The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-10
THE CHURCH
is AIDING THE
WORKINGMAN
Says the Rev. R. R. Bigger in an In
teresting Lecture at Third Pres
byterian Church.
LIVE AND HELP OTHERS
To Live, the Doctrine Of the Lord.
The Church Led Against
Human Slavery.

1x,e Rev. R II. Bigger delivered the
sixth of series of lectures before the
congregation OF the Third Presbyterian
church yesterday, taking for his topic,
What Is the Church Doing for the
Workingmen?" The lecture was no
doubt inspired by debate which occur
red In the Belmont Trades Assembly a
week ago, and 1t may be considered q
complete REPUTATION of the arguments
which were used there. Mr.. Bigger
said:
What has the church done with refer
ence to the wages of the workIngmcn?
In order to get at the root OF this ques-
ton we must so back several centuries.
In tracing the history Of labor, we End
that in the beginning OF the Industrial
classes were in slavery. This Is true of
all nations. The laboring people We're
in bondage of complete subsection to
the will of the men for whom they la
bored. and they were given nothing but
food, clothing and shelter. They had
no voice In the government under
which they lived, and they had no lib
erty. They were slaves, then serfs, now
freemen.
Following in the wake of the great
reformation came practical philau-
thropy. In England John Wesley.
Whitefleld and other clergymen. such
as Clarkson and Wilberforce, preached
powerfully against slavery and the
conscience OF the nation was aroused
against 1t. The Friends studied the
slavery question and found 1t immoral
and uu-Christian. The discussion vas
carried into court and parliament. At
last the law declared that the soil Of
England made man free. Soon all Of
the European powers united to suppress
the traffic in slaves on the high seas. At
immense cost the slaves Of the West In
dies were purchased and emancipated.'
&c. r. Henderson, 1t is well known
fact that 1t was the northern pulpit that
aroused this nation to put away sav-
cry.
Church Led Against Slavery.
In the fight against human slavery
and serfdon men learned to detest the
slavery of factories. mines and sweat
shops. Again we find the church In the
lead. her clergymen and church lay
men crying out against oppression in
the factories. The Christian press, the
pulpit and the platform began to advO-
cate that there should be factory in
spectors. mine inspectors. They pro-
claimed against child labor. against low
wages and long hours. In England the
Earl of shaftsburg is a type of the
Christian humanitarian. He gave his
life to help the miner, the factory girl,
the chimney sweep and the unfortunate
OF every kind."-(C. r. Henderson, page
l5) In America the men who have
used their voices, their pens, their mo-
ney and their efforts to make the home
OF the laboring man more comfortable
huve almost without exception, been
church members. am very willing TO
admit that the church as an organiza-
ton, has not done as much as she ought
~ I'd 'e uo.e a. '.' ''''e' A"N 80
."''r"e t MAJ '"o D uo"e 20
due largely to the altruistic sentiment
made by the church and q great deal
more has been done than Is usually con.
coded nv thosc who would have lis he
,,avo that tho condition NJ labor 10
prowInp worse ,,steod Of hotter The
re,, facts ore that Tim ia horror is be,,or
no,d to-dov Than or,r boforc. he h,s
ho,,sr fond. he b,s , moro comfortable
bom.. b,s cb;,dro, have , halter cha,co
n o1rc,t. tham.o,ro.. ,o h,s moro IN
or,v and yreo,or voice In tho povern-
NOV, ,,,dor which no ,iy.s Tho ,,hor,v
n,,,,h no r,ov. ,,dor o,r nonu,,r ,or,
q, r-oy.r,uort ho or.es 10 a chm -cb
,o,dor For ponoro,, r,o,tru,y b,s
oIa. .tI. ,,,,o aoo. ~. r,snoct ~.
80 1o,, c.,,,,, ,,or,o u,uo .,
~. o.,o,n =, Amo,,o,. ,,hor,v" yyh,,o
l.. L., .r,,n ~, ~, ,,i,io, n, ,,o Ia
h,.,,,, ~, ho, n,a,au,, ,,,nrovod t.,
ch.,a.,,n ,o,a. mo ~ o,,,s not conc,rdo
A.. ,ha,a +, 49, .,on, ,o- ,,,nro,o
-. an5 ,ho ohn-oh 4. ro,dv m COW
..,.,,a go s.uau,,,uy ~ ,ho
aa,a 49, 49, 81 ., 49,.
"ofAin + nun . ooiiui ''oN'
The condition OF the laborihg men Is
far better than 1t was nifty years age.
From DR. 10Etnh strOnp'S New Era we