The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-02
RELIGION AND LABOR.
Thoughtful Sermon Delivered Last
Night by Rev. R. F. Y. Pierce in
Penn Avenue Church.

Penn avenue Baptist church. spoke last
evening on "faeligion and Labor or the
Safeguards of the Nation" The ser
mon was the first of series to work
ing men and their families. During the
service the choir sang an anthem. th;
solo parts being taken by Mrs Frank
Brundage and Miss Sadie Edwards
The text OF Rev. Mr.. Pierce's dis
! course was taken from Prov. X l6. 1.-The
! labor of the righteous attendeth to
+ life" During the course of his re-
! marks he said:
] The three great safeguards of the ma
| ton are religion, labor and education.
| They are more valuable than mines OF
| wealth, and no realm can exist that
| either prostitutes religion, minimizes la
! Dor or discards education. Religion
| means a system of ethics that recognizes
| God, and labor constitutes all avocations
! by which mankind ministers to the wants
| OF the human race, whether by brain or
| Drawn.
This world is ordained of God for men
| who labor. The relation of workmen to
religion is enc of the greatest questions
| Of the day. No childs education is COM
plete without an aVocation to earn his Or
| her own living. Jesus was a laboring
mana carpenter; He has dgnifed hon
est labor by daily toll. Religion and labor
go hand in hand, and should be brought
| into loving unity. There are many work.
men who know nothing of the church
work, and the great mass are not in SYM
pathy with the church at all.
There is tendency to alienation, one
from the other, which seems everlasting,
and they are drifting further apart. Many
wOrkmel regard moneyed men as ty-
! rants, corporations as heartless and OPP
! pressiVe and society as cold and helpless,
the church as hypOcriticai, unsympa-
| thetic and unCharitable, but good many
! causes can be laid at the workman $
door which have failed to dignity labor.
! Nevertheless, it is a great honor in the
sight of God to be a good workman.
| There was time when it was consld-
| cred a great honor to be a laboring man,
when they took stand alongside states
| men, and it ought to be the same today.
| Many are industrious without frugality,
and there is no freedom in man being
burdcned with debt. Others have not the
highest appreciation of today; they are
living and caring only for today instead
of tomorrow and the future. They lose
golden opportunities and blame others
for their own lack of frugalty.
Capitalists, mOnOpolists and politicians
are reaping harvests en- account of the
! workingman's misconstrued ideas. The
| absence of men in religious organizations
!
osOphy, and they are living in the storms
of tomorrow and the storms to come
There is no solution of the labor prob
lem, but we must keep on struggling up
ward to attain success, and no organiza-
tiOn can solve il, it is an eternal strug-
gle, as God has designed.
There is no limitation to human de.
velopment, and there will never be a set
| tlement of the labor problem. What we
want is a more cordial relationship be.
tween employer and employe, and there
Is closer relation today than ever be-
fore. A more desirable distribution OF
wealth will come by a broader and wider
conception Of education: when women
shall receive as much for their services
as men, but this is not true today.
Christianity Is working out the prob.
lem Of life, paying for what services are
worth. and that will eventually prove tho
problem, hut legislation is needed fOl
honest against dishonest competition. Or,
ganizations often put shackles on men
but when wisely conducted they can dc
much for workmen. The idea that tho
church is not in sympathy with wOrkmcr
is one of the failacies of the age Some
have an idea that aristocracy runs tht
church, but there is not many arIsUo.
cratic churches, and If we look into Tho
Christian church we will find an oper
door for all mankind
| | long TO see the time when the church
doors will swing open day and night, ii
order that the weary ones may stop IT
and rest if they desire. The world never
stops to consider that the unfortunate ar,
transformed inside the church. There i!
always a washing, brushing and clearlns
up going on, and men and women are
made better and purer for it,
The trouble seems TO lie in the fact tina
sermons have not been adapted to the
| ne nf hg mia Tl1af 1,l.
a duty to perform II must stop CryinC
out against the church The church /,
the best friend the workman ever had
its body is made up of wOr6men who's,
hearts go out TO their fellow men. II
trouble, sorrow and death, the church Il
your friend, and the largest liberty Il
conferred through the Lord Jesus Christ
Nothing will make a man more respect
ed than the Christian church; it practice
and teaches liberty and claims equa
rights and privileges with other men; 1
contains wiser judges greater Statesmen
and brighter lawyers who will life tn,
workman above others, and the creates
minds lies in the Christian church. Reli
gon will shelter the home also, for with
out God there is no real home. No fam
lily ties are binding and a child has NJ
true protection without the shelterlnl
arms of the Christian church
The greatest protector of childhood i
the Christian church, and men ought no
speak against it, but come into it's fel
lowship. 1t preserves your day Of rest
it helps you TO a higher life, and doe
not want your money it wants you ant
your influence, your testimony and you
powers. Christianity deals with life AM
the Bible becomes tho light and life I,
God, and links hands and hearts In close
bonds Of Christian uniay.
L..