The herald., 1898-01-31
Rev. W.P. D. Bliss at First
Presbyterian
THE CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM
ITS GOSPEL AND DOCTRINES
FULLY EXPLAINED
David Walk on "The Lords Almon-
ers''-The Rev. J. R. Jones' First
Sermon-Other Sermons

In the First Presbyterian church yes
terday morning the pastor, Rev. Burt
Bstes Howard, conducted the services
and the Rev. W. p. d. Bliss of Boston
preached the sermon. Mr. Bliss took
for his subject the one which he has TAX
en- up as his life Work-the promulga-
ton of the gospel and doctrines of
Christian Socialism. In part Mr.. Bliss
said:
History is but a series of battles in
which there have been both victory and
defeat. There is at present a crisis in
which we stand before immense oppor-
tunities, immense hope for better civ
ilization. There are magnificent oppor-
tunities for the business man, the cler-
gyman, the young man and the young
woman to take active part in the social
battle
"The church was never so flourishing
as now yet vice is also tiourishing; with
great wealth everywhere, yet is there
great pauperism; as there are associat-
ed charities, so there are also associat-
ed villainies. The church methods of
the present neither control nor counter
act all this, and there must be some
thing wrong. We must not go on as we
have been going, but we must set about
earnestly, thoughtfully, carefully, to
find out the wrong and then work to
right 1t.
1--WE can not lift up the working man
by pulling down wealth; we cannot lift
up the poor by pulling down the rich.
What the working man wants is more
work, not money. They want oppor-
tunities to work and make their own
homes and their own way. Great COM
binations now force the small business
men into the combines; monopolies and
trusts enter into and affect all trades and
industries from the milk we feed our ba
bies to the collins in which we bury our
dead.
SIS 1t for this that we declared the
independence of America? Is it for this
that gold was discovered in California
that we bow down and worship the king
of gold, the monarch of silver? God did
not give Americans their shrewdness
and push to crowd men with wives and
little children so that they can't get
work to keep alive. 1t is the lack of
work more than intemperance that
drives men to despair.
1T Is the noisy poor the scum which
rises to the top, which let their wants
be known-those who know the deepest
pathos and suffering are those we
never hear about We need a change,
not so much in increased charities, not
In the rich being kinder to the poor, but
we need a change of methods which will
solve the question of how to give more |
work.
There must be reversal Of accepted
ideas of business. We are afraid of So |
cialism and fraternal government Yet
paternalism means in a way anarchy
and real socialism Is a cure for both. We |
have come to misunderstood the term !
socialism because 1t has been advanced
with more fervor than Judgment In
reality socialism means cooperation
through the government.
Not the cooperative shop or colony |
which goes down because it must COM
pete with and combat larger and strong
er corporations; but the cooperation
which will let the government own and
conduct the railroads, the water, the |
light as 1t owns and conducts the post
office. Trust the government and you
will interest everybody in the munich |
pality. Cooperation which means the |
interest and advantage of all, will in
clude the active interest of the good and |
the honest men as well as the shrewd |
men.
I'VE call this socialism-it seems to |
me it is Christianity. Instead however |
of taking up the cross and following |
Jesus on Sundays, in the sanctuary and |
in heaven; it means to take the cross
and follow Him on the work days, in
the markets. to the polls, and applying it |
in daily life.
We stand at the parting of the ways
What we want, what we need is that
each man, and each woman, each young
man and each young woman, shall give
their time, their allegiance, their earn
est and active corporation toward es-
fraternal government We
want no more denunciations of corpora
tions or monopolies we want to reach the
skeptic rather than the poor, the empty
heart rather than the empty purse. We
want to follow the sayings of Jesus
Christ rather than those of Jean
jacques Rousseau"