News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-04-17

alShAs Dul w nat van gOh NAptNls w NV
for all these years has paid any atten-
ton to the human end of this ore pro.
ducing business? What care do the
men at Cleveland have for the souls or
the development of the souls of these
men who dig the stuff out of the
ground that helps buy other men cost
ly luXuries and fine clothes and houses,
travel, education, pleasures and beau
ties of all sorts? What are we reaping
now but the fruits of great sowing
of selfisbness in the one great passion
for money and what it will bring? |
ask you two men, who have been rear
ed in a finer atmosphere than mine, if
it is not true that the wagewOrkers of
the world ignorant or mistaken or
wrong and even vicious though at
times they may have been and are,
still have sinned according to their
light less deeply or less wholly than
the men of great wealth and education
and social power. | am not saying
that we are perfect or never make mis-
takes or that the selfShness is all on
one side, but do say that this present
condition would not now be on us here
if the men who have made their for
tunes by the toll of the miners had act
ed like Christian men. How many Of
the mine owners have got together and
prayed for wisdom to settle this mat
ter right? Not one of them except
Stuart here. And yet-well, when
get started | feel as if | could break
all bounds. There is fire in my bones
over this problem. | don't believe
there is man living who can devise
a thorough remedy. If he can, he
stands guilty before God for keeping
silent. And this much is certain: No
man or nation or form of government
known to civilization is free from these
differences between the men of mus
Gle and the men of money. Why, only
this morning the papers had telegraph
ic dispatches announcing tremendous
strikes in five different countries
England, France, Germany, Australia
and the United States. There are
more than 100000 men out on strikes
this very minute. | know there is
great discomfort. and men say great
foolishness, on the part of the men of
labor. Grant it. The fact is we live
in an age of unrest. But at the bot
tom the whole secret of the trouble lies
in a disregard of humanity in passion
for getting wealth first of all. The
love of money has wrecked empires.
and IT will smash our civilization un-
less Eric stopped abruptly and
buried his face in his hands.
Stuart stepped up to him and laid his
hand on Eric's shoulder. We'll. Erie"
he said simply. God WIFI triumph in
the end. Let's mold fast TO tbs great
truths that have always been true"
"rhere is no solution of these difficul.
ties. | am sure" said Andrew after a
moment of quiet in the room. except
as it comes along the religious lines.
believe the next great factor in what s
called the labor question will be the re.
EtgiouS factor. | see no possible hope
for a better condition unless it is
brought about by the appeal TO and a
belief in Christianity as the real source
Of final adjustment of mems relation
with one another in the social compact
IN reality the problem consists in get
ting men I'm both sides TO act like
Christians. There could Ee no possible
clash, fCi instance between you two
men If either one worked for tire other.
because you love each other Love for
one another, therefore, is. after all. the
greatest thing in the world, because it
is the great and final adiuSteF of all
social problems and differences"
81 believe that. too" said Stuart. pac-
ing up and down the little room Il
don't question the final triumph of love
and right But we don't live in the mil
lennium yet And we have our own
questions local to us right here and
| now"
There can't be any doubt about cur
duty to the suffering women and chill
| dren" said Andrew. and | can tell
you there's a lot of it beginning. One
Of the worst things about it all is the
way the men are beginning to drink
| What little savings many of them had
are going this way"
Course the saloon! Oh. curse that
| hell on earth" cried Eric suddenly.
| Stuart aud Andrew started Mt the We
| hcmence Of his tone. I'VE 90 into our
churches on Sunday and pray and
preach Cor peace and purity and for
Eiveness and love and blessing on little
children and all that, and then on cleo
ton day we go and vote with all the
rum fiends on earth to perpetuate a
system by local option that damns
with it's Internal breath every pure de-
sire and every upward reach of human
ity, and the prayers of the nation
ought to come back into it's homes and
down upon it's religious affairs as
curses, as they are coming, until we
learn how horribly foolish and wicked
we have been not to act our prayers
out in our votes against this devil. The
saloon has done my people more harm
than any one thing in our civilization"
Stuart was silent. For the first tint
he felt the force of Eric's passion IL
the matter. lie remembered that thu
last time he and his father voted the,
voted for license. So did nearly ever.
church member in Champion. SO dit
every one of the 40 saloon keepers
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