New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-16
"uiS.SES" AND "CLiSHEH.

T, :, vigorous article in THE Church S'an"-
ard" Of philadelphia, Bishop liugh hN'''
rhonnson ucpiscopaD of Mississippi mas SOME
,,i,g IN sov ON that wcll-wOrn phrase, 're"c"
i,o tho masses" that is worth the attention %
rcllgous pcople generally. though II Is addr'Ss'n
snoci6collv 10 Episcopanns. He taxes rs HIS
text q declaration by the Episcopal Generni 'o'''
,,,tion os 70 the bcs. way Of reaching 'ne
masses II began by calling attention 10 the
fact that there Is much profanity among WORK
nomcn Quite true. says the Bishop; but so
there is also among Stockholders 1t does not
SOON oltopctber wise for a Church that SETS our
m win the workingrnon 10 fascn upon them Inc
odlum Of bad and vulgar iap't '"'' J. ~ "''
Iy distributed rs profanity.
rhon thorc x q resolution setting forth the
duty of the Church to teach workingmen 'hat
they must NJ, array themselves nga'hs' ,''
"copital which gives them bread" And on TINS
fine Bishop speaks with all his accustomed force
and drectness. Capital. he says. no more gives
bread" 10 labor than labor does to capital \
phrase Of this sort bcirays an utter msappre-
henson of The point at issue III 49, ihdeeu' ''oi'
than an economic misake-t - posIlNcl! HIS
chievOus For ii implies that the Worklhslhch
Of This country are class by themselves, whose
duty it is to be humby grateful To the men WIZ
nav them for their Labor Now, the Church VIII
never reach American workingmen by approach
ing them in that way. The theory tnat liefe arc
masses and classes in this country IS raise III
itself and contrary TO the spirit OF our "o'ern-
ment whether we believe with thls reSoil'ioh'
that the masses are the recipients OF charlly
from the classes, or with Mr.. Bryan, thar the
classes are the enemies OF the masses, ana h"SI
81 n,lnn
therefore, be put down. The Episcopal utterahce
and the Democratic candidates speeches. are
eouallv 10 be condemned For while In one case
workingmen are told by Implication that thev
are sort of inferior class in the community
who mrst order themselves lOwly and revereniiy
before their bettcrs, and in the other case they
ore told that they are the nobest, best ana wlseSt
people that ever lived. yet in both eases equal
" they are set Off by themselves as class apart
whose interests and rights are different from
those of other citizens.
The overwhelming majority Of American ci,i-
zens are working people. Labor. in fact is the
foundation stone of this cOuntrys greatness.
TO assume therefore. that workrgmen are IL
specially wicked or dangerous class OF people Is
in effect TO make that assumption in regard 10
the whole American people. The Chhrrh can
roach vorl,ingncn lust "a il can reach other
people They are open to the same arguments
and appeals that are effective with any ONE:
rational man. 1t is because the churches gen
orally have failed to understand this primary
truth. and have treated worklngmen as queer
undeyeloped beings who must be ''reached' in
pcc,lliar way that so many wOrkngmen have
drfted away from the Church. There are TWO
things the intelligent and sef-respectlng Amerl-
can workngman will not stand-insultinG condo
scension and equally insulting flattery. lie Is moi
likely TO ioin any Church which tells him that
capal gives him his bread. when he knows
that he earns II by the sweat of his brow. ana
that capital and labor are mutually dependent
on each other Nor is he going to vote for a man
who insults his intelligence by treating him as
n demi-cod He knows he is not n fool but he
knows equally well that he is rot all-wise. any
more than any other citizen. He Just wants to
be classed with other people. and he Will resent
with scorn all attempts. from whatever quarter
TO fence him off from the rights and obliSatlohS
oe a common American citizenship.