Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-04-20

TBy Rev. J. G. johnson, Brittou. s. d.

teareth piece from q new garment and put
| teth 1t upon an old garment. No man putteth
new wine into old wine-skins. No man having
drank old wine desIreth new.-Luke 8: 80 49,,
Revised version.
In the answer Of Jesus to Johns dis
ciples about fasting we find the follow
ing truths: 1. The kingdom of God is
a new creation. 2. 1t cannot be sue
cessfully used with old and wicked con-
diti0nS in the individual, in society or
in government. In heading my article
THE Socialism of Jesus" mean that
His teachings carried out in fullness
would require a righteous Socialism. i
make use Of the term, righteous social
ism, because some Christians Of age
and experience as well as younger ones.
honestly believe that Socialism Is
| kind Of society in which God and His
will are left out. Now while l frankly
admit that some socialists may teach
some things not in harmony with the
will Of God, just as some church mem
bers may use profane language, yet /
confidently affirm that true Socialism
is the highest manifestation of God and
His will. To make this plain, let the
reader turn to the accurate translation
from which have quoted, and study 1t
carefully. Jesus says, in substance, if
you sew a piece of undressed cloth up
on an old garment it will shrink and
tear larger rent. Apply this to the
individual and to society. If a man
wOrships God on Sunday and practices
unrighteousness, at any time in the
week, sooner or later he will be found
out, and his profession and worship Will
no more be accepted by man than it has
been by God. That old cloth must tear,
it cannot stand the shrinking of the
new cloth. What is true of individu-
ais is equally true of society and of gov
ernments. A neighborhoOd made up
Of half good citizens and half criminals
| could not exist, one part must be re-
moved or both will 60 down in ruin.
And that government which rules by
| unrighteous and selfish ways, that ia
vors the strong and neglects the weak,
that Furnishes the poor chicken thief
| and wines and dimes the millionaire
robber, is. on the high road to ruin. We
all know that state is in our govern
ment and rapidly coming now. Is God
pleased with our government as a whole
| at this time? No intelligent Christian
believes that he is. Is God pleased
with our selfish competitive system,
that turns every mans hand against his
brother, that builds up great monopo-
lies and drives small men to the wall?
Is God pleased with that condition that
condemns the poor to debased intel
lects, starved bodies and life of slav-
cry? Let all the thunders of the uni
verse answer MOI Is it not time to be
in earnest for the overthrow of these
giant evils? Is it not time that the axe
was laid at the root of the tree?
May that mighty angel, with a foot
upon the land and one upon the sea
THAT is force upon government and
society, upon nations and individually,
soon swear by Him that liveth forever
and ever that delay shall be no longer.
am aware that ideal condition of So
ciety I will describe cannot be fully re-
allied until the Lord Jesus takes the
throne. But this gives us no right to
compromise with evil; nor to patch gil
ant wrongs with partial remedies. And
l affirm that the principles Of Socialism
rightly carried out, furnish the only
complete remedy. What does this
dreadful word, Socialism mean? 1
have no doubt many Christians think it
means Atheism, Anarchy and all else
that Is horrid. have consulted sever
al authorities and this is substantially
the defnition:-Socialism, a system,
which in opposition to the present
competitive system, seeks to reorgan-
lie society upon the basis of mutual CO.
operation for the common good. If this
is not in harmony with the teachings of
Jesus and His apostles then L have
studied the New Testament in vain. I
now respectfully submit the following
true statements of our condition as rea-
sons why free coinage, prohibition, sim
gle tax. and other measures proposed,
are not sufficient:
Displacement of labor by machinery:
Che man and two boys do the work
of l 100 spinners; one man does the
work of so weavers, so years ago; cotton
printing machines with one man can
do the work of 1900 men; one man and
one machine do the work of 500 men in
making horse-shoes; one man saving
logs now does the work of 500 men so
years ago; one nail machine takes the
place OF 100 men; by modern methods
hve men do the work of 100 men in pa
per making; one man by machinery
does the work of 1000 in making pottery
ware; in loading and unloading ships
by machinery one man takes the place
OF 1000 men; in making watches fifteen
men with machines take the place of
100 men. A New York watch factory
makes oyer ], 400 watches per day. OF
two to three per minute. With the
Mckay machine go pairs of shoes
are made by one man, to one
pair by hand; by machine one man
does the work of 20 tailors in cutting
garments; in Carnegie's steel works s
men with machines do the work of SOC
men; In 1887 IL skilled men could pro.