The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-15
The Church and the workinEman.

The Church and the WOrkingman-
In the course Of a recent address 10
workingmen. Eugene Debs is quoted as
having said that the church appears TO
be indifferent 10 the workingmen; that
during the great strike in Chicago the sa-
looms fed ten men where one received aid
from a church or religious society. It
seems that Mr.. Debs is aggrleved that
the churches did not take the side OF the
strikers and say that they would uphold a
stoppage OF commerce by high-handed
methods; a defiance OF the laws and au-
thOrities. Mr.. Debs. looking al the strike
from his own standpoint. may regard 1t
as having been based upon every princi-
pie OF right and justice. But there are
thousands OF other people-working peo-
pie, as were Mt. Debs and his followers
who regard the strike as having been
grievOus and unlawful blunder. Many
Of such people were members Of the Chi
cago churches. hence the churches could
not have taken sides against the law.
even II it had been within the limit of
church functions to take a hand in the
fighting Of labor battles.
But as to the broad charge that the
churches are Indifferent TO the working
man; IS it true? 1t cannot be. For there
is probably not a church congregation
in this country the majority part of which
is not made up Of workngmen. their
wives, sons and daughters. 1t may not
be- indeed, that the majority is composed
Of brick masons, carpenters, engineers
and longshoremen. but the clerk, the doc
tor, the lawyer. the teacher, the grocer
and the butcher are workingmen as well
as any of the others. The real estate
owner is also a workingman; and so is
the railway superintendent. The majority
Of bankers are workers. The ideal capt.
talists, men who do nothing but clip cou-
pons, are very few in number. Ninety
nine men in every hundred. probably.
work for their living. and work hard. 1t
may be that the one hundredth man is a
marble-hearted moneybags, but he IS the
exception that proves the rule that most
men earn their living according to the
scriptural injunction. 1t is work to pre-
pare and plead case in court as much
it is work to build brick chimney; it is
work to keep a set of books or to dole
dollars across the counter OF bank, as
well as it is work to roll cotton on the
wharves.
The majority Of men are workingmen.
and the majority Of church membership is
composed of workingmen. That being
true, it is not possible that the churches
should be Indifferent to the class. It
proves nothing that during the Chicago
strike the free lunches in the saloons
were eaten by idle ex-employes. The
lunches were not set out in the goodness
of the saloon keepers hearts. They were
put out to attract custom, and to induce
the strikers to spend the few remaining
cents they might have for beer or whisky.
To say that the pulpit caters to the
rich would be to libel the cloth. 1t may
be that there are instances of that kind
of thing. But they are extremely few.
The ministers of the gospel in this coun-
try as a class are themselves hard-worl1-
ing men, If they may not be called work
ingmen. They are almost invariably in
close touch with the masses, and labor
faithfully TO lift them up.