The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-04-26
THE CHUCH AND THE WoRKINGMAN.

We find the following interesting arti-
Gle in Chicago paper:
Rev. Howard MacQueary of the Fifth
Universaist church recently asked the
following questions of number of the
officers OF labor organizations:
Are workingmen generally hostile or
Indifferent to the churches?"
If So what, in your judgment. are the
causes OF this hostility or indifference?'
What can the churches do to remove
this hostility or indifference"
In answer to the first question, said Mr..
MacQueary, in his sermon yesterday
morning, some answers said the working
men were hostile. but others said they
were only Indifferent. To the second
question it was asserted by many that the
church people do not practice what they
preach and it was alleged that the great
est opponents of labor were members of
the churches The churches. one man
contended. always seek for the laborer
who will work for the least money. An
other reason given was that the workmen
were OF the opinion that they were not
wanted in the churches: that they were
accorded chilly reception. 1t was also
advanced that the churches neglect to inn
prove the social and economic conditions
of the working classes. Another writes of
alleged lack OF sympathy on the part OF
the churches for the welfare of the work
lngnlan.
"Workmen stay away from church."
said one, because their employers attend
and control the church, and in their daily
life in the shop and factory the workman
received but little of Christian treatment
from the employer"
Another reacnn acciOrad &c Dovarty.
another the apparent inconsistent lives of
those who profess Christ
In answer to the third question one
man thought that indifference to the
churches could be removed if the mem
bers lived up to the golden rule. One
man thought the cause of the working
man should be one of the features to be
discussed by the churches and the laborer
should have chance to be heard. A
third man thought the churches should
preach economics besides salvation; a
fourth said that the wages received by the
workingman do not permit him to dress
in manner which would allow him to
be warmly received at the churches A
fifth man thought the churches were
sort OF educational institution and must
stand or fall by what they teach. This
same writer thought if the pastors
preached truth and justice they might
ALLEVIATE the blind employers who support
the church" One writer thought the
churches should thoroughly inform them
selves on the labor quetion. and not upon
talk upon those dead issues concerning
Jonah and Lot. There is too much theol-
ogy and not enough gospel truth in the
sermon. The workingman has no inter
est in theology"
1T is clear" said Mr. MacQueary.
that many of the workingmen look upon
the church as the Jews look upon the tenn
pie. 1t was intended to be house of
prayer, but the workingmen think that it
has been captured by the money chang
ers and has become den of thieves and
therefore it must either be abolished or
radically reformed. 1t matters not
whether this opinion is correct or not:
since it is extensively held by working
men there must be some justification for
it. The workingmen complain that they
are told how to escape future hell, but
are not informed how they escape the
hells on earth which they find about them.
But this view is wrong. There may
be many thieves who contribute to the
revenues of the church. yet there are hun
dreds OF thousands OF earnest Christians
in the pulpit and in the pew who believe
in justice for all classes and who are not
opposed to the workingman's high aspir-
atoms and who stand ready to cooperate
with them in ushering in a Better era OF
human history, and if the workingmen
are wise they will not stay away from the
churches, but will go right in and cast out
the evils and make the churches what the
founder intended they should be-the YER
liable kingdom of God among men,
There can be no doubt that the church
has largely lost its grip upon the common
people. While at the same time the Pop
ulist movement is reviving the feeling
that Christ was in sympathy with the
proleteriat, and that his denunciations of
the unjust rich, nearly two thousand