The Advocate and news., 1899-04-12
Liberty Menaced By Wealth.
N the chicago Record,

Liberty Menaced by wealth.
From the Chicago Record.
DR.. Albion Woodbury. Small, head pro-
fessor of sociology in the University of Chi
Cago, startled and delighted an audience
of ministers, bishops and laymen recently
by paper which he read at the afternoon
session of the board OF examination of Rock
river conference held at the EnglewOod
First Methodist church. Some remarked
that the speakers views smacked of social
ism and sOcialistic propaganda, but his
words were moderate and the chUrchmen
frequently interrupted him with bursts Of
applause. At the end Of the paper his au-
ditOrs gave him prolonged demonstration
of approval.
The subject on which Professor Small
spoke was GLOW Sociology Can Help
Working Pastor" After declaring that his
views were not intended to be sensational,
but were the result Of conviction, he
plunged boldly into the theme, saying in
part:
'"The social system in which we live and
move and have our being is so bad nobody
can tell the full measure of its iniquity. In
this age of so-called democracy we are
getting to be the thralls of the most re-
lentless system of economic oligarchy that
history has thus far recorded That capital
from which most OF us directly or indirectly
get our bread and butter is become the
most undemocrNtic, inhuman and atheistc
of all the heather divinites. It breeds
children but to devour the bodies Of some,
the souls Of Others and to put out the spirit
ual eyesight of the rest. The socialistic in
dictments Of our civilization are essentially
sound. Mind, do not say the remedies are
sound, but the indictments are true"
Following this, Professor Small outlined
the science Of sociology and commented on
its power for good, while holding that 1t is
yet in it's infancy as science, though Of
world-lOng age in practice; then he con-
| tinued:
"Therc are clouds on the social horizon
already bigger than mans hand fOretell
ing changes of which no one is wise enough
to predict the end. II present tendencies
continue II will not be long before the men
whose business is to communicate ideas viii
be gagged by those who publish ideas, and
the publishers will be shackled by the MAX
ers of paper, and the paper manufacturers
will be held up by the transportation lines,
and the transportation corporations by the
producers Of steel, and the steel industries
by the coal operations, and the coal miners
by the oil producers and the oil magnates
by the stove makers, and the cook stove
men by the sugar trust, and the sugar in
terests by Wall street, and the stock brok-
ers by the labor unions and they by the
farmers, and the farmers, God help them,
by everybody.
81 am not throwing the dust Of my H.
brary in your faces, but il you need the
| symptoms from hank and Office. factory
and railroad headquarters and daily press,
you have discovered that the very men who
made these combinations are beginning to
be frightened at their shadows These very
business men who claim monopoly Of prac
tical horse sense have involved themselves
and all Of us in a grim tragedy. They are
asking in quiet way how il is all going to
end.
Whether they realize IL or nor, our Wis.
ion Of freedom is passing into the eclipse Of
universal corporate compusion in the in
terest Of capital. The march Of human pro-
gress is getting reduced to marking time in
the lOck-step Of capitals chain gang. It
would make infinitely more for human veal
II every dollar of wealth was cleaned of
the earth, If we could have instead Of il in
dustry and homes and justice and love
and faith than to be led much further into
the devils dance Of capitalism"
Mr. Gotham see that new law in
Georgia prohibits the selling Of liquor with