Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-12
SOCIAL MACHINERY

To be Used, Not Aband0ned-A Re. gently Organized New York State Law and order League-Allusion n to Drs. Smyth and Parkhurst.
 Rev. Clarence Greeley, general agent of he International Law and Order league, delivered discourse in Howard avenue Congregational church last evening. The following Is an abstract:
 My remarks are suggested by Ezekiel 1: 2l. The symbolic lesson is this; we must use. not abuse or abandon, the machinery we have in society, in church, and in gov ernment It is an age of machinery. From our first cotton mill in 179S to 1893, the growth has been such that our msnufac- tured products last year were, in the United States, worth nine billions of dol lars. Man has always used tools. But not till the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury with James Watt, did the age of steam and the industrial revolution begin. For good or i'll henoeforth capital became centralized. In 1851 there were in Eng. land two million sgrlculturists; in 1871 only half a million. Production on 6 large scale has It's advantages and disadvantages. It may cause high prices ard also periods ot fluctuations and non employment.
 But we cannot now exchange the power loom for the spinning wheel. We must use machinery for man.
 This Is an age of social machinery. The church is @ useful institution made for man. It cannot afford to ''let the abyss groan." The machinery of the mills in Great Britain equals the power of seven hundred millions of men. This is more than all the men on earth. What is the relation of the church to these meni Boddha said that poverty is the curse oi Brahma; but Jesus did not. One of the most spiritual churches in America ie Berkeley temple, Boston. It's excellent prayer meetings are due in part to the fact that 1t touches secular life at all points. Dr. Psrkhurst's chief interest ia in spiri tuality. He saw that while his church wal attracting one person, 8 corrupt environ ment was Iuining thousand. "While you labor to save one soul, poverty crush es million" The Calvary Baptist chuIct is ore of our many churches which set that industrial conditions are handmaidi of heaven or hell. When the politician said ha would rather have one saloon than { dozen churches on his side, trust he die not mean New Haven churches. A chuIcs organization as such may conclude not tt take up questions of reform. But 1t should act in some wsy through It's members as il the church were at last the chief agency ir bringing in the kingdom of God.
 believe in the churches and the minis ters in apite of our imperfeetions. It wal first of all to the ministers that we ap pealed In Hsmder. It was chiefly th, ministers that we oallsd together to form the Connecticut league. It was my gooe fortune to organize a Citizens league fo the state of New York 8 short time ago Its president is Rev. F. M CIendenin, @. 5. T. D. Its secretary is Mr. Huntington and it's treasurer, Dr. Dsmipg. Who ar doing more for Nsw York or Nsw Havel
 respectively than 0. H. Parkhurst an, Newman Smyth, both doctors of divinits believe in organization in church, stat and society. My hope Is not along tn | path of despair represented by Ignatiu ! Donnelly in "Ce ssr's Column," and se
 forth in the word "auarchy." I still pre-
 fer the Bible to the bomb. If we woal'
 avoid "the cataclysm of the twentieth cer
 tury" we must Use our machinery and CT
 force the law. If the church should b
 separate from the state it Is that her propt
 cts may all the moro intelligently and fir
 dependently rebuke un1ishteousne.s a'
 cordirg to Isaiah 1, 10 At the recent ns
 tional convention on city government, bel
 at Philadelphia, tie deepest interest wa
 manifest in Ca political religion such
 filled nine-tenths of the Hebrew proph, cies."
 The church should use such machines
 the lccal law and order sooie sies, the m
 nicipal leagues, and the internatiou league. It has never been the policy
 the latter to take the work of law enforc
 ment into its own hands. IL does not ca
 out troops, or put on gloves, or usurp u
 functions of officials and local leagues; b
 in the matter of pugtlism alone, 1t has the preparation of digests snd citat:o
 spent much to soms purpose in
 diana, Ainneeota. New York and Florid
 and the end is not yet. It's chief inf snce is in the aroueiDg of public sentimer l ! exactly what ia most needed. Bat it ia al
 engaged in the work of organization.