The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-18

give to others the necessities. He has
been many years reaping his reward in
heaven, but I shall never forget the
day when /, a green country lad, came
to his house and spent the evening,
and ct the close OF the evening, as I
was departing, he accompanied me to
the door, accompanied me to the steps,
came down of the steps and said:
Here, De Witt, Is $40 for books. Don't
say anything about it," It is mean or
it Is magnificent TO save, according as
you save for a good or bad object.
I know there are many people who
nave much to say against savings
banks and life assurances. l have to
tSll you that the vast majority of the
homesteads in this country have been
the result of such institutions, and I
have to tell you also hat the vast ma
jority of the homesteads of the future
for the laboring classes will be the
result of such institutions It will be
a great day for the working classes OF
England and the United States when
the w~orkingmen can buy a barrel of
four instead Of -FOUR by the small
sack; when he can buy a barrel Of
sugar instead Of sugar by the pound;
when he can pay cash for coats and
hats and shoes rather than pay an ad-
dittional amount for the reason hat he
has to get it all charged.
Again I remark: Great relief is t.
come for the laboring classes of this
country by appreciation on the part of
employers, that they had better take
their employees in their confidence.
1 can see very easily. looking from my
standpoint, IS the matter. En-
ployes, seeking the employer in SEEM
ing prosperity, Go not know all the
straits, all the hardships, all the loss
es, all the ahnoyances. They look a.
him, and they think, Why he has it
aocU on6 u-0 hora T. r ~ - TNhay do
not know that at that very moment
the employer is at the last point of des-
peration to meet his engagements.
1 know a gentleman very we'll who
has over 1000 hands in his employ. 1
said to him some years ago when
there was great trouble in the labor
market, How are you getting on with
your men," oh" he said, Il rave no
trouble!" Why 1 said, have not
you had any strikes?" "Oh, no!' he
said. Il never had any trouble"
What plan do you pursue?' He said:
cry year just how matters stand. Ev-
cry little while 1 cali them together
and say: Now, boys, last year 1 made
so much. This year l made less. So
you see I cannot pay you as much as I
did last year. Now, I want to know
what you think 1 ougrt ITO have as a
percentage out of this establishment
and what wages 1 ought to give you.
You know 1 put all my energy in this
business, put all my fortune in it and
risked everything. What do you real
ly think I ought to have and you ought
to have?' By the time wecome out of
that consultation we are unanimous.
There has never been an exception.
When we prosper, we all prosper to-
gether. When We suffer, we all suffer
together, and my men would die for
me-" Now, let all employers be frank
with their employees. Take them into
your confidence. Let them know just
how matters stand. There is an i'm
mense amount Of common sense in the
world. 1t is always safe. to appeal to
it.
TO THE CAPITALIST.
I remark again: Great relief will
, come to the laboring classes of this
country through the religious rectifica-
ton of it. Labor is honored and re-
warded in proportion as a community
is Ch~ristianized. Why is it that our
smallest coin in this country is a pen
ny, while in China it takes a half
dozen pieces of coin or a dozen to
make one of our pennies in value, so
the Chinese carry h cash, as they
call it, like a string of beads around
the neck? We never want to pay less
country. They must pay that which
is worth only the sixth part or the
twelfth part of a penny. Heathenism
and iniquity and infidelity depress ev-
erything. The gospel of Jesus Christ
elevates everything. How do I ac-
|. the plainest philosophy. The religion
of Jesus Christ is a democratic reli-
gion. 1t tells the employer that he
is a brother to all the operatives in the
Observation-Disclosures by the same God,
to lie in the same dust and to be saved
1y fhD 1~-
not make the slightest difference how
much money you have, you cannot buy
| your way into the kingdom of heaven.
If you have the grace of God in your
heart, you will enter heaven.
Let me say a word to all capitalists.
Be your own executors. Make invest
ments for eternity. Do not be like
some of those capitalists 1 know who
walk around among their employees
with a supercilioUs al: or drive up to
the factory in a manner which seems
to indicate they are the autOcrat of
the universe, with the sun and moon
in their vest pockets, chiefly anxious
when they go among laboring men not
to be touched by the greasy OIL smirch-
ed hand and have their ~brOadcloth in
jured. Be a Christian employer. Re-
membe those who are under your
charge are bone of our bone and flesh
of our flesh; that Jesus Christ died
for them and that they are immortal.
! Divide up your estates or portions of
them for the relief of the world before
| you leave it. Do not go of the
world like that man who died in New
| York, leaving in his will $40, 600, 900.
yet giving how much for the church of
God; how much for the alienation of
human suffering? He gave some mon
ey a little while before he died. That
was we'll, but in all this will of s40,-
O00,000 how much? One million? No.
Five hundred thousand? No. One
hundred dollars? No. Two cents?
No. One cent?. No. These great
cities grooming in anguish, nations cry
ing out for the bread of everlasting
life. A man in a will giving forty
millions Of dollars and not one cent to
God. 1t is a disgrace to our civiliza-
ton. Oh, as illustrated in a letter
which I have concerning a man who
departed this life, leaving between
five and eight millions of dollars. Not
| one dollar was left, this writer says, to
| comfort the aged workmen and work
women, not one dollar to elevate and
/ instruct the undre of pale children