The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-15

these reasons you should not blame iabVf
guilds.
Sometimes They Are NIhilistie.
when they are doing their legitimate
work they a-e most admirable. but when
they come around with drum and fife and
flag. and drive people OF from their toll
from their scafoldings, from their rae
tories. then they are nihilisiic, then they
are communistic. then they are baroaric'
then they are a curse II man wants 10
stop work let him stop work. but he can
not stop me from work.
But now suppose that all the laboring
classes banded together Tor benehcent
purposes in cooperative association, uh-
der whatever name they put their means
together. Suppose they take the money
that they waste in rum and tobacco, ana
use it for the elevation of their famiies'
for the education of their children, ior
their moral intellectual. and religious I'M
prOvement? what a different state OF
things We would have in this country, ana
they would have in Great Britain!
do you not realize the fact that men
work better without stimulant? You say
VIII YOU deny the iaboring men this
help which they get from strong drink,
borne down as they are with many anAle-
ties and eNhausting work. 1 would DENY
them nothing that Is good for then;
would deny them strong drink, II mao
the power. because 1t is damaging 10
them. My father said: i became q TEN,
perance man in early life because touhd
tnat in the harvest field. while / was nat- n
urally weaker than the other nen, could
hold out longer than any OF them, they
took stimulant and l took none
Abstain from strong Drink.
Everybody knows they cannot endure
great fatigue-men who indulge In stimu-
Iants All our youns men understand
that. When they are preparing for the
regatta. or the ball club, or the athletic
wrestling, they abstain from strong drink
Now, suppose all this money that Is
wasted were gathered together and put
into cooperative institutions-oh! we
would have a very different state Gf
things from what we have now.
Il remark again: The laboring classes
of this country are to find great relief
when they learn, all of them learn, fore
cast and providence. Vast numbers of
them put down their income and they put
down their expenses, and if the income
meets the expenses. that il all that Is
necessary. l know labOTing men who are
in a perfect fidset until they have spent
their last dollar. They fly aroG every
where until they get il spent. A case
came under my observation where a
young man was receiving 500 year, and
earned it by very hard work. The mar
rage day came. The bride had received
500 as an Inheritance from her grand
father. She put the 500 in wedding
equipment Then the twain hired two
rooms on the third story. Then this man,
VINO had most arduOus employment, Just
as much as he could possibly endure got
evening employment, so he could earn
m nd hxy nj sfFl
ing employment almost eXtingushed his
eyesight. Why did he take this extra
evening employment? Was IL TO lay by
something for a rainy day? No. Was il
to get a life insurance, so that If he
should die his wife would not be
pauper?
Wanted Seaiskin Sacks.
mo. 1t was for the one purpose of
getting his wife a $50 sealskin sack
/ am just giving you fact know. The
sister OF this woman, although she was
very poor girl, was not to be ecIinsed
and so she went to work day and night
and toiled and toiled and toiled almost
into the grave, until she got $50 seal
SKIN sack, Well. the news went abroad
all through the street Most of the peo-
pie on that street were laboring. hard
working people and they were not to be
outShohe IN this way, and they all went
10 work in the same direction. and nrac-
tlcally said. though not literally: "Thougb
the heavens fall, We must have a sell
skin sack
n clergyman in Iowa told mo that his
church and the entire neighborbood had
oeen ruined by the fact that the neonIe
mortgaged their farms in order 70 on
down to the Philadelphia Centennial IN
1876 First, one family would eo thor
another family. and finally IT was not re-
spectacle not 10 go to the Centennial at
fhIIadeiphla, and they mortgaKed their
iaTIns: Ihe church and the neighbOrhood
ruined IN that way. Now, between such
Tools and pauperism there is only a very
short step. In time Of peace prepare for
war In time Of prosperity prepare for
adversely.
On Verge Of the PrecIpice.
'Yet how many there are who drive IN
the verge of the precipice. and AT the
least touch OF accident or sickness over
they go An. my friends. it is not right.
it is not honest He that provideth NOT for
his own, and especially those Of his own
household, Is worse than an infdel. A
man has no right to live in luxury and
nave all the comforts and all brightness
around him, taking his family with him
at that rate-everything bright and beau
uful and luxurious. until he stumbles
against tombstone and falls in. and they
all go 10 the pOorhouse. That is not COM
mon honesty. / am no advocate of skin
flint saving i abhOr il. But / plead for
Christian providence. There are some
people who are disgusted If they see any
thing like economy, such as a man might
show in turning down the gas in the par
lor when he goes out There are families
actually embarrassed II you ring their
doorbell before they have the hall lighted.
There are people who apologize II you
surprise them al the table. Now, II Is
mean, or IL is magnificent 10 save just ac-
cording to what you save for. II II Is for
the miserly boarding of AZ. then II Is de-
spicable, but II 1t means better education
for your children, If IL means more house
help for your wife when she II not strong
enough to do much work, II IL means
that the day OF your death shall not be a
horrbr beyond all endurance because u is
TO throw your family into disruption and
humiliation and the poOrhOuse-then IL Is
magnificent, II IL is to avoid all that.
Was close that He Might Give.
Some Of the older persons remember
very well Abraham Van Nest. OF New
York. one OF its Christian merchants. lie
was often called mean because he calcu-
lated so closely, Why did he calculate
closely? That he might have the more 70
give There was not a Bible society, or 4
tract society, or a reformatory instltu-
ton in the city OF New York. bat he had
his hand In supporting IL. He denied him
self many Injuries that he might give to
others the necessities. he has been many
years resping his reward In heaven; but
shall never forget the day when 1. a green
country lad, ca ne to his house and spent
the evening. and az the close Of the even
ing as I was departing. he accompanied
me 20 the door. accompanied me 20 the
steps. came down of the steps. and said:
Here, DE Witt. IL ~ for books; don't say
anything about it. II is mean or II il
ma gnifcent 10 save, according as you
save for A good or for bad object
Il know there are many people Who
have much TO ray against savings banks
and life insursncsE. ! have 70 tell you
that the vast majority OF the homestead
IN this country have been the result OF
such institutions and / have 20 tell you
also that the vast majority u the home
sIesds OF the future for the "a boring
classes will be the result OF such lnstltu-
tionS. IL will be great day for the work
ing classes Of England and the United