Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-05-04
DEMOCRACY OF CHRIST.
Archbishop lreland's Sermon In
Washington on This subject.


The Washington Post has the fol-
lowing to say of Archbishop Ireland's
sermon last Sunday:
Archbishop Ireland of st. Paul,
Minn., otiiciated at the celebration of
II o'clock mass at st. Augustine's
church yesterday morning and
preached the sermon at II O'Clock
high mass. The archbishop took for
the foundation of his remarks pas
sages from the Gospel for the day. His
discourse dealt principally with the
dignity and honor of labor. The
church, he said, honors the saints
mainly to set up models for its people.
Joseph, SO near to God, was a work
man, and work, pcrsonified in him, de.
mands from us recognition. Jesus,
the son OF Joseph, the carpenter, him.
self performed labor. Hence, work
was honored and honorable. 1t is
law of God that we are to eat bread by
the sweat OF our brows, and the use
and evelopment of our faculties is
law of nature.
"The speaker cited the parable OF
the talents, and asserted that all must
work; drones, rich and poor, are guilty
of the violation of Gods law; fortune
does not excuse; the rich have no
right to use what they have to suit
their own whims; they are tenants of
God, who is the supreme property
owner. All work is honorable, and
that most worthy of respect is that
which is the most difficult to perform
and least remunerative. This the
speaker said, was Christian democracy.
"As to the rights of the working
man, he said that he has right to a
living, so necessarily has he right to
work. But he has, too, right time
for rest and devotion to his family and
religion, and for his own improvement.
lie has the right also to organize, to
seek amelioration and advancement,
but he must, however, bear in mind
the fact that there are duties he owes
to society. Jesus recognized this when
he said, Render unto Caesar what is
Casar's.' They owe to society a rec
ognitiOn Of social order, respect for
life and laws. Inequality is necessary
in the world, and SO is capital. Those
who have no more ambition in life
than to gain livelihood by begging
from house to house and village to
village, have no right even to what
they obtain.
"While striving for their own inn
provement, he urged the working peo-
pie to be patient, and to hope for the
future as an aid to material advance
ment. This, he said, is an age Of evo-
luton, OF transition, looking more
toward practical democracy and fewer
extremes. The problems at present
confronting labor would be righted
in the future, if voters, Legislators and
everybody should work with view of
adjusting them. There is special need
Of the observation OF the Christian
principles of Jesus and the Nazareth
family, OF which America is the chief
trysting ground.
"After mass the conference OF st.
Vincent de Paul called upon Arch
bishop Ireland at the residence OF
Father Griffith, pastor of St. Angus.
tines, and congratulated and thanked
him for his discourse, which they con-
sidered would prove OF great benefit
to those whose lot it was to labor.
"Archbishop Ireland is a man of
radical opinions and advanced theories
and does not hesitate to express his
thoughts. He has addressed the con-
gregation OF st. Augustine's on several
previous occasions, and his remarks
are always listened to with marked at
tention, mixed to some extent with
anticipation"