The San Francisco call., 1897-06-17
REV, DR.. RAIDER
DEGREES CH.R|TY
The White Sheepskin
Over the Indus trial
Wolf"
Radical Stand in an Address
to Liberty Branch of
Socialists.
Christianiz ltion of Corporate Wealth
Declared to Be the 0n'y
Rem dy.

CHARITY is a social expedient. It is
often the white sheepskin drawn over the
industrial woIf," SAID Rev. William RAIDER,
pastor OF the Third Congregational
Church, in an address last night to Lib
erty Branch of the Socialist Labor Party
at the Turk-street Temple. The clergy
man was speakin at the invitation of the
club upon "The Economic Revolution" "
The speaker attacked the social ques.
ton vigorously, and after declaring that
charity would not solve the problem, nor
unreasoning passion, nor social schemes,
nor dreams, affirmed that the Christian.
zation of corporate wealth was what was
necessary, the establishment of true Chris
tian socialism, the socialism of Jesus and
the New Testament.
Chairman r. A. Copeland called the
meeting to order. After piano solo by
Miss Casey and q reading of selections
from Socialist paper by Theodore Lynch,
Rev. William RAIDER was introduced as the
speaker OF the evening. In a well-ap.
plauded address he spoke in part as fol-
lows:
The social problem is religious problem.
MaZzini says: Every political question is
rapidly becoming a social question, and every
social question religious question" Every
social thinker Is theologIan. Thomas Jet
John Calvin. The year he wrote the Declara-
ZION Of independence Adam Smith ro-
duced his wealth of nauonS. Both ex-
pressed the same thought Adam Smith
was a tneOlogian. George Washington
was the Martin Luther OF the 5 ate, Luther the
Washington OF the church Thomas Paine, re-
corOing lis impression upon the dIumneads
of Valley Forge, and Ro seau stirring France
with the ideas (whether right or wrong) of the
French Revolution, were workers in the same
clay. All political questions are religious
QnpSti0us because DOIltipS is religion Carl
Mary conIended with problems Identical with
Isaiah and st. Paul, and when Jesus SPOKE of
the Kingdom of God he was touching the keys
in the mighty organ of applied Christianity or
Christian socialism
l begin with the propositio that man never
was created TO be bound, either physically,
mentally, industr ally or socially. No man
but criminal forfeits his free iom. A Grim
inal does. PrometbeuS is as much out If
place chained TO the mountain cliff as man.
otwar anchored In our harbor would be on
the sand dunes beyond the Golden Gate Park
Man was made TO be free. He is of God.
God is MS iather. Enslave MS mind and
social ex plosion follows.
Slavery has made bombs. Freedom, pro
tected by law, has given us safe civilization. No
man is great enough to rule another man.
Men were made to serve each other, not TO be
kings over each other. In this country every
MAJ Is supposed to wear crown.
But Pome theus is bound, or If he is not he
thinks he is. He marches up Market street in
DISCONTINUED unity. He goes 10 work IN the
morning and calculates that he is not receiv-
ing q lar proportion OF tie ulStrlDute wealth
OF the world If he wishes 10 build Il house
60 into business for himself he is compelled
to pay dearly for small patch OF earth on
this great globe. He discovers that everything
but the air and sun is claimed by another. He
is bound as he goes from pace to place for en-
ployment He enters the great Industrla! es-
tablshmenfs and, failing to find work, returns
to his little home with its scanty larder, poor
furniture, ragged children, worried wife, and
turns over on his iron cliff and b.indly strug-
giles 10 rise up and drive the Jupiter wolf OF
poverty from his heart
There some things which cannot free
Prometheus.
Charity is a social expedient. II is often the
white sheepskin drawn over the industrial
wolf. Charity is curse 10 the average man.
The beggar rivals the thinker. The beggar de-
feats the re former. The beggar is q surten-
dereG, helpless rebel. (harity often con-
tinues poverty. II is but little oil on the
wounds of Prometheus. Oil will not heal
chain. Justice will, but charity will not.
Probably nothing has insulted Prometheus so
much as pity: Pity is not power Justice is.
Charity alleviates, but does not free
Prometneus. He Will not be any more free if
you build church over him and raise a
steeple to the stars. Psalm singing and pray
Ing, oratory and commise ration will not de-
liver him. Oppressed labor still reaches up
for the thunderbOlt of justice, for charity is
the social kiss which hlisiers on his lips.
Every thoughtful man must be a socialist.
He must possess the community conscious
ness. When man discovers himself to be
part of the race, of the city, OF civil and reli-
gious liberty; when he knows he is q cit!Z zen,
then he is a socialist. What minister in an
Francisco cannot subscribe to this definition
OF socialism by James Russell Lowen2
Socialism means, or wishes TO mean, CO.
operation and community of interests SYM
pathy: the giving to the hands not so large a
share as TO the brain, but larger share than
hitherto in the wealth they must combine TO
produce means, in short, the practical app.i-
cation: of Christianity TO life and has in 1t the
secret Of an orderly ana benign reconstruc-
tion."