The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-09-01
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MAYOR JONES mrs. UssEs AnfERId:ASs
s WQRFdKN ANI1RELIGION.
The ReliKiou.S Con.lition al In l,0rs is
the Reflection Of the Re'iEio" $
Condition OF All Men---'rhere !. no.
Real Inference Between Love ito
God md Love to Mum. ~:


+dition Of the, workingman can be con
sidered apart from mankind as whole
Society is 4 unit, he says, and tine
very idea that we must deal with peo-
pie as classes, in addition to being ir-
religious skeptical, and atneistic. is
misleading" The religious condition
OF the workingmen is the reflection of
the. religious condition Of all men, he
remarks; and he continues:
"Of course have not used the word
religious in any narrow sense; | nave
rather used it as including all that is
best in man. In the narrow or technl-
cal sense, lepresume the business ana
professional classes are more religious
than the WOrkingmen; that is, that IN
larger proportion they are church mem
bers and attend the means of grace,
and so ON. But the church. itself. no
longer deceived, is coming to see that
there is a difference between Pharis-
aism and religion, that there Is no real
difference between love of God ana
love of man, and that the only way of
expressing ones love to God is in ones
dealings with men. And L believe
that. in the evolutionary processes that
now distinctively mark this present
epoch, we can see the transformation
that is taking place inside the church,
that will one day lead the church to
take the high place that must be held
by some form of institution, whether
you call it hall of Teason, or church,
or what not, where men and women
will gather together and dismiss their
cares and shake their hearts out to-
gether, as the Germans say, in fellow
ship one with another. When those.
better days come, we shall see the
days that are less strifeful, for we
shall learn that life CONSISTENT not in
things but rather in being, in doing,
in giving, instead of in getting.
1.-The one hopeful sign of the times
that bids us all take courage is seen IN
| the growth of the religious sentiment
| l mean the sure-9nOugh religious as
separated from the pietistic notion
| for, in the best sense of the word, the
! movement for reform is religious
| movement. The growth of the idea OF
| the unity of the entire race is full OF
encouragement to all lovers OF right
eousness. No one can be truly relig-
! ious who does not accept this import
! ant foundamental, for the thought OF
oneness is as scientific as it is religious
If God is All-Father, then it follows, as
night the day.: that all mankind are
brothers. This lesson has been taught
in many ways. The true spirit of
Socialism,, that has grown, so marvel
ously in our country during the last
few years, is the spirit, of brother
hood, is religious; and while there are
many advocates of Socialism who are
t,iro 80 RI ho
i conception. Of individualism, as it finds
expression in the party idea in poll
tics, yet believe the day is not far
i distant when all will see that = this
teaching must give way to the logical
toward the teallzat ioA o which hn:
mainly is. pfogressing Socialism is
growing 4 among Wot 'kingmen faster
than anywhere else. s :s$1..,s, 4: s :.
!. t'The complaint of the party Social
lists is directed wholly against the COM
petitive system; and the competitive
system is, of course, a system of war
fare. We can easily see that COM
petition is wrong, in economics, in ma
terial things, that h: the system car
never bring peace to the world; that it
means the survival Of the strongest; in
short, as has been many. times said
/ competition is war. The awakening OF
the social conscience and the religious
impulse within us will bring us to see
that, if competition is wrong anywhere,
then the competitive principle is wrong
i everywhere. But we are not led to see
this great truth by the appeals that
are made to our material interests.
but only as the appeal comes to the
religious instinct-that is to the. idea
of brotherhood and duty. All will
admit that natural brothers ought not
to fight either for trade or advantage,
though the methods of business, or for
any other advantage by the ffiercer
methods Of warfare. The competitive
spirit is the spirit of murder, and it is
evident to observing persons that the
| workers of. the world must lead IN
spreading this great truth. Jesus mas
told us that knowledge of the truth
will make us free; and to me there IS
something like Dathos in the thought
that there is absolutely no other way
for the soul to realize freedom except
through knowledge of the truth. But
there is no cross lots orr shortcut way
'Ye must be born again is as literally
! true today as when Jesus uttered the
words. There is no middle ground
The scientific principle must rule, else
there is no hope in the world. Love
is the only basis upon which we can
hope to build an enduring state or Sc
cure any sort of permanent social Or
Ger. The race is struggling as never
before to realize the truth in all its
wonderful depth of meaning. We see
it in the great growth of fraternal
organizations that have characterized
the history of the last few years; we
see it in the great trade union move
ment that has fraterniZed and eo-or-
dinated great bodies of 'Worklngmen;
we see it in the countless number OF
societies, clubs, lodges, institutions ana
brotherhoods that are springing up all
over the world. In the narrower sense
these movements are indivlduallstic
but in the broader and deeper sense
they are social and religious. 1t is ar
expression Of the longing for brother
hood, for fellowship; and; this awaken:
/ ed social conscience Is the very force
that will produce the enlightened IN
tellect that will lead these numberless
organizations to see and TO understand
the folly of the unbrotherly method