The Advocate and news., 1899-01-18

IL free to choose It's course, is always
the path Of least resistance. Men have
learned to wrest wealth from nature with
but fraction Of the effort 1t used to re-
Ouire. They have steadily improved
their tools. Aided by the machines, one
man can make ten millions OF matcnes
in a day, where with the bare hand few
dozen would be the limit OF his powers.
We have steadily multiplied the prOduc-
tive forces of humanity. The trouble Is
that q few want to reap all the Dement'S
and leave the masses Of mankind to feed
ON the crumbs and husks OF our marvel
GUS wealth production. More and more
people are coming to see the injustice
Of this. It wont work. Distribution
must be improved as we'll as Droduc-
tion. or our civilization is bound TO be-
come clogged and got to pieces. The
workers are tired Of carrying the idlers,
and are beginning to think about doing
little riding themselves.
:.
when any portion of the surface OF the
sea rises beyond the average level In the
form of wave, some other portion must
sink below 1t in the shape Of trough.
Everywhere in the universe action and
reaction are equal. For every man who
is rich some man must be poor. For every
man who is very rich great many men
must be Door. AS the average wealth Oh
the people Of this country Is only about
St 900 a head, no man can drive another
far enough below the average to put him
self very far above It. II the ACcumula-
tions Of the successful all depended on
robbSng some one man Of his snare, a
double portion would be the limit TO the
possessions Of the riches
=
But one man, under our present sys-
tenn Of unjust laws, may get and keep
the portions of thousand or nun"
dred thousand men, lifting himself as
many times above the average as tnere
ara neOple whom, he crowds below IT,
The rich man of to-day Is q greater Dur-
DEN than kings used to be. Great IN
qualities In wealth are growing dan,
Ger. Law has made them possible ana
law can do away with them, the ques-
tIon Ia. will you keep on voting for par
ties whose legislation In the past has
enabled the shrewd, the aVaricious ana
the unscrupulOus to grow rich by making
von pOorP For be assured 1t Is truth
as immutable as the law OF gravitation'
thae unless there Is poverty there can
be no riches.
why don't more people attend the
churches? Why is 1t that half the popu-
lation Of this so-called christian nation
Is Indifferent to the claims OF religion!
II Is because the church breaches one
thing and practices another. II pro-
fesses the doctrines Of Him who was un-
selAshness and love incarnate; and then
its members 20 out and act just as sell
flshly and greedily as other people, and
fall lust as far short Of loving their enc
mics. It worships Christ Jesus who gave
HIS life for men, and then shuts UP its
nurse strings and demands that others
shall sacrifice for It's profit instead OF
sacrificing itself for others. The great
mass Of the members Of our churches are
iust as greedy and just as eager in their
pursuit Of profit at somebody elses ex-
penses, as those outside the church'
Religion is made matter tor the next
world and not for this. Money Is con-
tributed to save mems sOuls--which 1t
cannot do; but few are willing 10 let
loose OF it to save mems bodies-which
Il can do. We are taught that In heaven
q pure socialism prevails, and that no
angel or gloriHed spirit will have any
Joys or delights that are denied to Its
brothers. Perfect equality OF condition
and enjoyment is to be the rule. And
the very people who, In their religious
meetings picture such heaven, hold up
their hands and hiss communist" so
ciallst," anarchist" at you IL you dare
suggest that similar conditions would be
q good thing here on earth. This start
ling inconsistency between what the
church believes and what it does, be-
tween the divine ideals 1t adores and the
human weaknesses it's members dc
not try to overcome, is what keeps think
n. NJ l..