The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-04-29
Bishop Potter Talks to
Yale Undergraduates.
LIVES LOST FOR FRIPPERIEs
Learned Speaker Rebukes 'vain and Be-
dizened WearersD Of Blood Bought
Pearls, and Says Some Modern Theo~
ries care of the Devil"


NEW HAVEN. Conn, April 2s.-Bfshop
Potter, discussing The Citizen and the
Consumer IN his lecture at Yale last
night. said:
I'VE cannot leave the problem of the
consumer TO the realm of academic rea-
soning. as in the cese OF the capitalist
and the workingman." he said. "a oSti-
zen cannot be u citizen without being a
consumer. The mill ewner must fnd
some place for the product Of his mill
and the woFkingman something to depend
upon for the utilizing of the product OF
his hands. Compare the modern man in
factory with the man of years ago at
the loom. The man ct the loom often
worked at his home and owned his tools.
The workingaan of today is the slave of
the machine He followed II all day long
in its memorable routine. and il he gets
in its way it may kill him.
In the railways and waterways we find
men who have never seen their employ
ers. And as you try to touch one OF these
lives with your own you have a sort of
start, for you cannot but regard him as
mere cog in the great wheel OF COM
meree; and so they say that some lives
must be sacrificed in the coal hole that
the great column of commerce must move
name you viii, they are Of the devil
1T is a question whether we ought to
! encourage the production Of goods, with
indifference to the infamous methods OF
their production. Here is a pearl which
woman wears about her neck, with
others, and which was obtained at price
less cost from some deep-sea sounding
It is put to no use whatever but personal
adornment. TO find it. or something like
it. the diver took his life in his hands,
and often lost IL. And after all what
has been obtained at such appalling risk
is nothing more than art can construct
tomorrow with sucf perfection as to de-
eeive the most fastidious observer. The
sacrifice of life to such an end ought TO
make the vain and bedizened wearer as
she hauRtS her prize. stained with the
likelihood of a fellow being, in the face
Of an opGleHt sister at least occasionally
somewhat uncomfortable.
Some say that the demands of labor
threaten 20 overthrow the whole founda-
ton Of our commercial system, and want
to brush them aside.
I'VE are told constantly by these PEG
pie who resent the demands for better
wages What service VIII you render
the w0rkmen in an increase Of his earn
ingS which he is sure to spend II lux
uries? You have spoken about the drink
bill of the nation, do you know how much
is the drink bill Of the day labererz You
insist that the EoTkingH1aa shall have
more than the narrow wage which shall
supply him with food and shelter When
he gets it did you ever notice the foolish
and wanton extravaganza with which he
spends it for fReFy, pinchbeek jeSelrT,
and tawdry bedizenment with which his
wife and children are disfigured2 Would
you have him spend it IN the improvement
OF his mind, the safeguarding Of his
health. in providing for his future2 he
won't
These pessimistic views Bishop Potter
attacked He said: 1T Is inhuman to say
that in the case OF a workinguan his real
needs are such as would be met when
you satisfy his cravings for food and
drink and shelter. You provide those
things for your beasts of burdea The
workingman is human being capable of
taking hold Of that upper realm Of greater
joy Of learning, Of greater joy Of know
ing"