The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-04-18
GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
IN ITS RELATIONS TO THE
 CHURCH
Are Inimical im Spite of Efforts for
 Reconciiement.

Berlin has frequently been styled by
 preachers from the pulpit in Germany
 ''the most Goddess of cities" The half
 dozen gigantic edifces all have a hol
 low, cold appearance, which freezes re
 Iigous zeal and seems to rebuke enthu-
 siasm. Stoecker, Wundt, Wichern
 Todt and other valiant clergymen have
 fought hard to break through this apa-
 thy and inculcate a habit of church at
 tendance Every now and then there is a clarion cry from the pulpit, Awaken
 evangelicals!" But the voice does not
 penetrate far. The masses pass by the
 doors of the church to attend popular
 lectures or socialistic gatherings. For
 Berlin is the seat of the social democra-
 tic movement.
 The Protestant church recognizes in
 social democracy a foe. The church is
 allied to the state by close ties since the
 .'Kulturkampf, the disfranchisement
 of Jesuit societies and the Catholic
 church. Consequently the leaders of
 social democracy make no secret of the
 opposition to the church. For every
 one church erected there are at least
 five halls devoted to the propagation of
 socitl democracy or the principles of
 Marx and Lasalle. Where social de- mocracy directly fails to perform it's
 work against the church, the philoso-
 phies of Nietzsche, of Schopenhauer,
 Kant and Hegel, influence the masses.
 This applies not only to Berlin, but to
 all the large provincial cities of Ger
 many For the literature, art and dra-
 ma of Germany are to-day still under
 the sign of the gloomy philosophies of
 NietZsche. The playhouse in Berlin
 affords a good criterion to judge which
 way the popular thoughts turn on reli-
 gious questions. In ''The Great Sin
 by Otto Ernst, and in Bjornson's "Ue-
 Der Unsere Kraft" the religious theme
 is strongly developed, and the charac-
 ters representing faith and adherence
 to orthodox creeds were made the sub-
 ject of demonstrations on the premiere
 evenings The modern German philos- opher. who rejects Christianity, and the apostle of the ethetica1 dogma, are greeted as the knights of the new cen tury. It is frequently repeated that Berlin foes to theaters to listen to reli- gious subjects instead of attending church
 Brave, but evidently unavailing, eff forts have been made to stem the in- nuence of social democracy upon the church. The Christian social move ment, the Evangelical workmens union and other intermediary societies were formed to weaken the social democrat ic cause. This party appealed to the masses by demanding legislation for the | workman and for higher standard of | existence among the peasant classes. l This is where social democracy gained 1 it's power and replaced in a measure the | evangelical church in the confidence of | the masses both in the capital and the | provinces The church, supported as it | is by the state, had not much incentive | to do missionary work until social de- | mocracy entered with it's doctrines. It is only since the workmen's unions and Christian social societies have come into existence in answer to the gaunt- let thrown down by the radical politi- cal party. Many earnest men, good and true to the cause, devote themselves to elevate the standard with which Bis marck led the Prussans into battle, 'sWa Fear None but God" But the promise of a cooperative common wealth, of the so-called Fladderadatch, with it's division of spells and other il- usive promises held out to the peasant r. and the populace by the social democ- racy, appeals strongly to the lower classes Efforts to reconcile the social democrats and bring them into closer ouch with the church have been fruit ess. Bebel, Heine, Richter, Singer and he other liminaries of the party listen Q no compromises, but declare that the ,hurch and state are closely welded au- Iorities which are inimical to social democracy.
 sWhat have the churches done for you when you are hungry and suffer- ! ng?" is the popular text of social dem crats They convey their literature to | he most remote hamlet, and send their packers to every town and city to bread their doctrine. Just now, while he tariff agitation awakens the popu- ar pulse the social democrat is espec- ally industrious The common schools | f Berlin, or Volkschule, are made oux- Iiaries to the liberal political move aents. The schools are under the par ial Jurisdiction of the municipality, \ ,hich is controlled by liberals and so- ial democrats. Frequently protests Ir re not taught the catechism, and that rr rr eligious instruction is neglected by IT eachers and principals who owe their ositions largely to the fact that their T. olitical views are in harmony with the 1 beral parties which govern the city C ,uncil and elective offices of Berlin. C The growth of social democracy is r est illustrated by the latest elections s f social democratic candidates in va L ant districts formerly controled by L and agrarians. At the Lst general Reichstag election the so- R al democratic party obtained more ian two million votes, and forged com al eteIy ahead of all other political par n es as a popular political movement. l the Reichstag its influence and rep ,sentation are restricted by the Bis arck election laws, which disfran- D ,fsa the voters of larger cities in which l. doctrines receive stron co ,st support. The Lutheran synods St Id religious councils struggle with the pl yasion of the social democratic party az ,on their preserves at every annual of Id periodical meeting. But it is only hS gently that the missionary movement | er