The herald., 1897-03-15
AGCOMOLAnON0F WEALTH
B.W. r. TayIer Discusses a
Grave Problem
] TIE DUTIES OF The divine NATURE
DR.. Thomson Considers Christ's
Interpretation of 1t
THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION
Rev. A. A. Rice Compares Christianity
With Other Creeds
Dr. Mclean Makes a Special Plea for the
Unemployed
Dr.. Day on '.Witnesses for chrlst'-burt
Estes Howard on "rhe Real ReIi-
gion Of Christ"-other
Sermons
Rev. A. A. Rice Compares Christianity
With Other Creeds
Dr. Mclean Makes Special Plea for the
Unemployed

Rev. B. w. r. Tayler preaoneu yestef
day morning in st. Johns Episcopa
church to a large congregation form
Psalm S9-7. He heapeth up riches, ant
cannot tell who shall gather them"
One week ago last Thursday the eye:
of the nation turned with anxious gaze
towards our national capital. And moi
SO much because of any personal inter-
est In the man who was on that day In
stalled into the highest Office in the gif'
of q great nation. although that may
have been of considerable moment te
some, but because that for the last tH
or fifteen years conditions have con-
fronted the nation which the fathers ol
the republic had never anticipated, and
the wisest among us are unable to fore
tell what will be the final outcome OF
those conditions. Had said what am
going to say this morning, previous to
the election of the president in all hu-
man probability these words would havs
been construed as purposely bearing
upon the election, and hot-headed par
tisans would not have been slow to have
seen politics in it, But the question of
presidential election is over, thank God,
for four years at least. Would that it
were over for seven years, for these re-
curing political upheavals. with their
train of attendant uncertainties, their
distractions to commerce and COM
mercial development, their mass Of lies
and blackguardisms. which are uttered
purely for political and partisan pur-
poses, their gross caricatures of men
of honor and integrity, simply because
they happen to differ from us politically,
are things which cannot but affect the
well-being and prosperity of any people,
be they never so educated or intelligent.
And so, the heat of partisan passion hav-
ing subsided, and there sits in the presi-
Dental chair the choice of the nation,
the. pulpit may be permitted, without
laying itself open to carping censorious-
ness to, consider a few of those points
which affect the body polite.
And first, brethren, let me plead for a
strong, earnest and loving loyalty to
him who sits In the presidential chair at
Washington, whether he be our choice
or not. The president Of this republic Is
the chief executive of the nation, and no
matter what may be his political views,
no matter what may be his personal ap-
pearance, he is entitled to that respect
which Is due his position and station in
life
Dhe reason therefore why all eyes are
turned to the ceGter of government, is
not SO much because of interest in per-
son, as anyiety to know what measures,
II any, will be taken to face those con-
ditions which threaten the permanence
of our Institutions. And if any man
asks what are those conditions, or
doubts as to whether there exist any
conditions which are threatening my
reply to him is that he has read the signs
OF the times to but little purpose. There
are today one million men in our repub-
lie out of employment, with at least two
million persons dependent upon those
one million for their support. Three mil
lions of persons without the means of
bread winning! One twenty fifth of the
whole nation without any permanent
employment and existing either on
charity or by the odd jobs which they
can pick UP from time to time to ward off
absolute poverty and starvation. That
is condition. l defer until later my
discussion of causes and remedies. l
simply state the condition and ask any
one versed in political economy if it is a
healthy condition.
There is the condition of the unequal
distribution of opportunity.
Then we have the patent fact that two
great classes are forming in our coun-
try, contrary to the principles of repub-
licanism. And those two classes are
not divided off by what might be called
the natural divisions OF intellectualism
and ignorance, or refinement and deg
radiation, or the pure minded and the
vicious. But the division is that un-
happy division between wealth and pow
erty; between the rich and the poor, and
the conditions are such that the power
of money instead of being used to re-
lieve the condition, only accentuates it.
and the rich are becoming richer and the
poor poorer.
Then look at another unhealthy condi-
tion. Witness the examination of some
of the wealthiest of our manufacturers
and producers before the committee
appointed by the senate, and see how the
law has been Systematically violated in
order to monopolize business and drive
opponents to the wall.
Then on the other hand there is the
same spirit among the laboring men, So
called, the wage-workers who them
selves form trusts on a small scale. They
may call them unions but the princi-
pie is identical with the million dollar
trusts, which is to freeze out those who
are not in the trust and Jnonopolize the
business
All of these conditions have conspired
to form two other conditions which
would not exist but for the previous con-
oitions which | have enumerated. These
two conditions are distrust and discon-
tent. Distrust among those who are the
fortunate possessor of anything, and
discomfort among those who possess
nothing.
How is it possible for these conditions
to obtain in a republican country where
each one is supposed to have a voice in
the making of the laws? 1t is because
many of us are more tied down to party
politics than we are to the general com
nonwealth, and that we see things most
iv through the political spectacles which
wc wear Nevertheless the conditions
de exist.
Now l an. not an alarmist. The true
siarnaiEt Is the man who knows of these
conditions and is afraid to speak plainly
of them. Plain spanking usually clears
rke atmosphere. And what we really need
~ that the leaders Of thought in the ma
tson should grapple with these questions,
Jay bare 10 the quivering nerve every
phase and feature Of them. and hold
thens up 70 the Am erican people in all