The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-13
Mr.. Mitchell And MOSES
A PARALLEL IN THE LEADERSHIP
DRAWN BY REV. r.. s. OsGOOD.



spoke at the morning service yesterday on
The Present Crisis" In drawing a paral-
lei between the labor troubles of the
present in the anthracite mining district
and the causes OF the exodus of the Isra-
elites from Egypt under the leadership or
Moses, Mr.. Osgood said:
'Tt is a well-known doctrine that the
Scriptures Of the Old and New Testaments
dvinely inspired. But that doctrine
has never assumed its full significance or
awes with it's tremendous reality until
some passage of Scripture searches out to
the very bottom some impressive expert
ence Of our own and reveals US to ourselves
In the naked reality of our characters.
The Bible finds us not only in the indi-
vidual but on the social side of our ma
lures. and the book gains in dignity and
authority when we find 1t probing to the
bottom and Illuminating to the last de-
gree some phase of history or govern
ment, some political, social or in
dustrial movement that is taking place be-
fore our very eyes.
I'VE OF this nation are facing to-day a
very grave crisis. The great struggle be-
tween capital and labor in progress in
the anthracite region in Pennsylvania is in
Gle. But great and grave as it is. it is
but one concrete evidence of struggle
that is going on far wider, far deeper
far grander, far more awful than any Of
its mere manifestations. The anthracite
coal strike is, as 1 conceive 1t, only a
symptom of a disease that is very deep
rooted in our social order. And that dis
ease Is fully described, completely eluci-
dated In Its very essential features in this
inspired book Every principle involved in
the present crisis was involved In the labor
difficulties that occurred in the land of
Egypt, when, under the leadership of Moses
and Aaron, the oppressed and doubtless
ignorant and degraded Israelites turned
their backs upon Pharaoh and his host and
set their faces toward the promised coun-
try Of Canaan.
BRIEF REVIEW.
Let US briefly review the salient points
of the history of that great movement
When Joseph's brethren took their father
Jacob and went, under the stress of famine,
into the realm of Pharaoh. Egypt stood for
culture. civilization, progress, industry,
commerce and capital; and these men from
Canaan represented labor. Pharaoh had
money and land and therefore power and
| exaltation. But he needed hands to exc
cute his projects and he warmly welcomed
every newcomer into his realm as another
means Of developing Egypts latent re-
sources. Here was labors great oppor-
tunity. Joseph's brethren were starving in
Canaan. The opportunity for remunerative
work offered itself in Egypt and they went
thither. And so long as these two forces
co-operated there was peace and plenty
| This season of prosperity lasted as long
as there was an Identification of these two
| Indispensable factors in civilization, an
| Identification which was concretely repre-
| sented by Joseph in the real seat Of power
| Joseph was the real legislator, the real
| executor. Pharaoh ruled the realm, but
| Joseph ruled Pharaoh with the rod of rea-
| son; and back of all stood FL Shaddai. God
| Almighty. who ruled Joseph. And so great
| and so real was the prosperity that when
| seven years OF absolute drought came there
| was enough foodstuff stored up in the land
| so that the people lacked none of the nee
essaries of life.
| the counselor of the King was no longer
| a brother of the producer of wealth. AS
| the scriptures saith: There arose a new
| king over Egypt which knew not Joseph
| and with the new king came the new poll
| cy founded upon new and a false doc
trine: During the reign. of Joseph the
| country OF Egypt had been enormously
| prospered. Pharaoh had grown rich the
land had grown rich, Joseph had grown
rich; but no class of people shared the
| prosperity quite to the extent of the poor
foreign laborers and farmers from Canaan
| and their descendants. They prospered so
nightly that the new ruler began to fear
their power; ne began to reason to the
| enriched while these few laboring men and
| farmers were piling up wealth he could
much more enormously enrich himself and
nasty by appropriating all the wealth pro-
duced TO himself and keeping the Israeiites
poor.
THE STRUGGLE BEGAN.
''Then began the struggle of the Israelites
to free themselves from the awful oppres-
sion and tyranny: and in this strength. al
though right was so largely on their side
that We could almost say 1t was entirely
$3.50 much that God was on their side
the Israelites exhibited much ill-temper
much Importance. much reconsideration
and querulousness. But there is a point
wish to note here before passing on, and
were preferred against the bondsmen-as a
Justification for instituting repressive (and
oppressive) measures-were that they were
prosperous and lazy. That they were pros.
porous was true That for bondsmen the,
were lazy was doubtless apparently true
for 1T is almost self-evident principle
wherein, In the protection Of industry. la
hours OF work may be shortened, there will
| be time for leisure and recreation and read
ing and social mingling and self-cultivatior
and in Egypt. where these things existed
| in some form-the idea of laboring mar
entering into and enjoying these things wa.
| identical with the idea of laziness Meta
phorically speaking, 1t is so in Egypt to-
day.
but 1t was not the mass of Israelite.
| who began to discover how they were be
ing robbed or even that they were beins
| robbed 1t was that man who was trained
by Pharaoh himself; who was educated a
court and fitted to be an oppressor-evei
. | Moses
lit took an agitator of superior intelli
gence TO make them see their condition. 4
man of education. especially man of dec
religious conviction. So. the narrativ
. | has IL, Moses. went forth one day an,
, looked on their burdens. Here again was
man at court able to understand Pharaoh
motives because he was educated in them
and able to sympathize with the down
trodden because he was their brother II
looked on their burdens and his spirit O
: fairness and justice was destroyed II
) beheld an Egyptian looting Hebrew-hi
passion for justice got the better of hi
Judgment and he smote the Egyptian unit
! death. Moses, then, was the first labo
leader who was guilty OF unpardonabl
| violence-even of homicide. do not as
you to excuse Moses in this act. He di
wrong and he soon realized 1t. But d
ask you IL you cannot sympathize with
even where you cannot excuse, this act.
do ask you to remember that out of thi
| passionate and guilty man God made tn
. | deliverer of his people
I II can very we'll imagine the feeling @
| Pharaoh when the news was brought
him that Moses had murdered one OF hi
4 lieutenants. Moses. who had been nurture
e IN the royal household, clothed with IN
schooled I'm all the learning Of the EYE
ttans-nay, adopted as the very son c
Pharaoh's daughter.
READ BITTER WORDS.
"And when 1 read the other day til