Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-09-20
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor of jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago


7 my desk as | sat down to write thi,
: sermon. 1t was direct Information
1 sent to one OF the Chicago newspapers
and 1t read: Fifty thousand employees
Of Pittsburg's mills and factories face
loss Of work through q famine In fue
as a result OF the prolonged miners
strike. Coal and coke stacks are near.
ly exhausted. 1t Is asserted that some
Of the largest plants will be forced to
close I'm few days"
Terrible Is the suffering which Is be-
ing caused in the little towns and vii.
lagos where the Pennsylvania miners
live. A lady who just left the village
Of Shickshinny. which is situated in
the heart of the coal region. told me
that there the men and the women
and the children were practically starv-
ing. Even the dogs, gaunt and hag-
gard, were running through the streets
like famished wolves More serious to
the national welfare Is it to think that
hundreds OF thousands and even mil
lions Of men. women and children all
WI Nht NNnN dlt DtibS
fected on account Of this miners strike
In addition to those who directly earn
their daily wages in the mines.
But the social disturbances attending
the Pennsylvania strike Of 1902 are no
worse than the Pullman strike OF 1894,
when the troops had to be ordered out
and the fire bells ceased ringing lest
they should summon together a crowd
Of starving men and women. Then
| President Cleveland sent the United
States troops to clear the tracks for
the mails, and the Gatlng guns were
unlimbered and made ready to shoot
to kill" The present disturbance Is
no worse than the famous Homestead
strike OF 1892. when the Pinkerton men
guarded the works night and day and
when II. c. Frick, the superintendent,
was nearly murdered. and the strlk'
Of this year and those of 1894 and 1892
are as mere bagatelles compared to
the awful railroad strike of 1878, when
every great clty-north. east and west
was terrorized and when human
blood was being daily shed.
Capital and Labor.
The troubles between capital and la
Dor on account OF the strike are no
worse here than In foreign lands.
John Burns. the labor leader and a
member Of the present British parlia-
ment. told me that during the famous
London dock strikes Of few years ago
the men under his leadership were so
pressed by hunger that at times they
became almost uncomfortable. 1t was
only by the most level headed leader |
ship that anarchy and rot were avert |
ed. One day he saw n large crowd of ]
strikers assembled together. There |
were murmurings and curses uttered |
upon every side. He heard an anarch. |
ist In nearby wagon pleading with |
the strikers to end their hunger by the |
torch and the murdcrer's weapon. Then |
John Burns. the labor leader, cried out |
in a loud voice: Stand back, men!
Stand back and let me passw The
men stood back. John Burns passed
through the opened lines until he came
to the wagon and climbed up. Then
he turned and said: Men. you know
am your friend. You know my wife
and children and myself are suffering
hardship, just as you are. But. men,
II you will hold out little longer In
this strike you will surely win-not.
however, In the way my anarcbistlc
friend wants you to hold out. He says
for you to use the anarchists torch
and the murderer's dagger: he says to
use that means which will surely tie
the hangman's moose about your neck
and turn the artilleryman's guns upon
your homes Is he willing to do what
Burns took daily newspaper out Of
his pocket twisted 1t up as q torch
struck match and lighted It. Then
he turned to the anarchist and said,
Now. friend. take that torch and burn
yonder building II you dare" The
mans face became as white as death.
Then" said John Burns, 81 lifted my
fist and knocked him down as a butch.
er might fell an OK. With my foot
thrust him out OF that wagon as though
he were a mad dog. frothlng at the
mouth. trying to bite my heel"
Strikes among the bricklayers. strikes
among the freight men. strikes among
the builders. strikes among the sewing
girls, strikes up and down this land in
every direction Strikes IN times Of
financial prosperity Strikes In times
1f panic. What are the causes OF all
-hese strikesl The object Of this SER
non is to try to adduce some reasons ;
'or the labor agitations, present and ;
past, and to show capital and labor s
hat each has sel6shly erred and sim :
led. My object is also to show that If {
he employ &s, as well as the employees, ;
would equally live by the Golden Rule
Ind love their neighbors as themselves ,
IN era OF national as we'll as indlvid- ,
lal prosperity. both financial and spir- !
tual, would result such as the world
las never seen. r
Changed Social Conditions. Z
Capital has sinned and helped to G
ause the present social agitation be- I
ause It has ceased to make the Ia {
,orers' interest its own interest The q
resent social conditions prevailing be- |
ween capital and labor could not have r
xisted fifty or a hundred years ago. |
n olden times the employer associated r
yith his employees. The small factory a
owns of England nearly always had |
he manufacturers homestead within c
stones throw of the men and women d
Who worked In his factory. The result b
vas that II workman had sickness @
n his family he could go to his EN- c
,loyeT and get financial help. II he a
vas In trouble and did not know what f
o do, he could go to his employer and n
,et advice. If he was an honest, ener-
,etic employee, he could always feel II
hat his employers eye was upon him Il
4Lok I,o xrvo,,l6 ha dacorvo6lU o. |