The Grenada sentinel., 1899-08-19
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
Industrial Problem the Theme Of Dr..
Talmage's Sermon.
Tella How the Continual War De-
tween Them May BE Ended
LessOnS Drawn from Re.
cent Strikes.
fcepyright. 1889. by Louis Klopsch.l
WASHINGTON,


In this discourse DR.. Talmage sug.
rests how the everlasting war between
capital and labor may be brought to
happy end. The text is l. Corinthians
1921: 1.-THE eye cannot say unto the
hand, I have no need OF thee"
Fifty thousand workmen in Chicago
ceasing work In one day, Brooklyn
stunned by the attempt to halt its rail-
road cars, Cleveland in the throes of
labor agitation and restlessness among
toilers all over the land have caused an
epidemic of strikes, and somewhat to
better things I apply the Pauline
thought of my text.
You have seen an elaborate piece OF
machinery, with thousand wheels and
Q thousand bands and q thousand pull
leys, all controlled by one great water
wheel, the machinery SO adjusted that
when you jar one part Of it you jar all
parts of it. Well, human society is
great piece of mechanism controlled by
one great and ever revolving force-the
wheel of Gods providence. You harm
| one part of the machinery and you
harm all parts. All professions, inter-
dependent. All trades interdependent.
All classes of people interdependent.
Capital and labor interdependent. No
such thing as independence. Dives can
not kick Lazarus without hurting his
own foot. They who threw Shadrach
into the furnace got their own bodies
scorched. Or to come back to the fig
ure of the text, what strange thing it
would be if the eye should say: lover
see the entire physical mechanism.
despise the other members of the body.
If there is anything I am disgusted
with, it is with those miserable, low
lived hands. Or what if the hand should
say: l am the boss workman of the
whole physical economy. / have no
respect for the other members of the
body. If there is anything ! despise, it
is the eye, seated under the dome OF the
forehead, doing nothing but look.
come in, and wave the flag OF truce
! between the two contestants. and
say: 1.-The eye cannot say to the hand:
Il have no need of thee.
That brings me to the first sugges'
ton, and that is, that labor and capital
are to be brought to better under
:. standing by complete canvass of the
whole subject. They will be brought to
peace when they find that they are iden
teal in their interests. When one goes
down, they both 60 down. When ont
rises, they both rise. There will be al
!. equilibrium after awhile. There never
, has been an exception to the rule. Tha
> which is good for one class of societ!
\ will Le good for all, and that whicl
:. is bad for one class will event
. ually and in time be bad for all
i Every speech that labor make
against capital postponcs the day o
permanent adjustment. Every speecl
J. that capital makes against labor post
n pones the day of permanent adjust
;, ment. When capital maligns labor,
II is the eye cursing the hand When Ia
IS Dor maligns capital, it is the hand ours
l. ing the eye. As far as have observed
It the vast majority Of capitalists are sue
e cessful laborers. If the capitalist
would draw their glove, you would Sc
the broken finger nail. the scar OF an Of
blister, the stiffened finger joint. Tn
Il great publishers of the country for tn
rs most part were bookbinders or typ
settlers on small pay. The great ca
rage manufacturers for the most pal
sandpapered wagon bodies in whee
wright shops.
While, on the other hand, in all OF
large manufacturing establishment
= you will find men working on wage
who once employed 100 or 500 hand
The distance between capital and labe
is not great gulf over which is swur
a Niagara suspension bridge. 1t on
a step, and the capitalists are crossir
.: over to become laborers. and the labo
T.: ers are crossing over to become ca
V: italists. Would God they might shal
C: hands while they cross. On the 9th
l. hand, laborers are the highest style
~ ~ capitalists. Where are their inves
m ments? In banks? No. In the ra
Or roads? No. Their nerve, their muscl
- their bone, their mechanical skill. the
"a physical health, are magnificent ca
ac p ital. He who has two eyes. two ea'
,g two feet, two hands. ten fingers, h
sT 81 machinery that puts into nothingne
u: carpet and screw and cotton factory al
e: T.: all the other implements on the plane
or. The capitalists were laborers. the
~. borers were capitalists. The sooner
er. understand that the better.
Again, there is to come relief to t
laboring classes Of this country throu'
o@ cooperative associations. l am not
So SO this moment speaking of trades unio'
ss: but of that plan by which laborers p
'se their surplus together and become thu
own capitalists. Instead of being {
s., pendent upon the beck Of this capital
gh or that capitalist. they manage th'
oa0 own affairs. In England and Wa
nd M there are s13 cooperative association
" They have 100000 members. They ha
80 . capital Of $ls,O0O,00O, or what cor
Ss; Ss; sponds to our dollars. and they dc
'gs business annually Of s63,OOO.ooo. Tho
;%: sS: as Brassey, one Of the foremost men
IL; the British parliament, on the subj
says: "Cooperation Is the one and
4 LA l.