The herald., 1897-04-11
.1-.1.sasfa-.a .s..a.se. r ~
! single TAX LESSONS :
y sss
5 II sls.qs.S.sssss.Js.sassa.ss..as.as.Fsea.sESs n i.
SHOULD CHRISTIANS FAVOR THE
SINGLE TAX

Perhaps the most vital issue pending
before the American people today Is pub
lic ownership versus private monopoly;
and no branch of the subject is being
more thoroughly discussed than the land
question. However widely they may diff
fer In compreherding and naming that
mysterious being called God, all men
agree that this earth, and all forms of
life upon and within 1t sprang from one
omnipotent source; and that all life sus-
tanning agencies OF the earth were de-
signed for the use and benefit of all life
thereon, according to its varied wants.
We recognize that all earthly creatures
no matter what the degree of intelli-
xence, turn instinctively to the earth
a. the mother source from whence come
the necessities for sustaining material
life. If the author and producer of all
things be possessed of infinite wisdom
and goodness (Which we believe he iss
II necessarily follows that the earth must
have been furnished with sufficient
means and agencies for supplying the
physical wants of all living creatures
placed thereon, and that each one was
endowed with equal right to the op-
portunity OF drawing from the common
source everything required by his or its
peculiar wants. TO conclude otherwise
would be to charge the author of all with
Injustice or lack of wisdom.
In the mythical account of material
creation, we are told that the great
generative force of the universe sepa-
rated the earth from the waters, calling
the one land and the other seas. Then
were brought forth great whales and
every living thing. after his kind. that
moveth in the water. The record would
seem to imply that these were the prod
uct of direct creative force Then fol-
lows the remarkable statement that THE
earth" brought forth the grass. herb.
fruits. every living creature after his
kind cattle. birds, beasts, creeping
things, everything after its kind, to
dwell on the earth-or land. Last of all
came man. a higher type of the great
creative power; who was given dominion
over earth air and water-land and sea;
his title covering all of them and the in
habitants and products of each of them.
A careful study of the granting clause
IN the deed of conveyance thus given to
man, shows how sadly the world has de-
parted from the original intentions of
the beneficent grantor. 1t was purely
a possessory title, conveying nothing but
the right to occupy and use. The land
was conveyed to him in trust that he
might dress and till 1t, and its vegetable
and animal products were bestowed up
on him for meat, the necessary susten-
ance of animal life. This grant extended
to him and his descendants in perpetu-
ity; and nowhere in the decalogue, the
Mosaic code, the economy of the Jewish
theocracy or anywhere else do we find
that habendum clause enlarged. But on
the contrary, running like a golden
thread through the revealed will and in
tention of the original donor we find
everywhere this express reservation:
1.-THE earth is the Lords and the fullness
thereof" "The heaven and heaven of
heavens are his; the earth likewise and
all that is therein" And in the theo-
cratic form of government prepared for
his chosen people he gave that portion
of the land upon which they were to
dwell to the whole people. The design
was to exemplify to heather nations
round about the true principle govern
ing the ownership and use of public util-
tiles. Hence he leased the land to the peo-
pie in their organic capacity, reserving
and public ownership. No individual
among the Jews was authorized to own
or transmit to his children an acre of
the land of Canaan; but on the contrary.
this expression was incorporated in the
charter of government: "The land shall
not be sold forever, for the land is mine.
and ye are strangers and sojourners with
me. And in all your possessions ye shall
grant a redemption for the land"
What this redemption was, and the
manner of it, will be shown in subsequent
articles. But it is worthy of remark in
passing that no provision 80 we'll calcu-
lated to enable each individual to en-
icy life, lib. and the pursuit of hap
piness, has ever been incorporated in
any man-made system of government
before or since.
And yet, in trifle over two thousand
years after that provision was made
The Son of Man, whom all Christians
believe was the son of, and equal with.
the creator and owner of the land, was
compelled to say: "The foxes have roles.
and the birds of the air have nests, but
the son of man hath not where to lay
his head" Would it not be expedient for
us as Christians to inquire into the pro-
cess by which the title to land originally
given to man became enlarged until
Individual vested rights could drive the
Son of Man on to the highway like a
modern tramp, and can now drive mil
lions of his ragged. hungry brothers and
sisters into the slums and alleys to feed
on flies and swill?
Hugh Pentecost draws most touching
picture of the episode in the Christ's
IMPOVERISHED career which gave rise to
che foregoing complaints. He represents
him as approaching Jerusalem dusty,
footsore and weary. on the way from
Damascus; and sitting down in the shade
Of q fig tfee to rest and shelter himself
from the sun, he unfortunately fell
asleep. Along comes the brisk superin-
tendent of the farm, and administering
kick says:
"dere. don't you know you are tres
passing? Get up and move on; we allow
no. tramps here"
IT am no tramp" replies the meek and
lowly one, getting UP, Il am the Son of
Man. MY Father holds the universe in
his hand, and this earth is his and all
the fullness thereof"
ssThat may all be, but I care not who
vour father is, he is not the owner Of
these premises, that I know. Rabbi Ze-
rubabel can show straight title by IN
heritance to this land. running through