The
 greed of gain is another prolific source
 of trouble.
 This new continent rich with all its natural resources has tempted the for tune seeker of every land. Marvellous wealth has been made in a short periot of time and many men have made hast' to be rich. Millionaires have multiplied with surprising rapidity. Where man,
 are rich many must be poor. There i
 only so much at best and what one ha
 is not free to another. Luxury and idle ness follow in the wake of fortune. , WEALTH TO THE WISE
 and good means the promotion of learn = ing and virtue and beneficence of ever. kind; but to the ignorant and selfish means indolence, vice and degradation Money is such universal power, fo good. or for evil, that it is no wonde men covet it. The wonderful materia developments of this continent, couple, with our free institutions and popula government has produced an excessive ly artificial and unscientific phase 0 civilization. We are miseducated as t the true value of wealth and our sens pilities are cultivated beyond the canon Q of good taste and the ability to enjoy tn e good things of this life. We are taugh to be discontented by our false ideas c life which we are made to feel ''consisi eth in the abundance of the things W e possess" The leisure of wealth tend d to idleness and the love of luxury an e the craving of worldly pleasures. An :; so wealth tends to create classes. Ther I are the rich classes and the middle classe e and the poor classes; for rich and poe !. are relative terms. It is not only queI e tion of how rich, but if poor, how poor + The rich are proud of their privileges $ not of their riches, and do not care fe " the poor. The poor are envious of th > rich and would like to divide the spoi e with them in fact, the poor would lil 1T to be rich too, and it would be difficu
 to decide in which class of people wealtl d wise there is most covetousness ar D. pride of life. One thing however is ce It tain this age is most dangerously affec + ed with moneymania. The worship IS Mammon is the most conspieious idol of try of the modern world. Family, fam le culture and character are so often sacl le fled on the altar of this great god of u D. world that we almost cease to wond fe at it.
 le The waste of the good gifts of th ie world which is due to excess of luxur le and idleness and vice and crime is also ss large factor in the problem before us. 'h is an important item in all our economic 'e social, industrial, political and religion re Enough of the products of the earth a K not only wasted but used to pervert al ld degrade the life of man, to feed all u
 hungry, and educate allthe illiterate al care for all the unfortunate in the worl 'n One other consideration must come in ,o this account; the government itself, ,i this country, has become the prey of u 
 ,s GREEDY sELFIsHNEss
 II of +ba ,aonlo ,,r,o aro annnosad to ,,o