The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-09-09

driving out bad rum.
How can we serve our generation
with enough to eat? By sitting down
in embroidered slippers and Longing
hack in an armchair, our mouth puck
cred up around Havana of the best
brand, and through clouds of luxuriant
smoke reading about political economy
and the philosophy of strikes? No, no
Bv finding out who in this city has
been living on gristle and sending them
A tenderloin beefsteak. Seek out some
family who through sickness or con-
junction of misfortunes have not enough
To eat and do for them what Christ did
for the hungry multitudes of Asia
Minor, multiplying the loaves and the
fishes. Let us quit the surteit1ng Of
ourselves until we cannot choke down
another crumb of cake and begin the
supplv Of others necessities So far
from helping appease the worlds hunger
are those whom Isaiah describes as
grinding the faces of the poor. You
! have seen a farmer or mechanic put a
scythe or an AK on grindstOn& while
some one was turning it round and
round and the man holding the ak bore
on it harder and harder while the wa
ter dropped from the grindstone and the
edge Of the ak from being round and
dull got keener and keener. So | have
seen men who were put against the
grindstone of hardship, and while one
turned the crank another would press
the unfortunate harder down and hard
or down until he was ground away
thinner and thinner-his comforts thin
ner his prospects thinner and his face
thinner And Isaiah shrieks out, "What
mean ye that ye grind the faces of the
poor?"
Battle For Bread.
1t is an awful thing to be hungry. 1t
is an easy thing for us to be in good
humor with all the world when we
have no lack. But let hunger take full
possession of us and we would all turn
into barbarians and cannibals and fiends.
Suppose that some of the energy we are
eXpending in useless and unavailing
talk about the bread question should be
expended in merciful alleviations.
have read that the battlefield on which
more troops met than on any other in
the worlds history was the battlefield
of LeipsiC-l60, 900 men under Napo-
leon, $50 600 men under Schwarzeberg.
No, no. The greatest and most terrific
battle is now being fought all the world
over. 1t is the battle for bread. The
ground tone of the finest passage in one
of the great musical masterpieces, the
artist says was suggested to him by
the cry of the hungry populace of Wen
ma as the king rode through and they
shouted: Bread Give us breadW And
all through the great harmonies of mu-
steal academy and cathedral hear the
pathOs the ground tone, the tragedy,
of uncounted multitudes, who, with
eyes and wan cheeks and
broken hearts, in behalf of themselves
and their families, are pleading for
bread
Let US take another look around to
see how we may serve our generation.
Let us see as far as possible that they
have enough to wear. God looks upon
the human race and knows just how
many inhabitants the world has. The
statistics of the worlds population are
taken in civilized lands, and
every few years officers of government
go through the land and count how
many people there are in the United
States or England, and great accuracy
is reached. But when people tell us
how many inhabitants there are in Asia
or Africa at best it mist be wild
guess. Yet God knows the exact num-
Der of people on our planet, and he has
made enough apparel for each, and if
there be fifteen hundred million, fifteen
thousand fifteen hundred and fifteen
people then there is enough apparel for
fifteen hundred million, fifteen thou
sand, fifteen hundred and fifteen. Not j
slouchy apparel, not ragged apparel,
not insufficient apparel, but appropriate
apparel, At least two suits for every
being on earth, a summer suit and a
winter suit. A good pair of shoes for
every living mortal. A good coat,
good hat or a good bonnet, and a good
shawl and a complete masculine or fem
mime outfit of apparel. A wardrobe for
all nations, adapted to all climes, / I
not a string or a button or pin or
hook or an eye wanting.
Redistribution.
But, alas, where are the good clothes
for three.fourths of the human race?
The other onefourth have appropriated
Them. The fact u.s. there needs to be and
will be redistribution. Not by anarch-
stic violence. If outlawry had its way,
It would rend and tear and diminish
lntil, instead a three-fourths of the
world not properly attired, fourths
would be in rags. I will let you know
low the redistribution will take place.
By generosity on the part of those who
nave a surplus and increased industry
IN the part of those suffering from de- |
icit. Not all, but the large majority of |
cases of poverty in this country are
result Of idleness or drunkenness, either |
On the part of the present sufferers or
their ancestors. In most cases the rum |
Jug Is the maelstrom that has swallow |
ed down the livelihood of those who
are in rags. But things will change, |
and by generosity on the part of the |
,rOwdpd vuordrObas and industry and |