The times., 1897-08-23


from the platform OF the People Church.
Dr Kent chose for his theme, signs of
tie Times and Duty of the Hour Aud
Jesus said To the multitude, also, when ye
see cloud rising in tile west, straightway
We say, There cometh shower, and 80
it cometh TO pass. And when ye see a
south wind blowing ye say, there Will be
a scorching heat, and II cometh TO pass.
Ye hypocrites, ye know how TO Interpret
the face of the earth and the heaven, how
is that We know not how TO interpret this
time 90
Three very important truths said Dr..
Kent, are suggested by this passage The
iaw OF cause ard effect holds as rightly
in the social as in the physical realm.
The future S contained in the present as
the present is the outcome of the past
The possibilities OF tomorrow depeud large
ly upon the uses We make of today. The
harvest we are to gather will be de-
teunined hy the kind and character of
the seed We sow. The value and dura-
hility of the structure We are building
viii depend upon the material we use and
the skill with which we build. There
Is the same conStancy OF relation between
cause and effect in the realm OF morals
as in that of physics.
Hence in tie second place, great changes
in the social AID political world are as
early foTeshadowed by preceding social
phenomena as changes in the weather
are Indicated by signs in the sky. There
fore we ought To he as able TO discern the
significance OF present social phenomena
as to determine to what sort of social
Conditions we are tending as We are to
discern the token OF an approaching storm.
what wac SO conspcuousIy true Jf the
ruling classes III the time OF Jesus is
equally true Of the same classes III ours
CO not mean that these class einoraIly :
worse than the suffering masses. They
are not Perhaps they are better. They
certainly have more OF those virtues that
make for respectability, and / DO not
believe they are any more selfish. Bot
while the sslfish hn ess of the ruling ella sSes =
the nien WHO have vested interests i'll the
existing order-leads them TO close their
eyes - evils which bring them financial
profit the selfishness of the masses makes
them reader to see those evils and to clamor
for their removal.
Bot even the masses have no clear percep
tiOn of the real character of the wrongs
from which they suffer They dc not per
ceive the iR.quity and therefore the iniqnity
Of the system that breeds these evils.
Their discomfort has no deeper root than
the simple fact that they are the sufferers.
II they were at the top instead OF at the
bottom: If Others were being exploited
for their advantage, instead Of they for
the advantage of others, they would be as
blind to the in niustice as any OF their ex-
ploiters. / speak OF course not OF al, but
OF the many. An increasing number VI
people are showing d Zeal and humane ia
terest in tie common welfare They are
against present conditions not simply be
cause those conditions bear hardly upon
them, but because they are bad OF them
selves aud unfavcrable 10 that moral de
velOpnlent aud growth Of manhood in the
/ petnle at large which are the strength
and glory of u state Our hope is in the
multiplication og tii.s class; Ia the increase
/ OF men and women who nave an interest
in the welfare OF their fellows, us real
| and vital and commanding as that they
| have in their own.
LET Us note this morning." said Dr.
Kent " some of the things in our present
s,siaI condition that are prophetic Of
|
OF the change that is to be-" Dr Ken
| said that he did not essay the role OF the
pr,phei. for what the future holds for the
| people Of this country and the world, nt
finite mind can predict. We can readily
| forSee what this country wtllcoHeto, If IN,
| people. who, under our form of government
have the acknowledged right to rule, al
low themselves to be dnped andfooledin the
future as they have been in the past. So
ciety as il is, and as Il is destined TO he
Is a resultant Of conflicting forces.
Those forces that make for the rule of thu
rich impal u n ene direction. Those tina
make for the rule of the people impel it in an
| other direction. The actual velopment !
on a lire ediffe-entfromeith her, and yet al th'
present moment the forces of fplutocracy Az
the dominant power. The present move
ment and the immediate prospect dre de
cidedly anti-democratic.
The first thing that DR.. Kent noted wa
the virtual extinction of individual compe
tition ON the side of capital and the raplC
growth OF combination, or class cO-Opera
ton All this tends more and more u
| concentrate wealth in the hands of tn
| few ahd TO close the avenues OF wealth
getting TO the many. Nearly ten year
ago more than one-fifth of the natioua
wealth had passed into the hands OF les
than 5000 families. 1t is impossible c
estimate the power for evil which thi
concentration of wealth carries with IL
Men having slch power and such vas
interests in common to protect viii sto
at nothing that is needful TO the accom-
pllshmeat of their ends. The economic
!
often practicable for the monopoly to fur
nish its product TO the public at a cost muc
below tnat possible under competition an
still leave the monopoly a much large
profit than competition permitted Bu
this does not alter the fact that the powe
OF such monopoly is a constant peril an
menace 20 all that is most vital in tn
life OF the republic. No interest is saf
that stands in the way Of the grow.
and continuance OF such power. DI
Kent maintained that this ten dency iowa
trusts was natural, but that the end of
would be that great combinations would !.
operated for the common good instead {,
the enrichment Of "a small part OF society
He said that the plutocracy was worl
ing toward the monopoly OF land In a
| Important sense this monopoly already t,
lists. The greater part of our populaio
| are already shut out from access to I'll
| land. DIR. Kent then took the single ta
line of argument against private and e
| elusive enjoyment of land and urged tn;
it be taxed to its full rental value.
Another form OF monopoly that is m ak;r
| for pIutocracy is the money monopol,
DIT. Kent then reviewed the fiscal legisl
| ton of the country since the ''excepti1