The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-02-03
GIVE III TO HIM.

THE CHURCHES AWAKtN Nc TO A
SENSE OF THEIR DUTY.
That old fraud. Powers, head Of the
Lator Bureau, of Minnesota, who
thought that servility to the money
power was the surest step to continued
office, has been getting it lively. He
read lecture the other night at the
Nicollet House, Minneapolis, before a
meeting Of the Minnesota Congrega-
tional Club, in which he said:
Good intentions, said the speaker,
without judy as basis for them,
often lead to evil results. Good feel
ings- towards others, a desire to do
good, unless backed up by good judg-
pity is sentlme ntality. The poor
are always present in all lands of the
world. The word originally meant a
small producer: one who could not
produce enough for his own mainten-
ance. In the early Gays the majority
OF the people were paupers in this
sense. In these times the sentiment
tality Of pity led to aims giving, which
grew to be decided evil Not only
were the improvident not raised to
better conditions, but the self-sup-
porting were reduced to a lower
plane.
Think Of this gold-bug tool and ex-
preacher, denouncing, giving Of aims
to the wretched in these hard times
Of universal poverty and suffering
And yet he claims to be follower Of
the meek and lowly Savior. who said:
''Sel! all and give it to the poor!'
Horrible! Horrible!
And then after opposing charity to
the poor he tells what is the condition
Of the poor. He says:
The horrors of Dante's hell actually
pale into insignificance when com
pared with the real miseries and suf-
Ierings Of the lowest poor Of today. 1t
is coming to be recognized by think
ing people that the slumS must be
conquered and the evil in them cradi-
Gated, or society itself will be Destroy
ed. The question is, how shall this
be done? In answer [ would say that
all plans Of sentime tally must be
put aside; that all schemes must in
clude the question OF individual sal
vation, DIS laid down in Gods plan.
Salvation must be personal and not
wholesale. Each one to be saved must
apply the riches OF grace to his own
heart. The church can never save
anyone; each must save himself. PEG
pie are to be saved by loving piety, one
at time.
Men are suffering from starvation
and this arch charlatan tells up that
they must be Ted ON religion. Thin
diet indeed for an empty stomach.
They cry for bread and this ex. minis tel
gives them Il stone-nay, less than a
stOne-a verse of scripture
No wonder the clergy com plain that
the churches are losing their grip on
the people.
We quote farther
The paper then went into consider
able detail about the issues of the re-
cent political campaign. and char
acterized the free silver idea as a
scheme to save by the multitude.
Free silver would save all classes OF
people. He was amazed that other
wise good men should unite in an ef-
fort which meant the Reputation of
half the nations debt, and said that
more than three QuarteS Of those who
favored the idea were animated by a
spirit Of wealth-gct ting without doing
the necessary amount of labor. He
then spoke historically of the debase-
ment OF coin ia the time Of Henry
VIII and Richard VI, and stated
that each attempt was attended by
dire results to the people.
mo reform was ever compile ted !"
was the conclusion from these State
ments, "by or through law. Social
salvation today must be by the same
methods which prevailed in the pas t
ages, by individual salvation"
1t is difficult to string toge ther more
nonsense.
Free silver would save all classes
of people, Aud yet he was opposed
to 1t.
1.-The reputation of the nations
debt This old fraud knows perfect
ly we'll that the nations debt was orr
ginally made payable in lawful mon
cy." which meant green backs. Then
the money lenders changed this to
"coin;' which included gold and sill
yer. And now they strike down sill
YER and propose to pay the national
debt in gold alone. And he says it is
reputation to stick by the contract
which is printed on the very face Of
the bonds.
And the people, he tells US, are ami
mated by spirit Of wealth getting.
Yes they created that wealth by their
labor, and men who never produced a
dollar Of wealth stole it and now
the original possessors are trying to
get it back. And Parson Powers
thinks this is hideous.
We are glad to note that the clergy
men present went for the skalewag in
lively fashion. We read:
Mr. Powers sat down and the chair
man called for discussion. No one re-
sponded. At length DR.. S. G.. Smith
arose, and offered suggestion, as he
said, while the others were thinking.
He suggested that while he agreed
with the most Of the paper, he did
not in its entire conclusions. He be-
lieved in the idea Of individual saliva
ton, but thought the speaker had for
gotten the Importance in that saliva
tion which environment played.
While it was not usually possible to
convert large number of men at
once, il was possible to improve their
environments by law or otherwise, SO
that they might work out their own
salvation. The idea seemed to pune
ture the theory advanced by Mr.. Pow
ers; and in an instant several gentle
men were ready to talk.
Rev. c. L. Moody. the youngest
preacher in the house, was hot be-
cause OF the illustration in which free
silver was scored. He wanted to say
that while he agreed with the prem