The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-15
Some of the Things the Catholic
Church Has Done for
Workingmen.
ESTABLISHED THE OLD GUILDS.
The Speaker Denounces Those Who
overwork Little Children and
Rob Grown Men.

Rev. Father Peter c. Yorke lectured to
a large and enthusiastic audience at
Metropolitan Temple last night on capital
and labor, the exact theme, however,
being The Son of the Carpenter" The
address was plain and practical, the
speaker dwelling on child labor overwork
and under-rest and like themes, quoting
largely from the Pope's encychcal letter
on kindred themes.
The speaker was introduced by joseph
Leggett, who said he was proud that the
Woman's Liberal League had selected him
TO introduce so charming a speaker.
This lecture ought TO give a fine idea"
said the speaker, "of what an eloquent
Catholic thinks OF the cause OF labor"
When he stepped forward amid great
applause Father Yorke said: Ladies and
gentlemen, though shall speak of labor
have become such a victim of the pre-
Iude habit that have word or two to
say about Rev. Mr.. Fleenor Tlaughterl an
A. 2. A, and blessing in disguise. He
is not muck to look at, little to listen to
and bad to smell. For several weeks they
have attacked the Jews and Catholics
and now, true to the instincts
OF a reverend blackguard, Fleenor
attacks Catholic women. Yesterday be-
Catholic women names not to be tolerated
IN barroomA. Cheers 1t is now time TO
show up Fleenor with the balance. Let
US ask why he signs himself from Seattle
and why he left Oakland?'
The speaker then dropped this branch OF
the subject and began the discussion OF
the labor question, saying: There are
e, COO. 900 people in this country who live
on wages, three and a half million of
whom are women. Whatever helps the
wage-earners helps the masses, vet the A
P. a. would ruin the organizations of
workingmen. Thank God, the Catholic
church is the church of the people, even
OF hod-carriers, if You will have it so, the
church OF the great laboring masses-a
church whose structures were built by
the pennies of the poor. II is open all
day for even the hum blest. There are no
private interests in the way of the priest
who has neither wife nor child. The poor
est man may command him to the sick
bed at midnight. APPLAUSE This is all
in keeping with the religion of Hin that
had not where to lay his head. The Cath
Ole church went out into Rome teaching
toe dignity Of labor, setting its face like
flint against all opposition to the idea of
the dignity of labor. We do better now
than those who come to this platform
swindhng their clients and living on
shame.
The old monks taught the people how
TO work, how to farm, and the great cities
grew up around the monasteries where it
was taught. To work is to pray Re-
mem Der, too, that the church established
the great guilds ard workingmen's So
cieties. In the middle ages the rich were
not able to grind the faces of the poor, be-
cause of the protecting influence of the
church"
Coming to the present the speaker said
that Pope Deo's recent encyclical called at
tention to the fact that there can be no
Al = j.
between capital and labor until the Golden
Rulers applied to all. Against the eter-
nal law of supply and demand be said,
the everlasting sphinx of the dismal
science, Christianity offers the benign
Golden Rule. They care not whether the
poor get work or not, so they can get
rich. l say let US relegate political
economy TO the north pole and
live awhile by the rules of the
gospel. Capital and labor must come to
some agreement. l believe in wages and
fair play, and believe, too, tnat the work
ingmen have right TO assemble. If man
MAKES a contract to pay his laborer less
than living wage the contract is void by
natures law. The employer who forces
down wages, depending for his success on
mems necessities, commits crime. 1t
does not satisfy justice that the employer
forces the poor wretch he hires to
minimum, just because the poor worker
is struggling between the devil and the
deep sea. [Cheers.] Every cent earned
in this way is sin that cries to GOD for
vengeance"
Tie speaker deprecated the practice of
many girls who work for low wages to
make Hpin money" thereby forcing poor
men and women in need to work for al
most nothing.
He read the Pope's denunciation of the
practice of working children, held that all
children ought to be educated, and
pleaded for q Sabbath for every working
man, day free from toll.
In conclusion he said that the American
Protective Association was a thing insti-
tuted by capital TO divide labor, and by
preventing strikes reduce laborers to the
condition of serfs.