The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-06
HE is WORTHY OF HIS HIRE.
REV. A. VI. WILLIAMS BREACHES ON
Labor AND IT'S RELATIVES"

TO Obtain His Rights-BibIicaI In
junction About Labor Quoted.
Laws should Favor Labor Rather
nesses of Companies Are Con-
demned.
Rev. A. NJ. Williams the pastor, preach
ed last night at Wesley Monumental
church on Labor and It's Relatives" his
text being drawn from Ecclesiastics, 40:
Two are better than one; because they
have a good reward for their labor"
Labor day." said Mr.. Williams. should
be a national day. not confined to any one
class of our people, but noted by all. Ev-
cry true man and woman is a laborer.
In our modern society we are parts Of
an organism in which each man works
for all; and all work for each man The
labor movement, as it has been called,
is not an isolated question, but 1T is the
effort of men to live the life of men,
Labor is intimately related to Gods plan
for the redemption of man from sin and
his restoration to holiness. When the
curse was pronounced against man the
promise of his redemption was given. To
the woman the direct promise of the Re
deemer was made; but to man the first
step in the development of this saliva
ton was committed. 1t was in the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread La,
Dor steadies the personality. concentrates
the mind. fills the time, develops serious
ness. There is little hope of salvation to
the voluntarily idle; involuntary idleness
is a sad misfortune. not only because It
cuts off the source of living, but exposes
to temptation.
Labor" he said, '1s also an essential
element in Gods economic purposes. The
intelligent Christian must acknowledge
that Gods plans extend beyond the mere
spiritual relations of his creatures When
he ordains that if a man will not work
neither shall he eat, he means to accom-
plish more than the mere subsistence of
the individual So large a part of mans
life in this world would not be consumed
in making a material living if there were
not deeper purposes behind. Labor is the
second most important element in the
production of wealth. Land meaning all
that God through nature has provided,
is the first. Labor imparts want satisfy
ing powers, or utilities, to natural agents,
and is therefore, the next most important
element in production. The laborer is
efficient according as he develops in men
tai and moral worth. Any theory that
looks upon labor as a mere machine and
takes the spirit out of its effort is a curse
to humanity. The organization of labor
is means to maintain this spirit There
is prejudice among many against or
ganized labor but it is not intelligent. |
have on my table six works on political
Economy" Every one of them acknow-
lodges the right and indorse the wisdom
OF laborers combining to advance their
interests directly, as well as indirectly"
Mr. Williams said that it is distressing
10 see indifference Astounding among
workmen sadder the combination of
those, who ought to be in sympathy with
the advancement of this element of our
civilization, plotting the destruction of
trades unions; sadder still the treachery
of workingmen OF course organized la
Dor has made its mistakes, it has adopted
dangerous dogmas, misjudged it's friends
among the masters of industry, had inef-
ficient leadership. has had perpetrated in
it's name great crimes. If we are to con-
denim it on this score then away with your
governments your churches, your other
forms of human associations. There is
no more infallibility in an aggregation of
humanity than there is in a human indi-
vidual.
Next, let us look at the relation of la
Dor to some other elements of production"
he said. THE essential agent in produce
ton is what is known in science as land.
Industrial labor is always the applying
of a human effort to a natural agent?'
Original and indestructible properties of
soil are not the result of human effort but
possess value from limitation in quantity
You see this implies the possibility of mo-
nopoly. The danger of the present indus
trial tendency is not in simple capital but
the merging capital into monopoly of
these natural agent of production. In the
Mosaic economy, which was an
embryonic revelation OF Gods best
thought for humanity such
state was impossible for He provided
year of jubilee, when all land should re-
vert to the public thus prcXiding against
the hardening effects of proprietary rela-
tionships and the hard-heartedness of the
powerful and the great The monopoly
of land ownership gives absolute power to
dictate terms to the employees; it can en-
croach on life, in overworking the en-
ploye; on liberty, in requiring the eXpendi-
ture of wages a the will of the employer;
on happiness, in harassing the very soul
with a sense of injustice
I'VE come next to look at the case of
labor in the matter of the distribution of
the products of labor. The Bible principle
Isl The laborer is worthy of his hire
This means that he is entitled in the great
realm of right to his fair proportion of the
product of labor. Wages are of two
classes; nominal referring to the money
price of service; real. or the amount of
comfort secured by labor. There is in
many parts of the country a great in
justice done the laborer in requiring him
to dispose of his income in collateral bus
inesses of the company. Such as payment
in kind trading at company stores, pay
ment in orders, compulsory insurance. In
many states / am glad to say laws for
bidding such expressions have been Sc
cured. The laborer should be paid prompt
ly The trend of the best thought is to
require weekly payment of wages This
is in direct accord with the Levitical in
junction: Thou shalt not defraud thy
neighbor, neither rob him; the wages of
him that is hired shall not abide with thee
all night, until the morning"
Next we come to consider the relation
of labor to the government Labor needs
government. Its success depends on sta
bility and regularity. The man who
breaches anarchy to the laboring people
is their greatest enemy. 1t is insanity to
shake the foundations on which progress