The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-25
ST ield.
The IAB b LIFE.
Ohio Minister Spends Weeks at Toll
With His Hands.
PRACTICAL RESULTS FOLLOW
The Result of Few International
Sermons in Private to
Employers.
PRACTICAL RESULTS FOLLOW

Rev. Edward A. Steiner OF the First
Congregational church of Sandusky, Ohio,
has been putting himself in the place Of
the workingmen, with some interesting
and valuable results from more than one
standpoint Last February Mr.. Steiner
took up for several weeks, the role Of q
workingman. He toiled in the factories,
ate his noon lunch with the other opera
tives, and tried to familiarize himself in
every possible way with their habits of
thought and the conditions under which
they did their work. He has placed the
results of his observations before the
readers of the Congregationalist and
Christian World IN a recent ISSUE
Mr.. Steiner put in his first week with
nightly stunts with the rest of the boys,
clear down to the "cub" reporter. The
next week he gave to the factories, and
finally he spent a week with the mer-
chants and manufacturers. He declares
that the week passed among the latter
element was the hardest of his whole ex-
perience, and the most disappointing as
we'll, while the week he spent in the COM
pany of the workingmen he counts as one
of the happiest Of his life. He knows now
better than ever before, he says, why
Christ chose to work among the poor. OF
his experience with the men in the shops
he says:
| My experience in every shop was the same.
First the men thought it huge joke and
gave me the heavier end of the lift, but after
| they saw that could take care of my part
and set them good pace we became friends.
l have no results to chronicle. at least not
such as go to make up figures for the Year
Book found much gentleness behind rough
exteriors; I found many men estranged from
| the church because they thought the church
estranged from them. yet found some who
j l. t.osr l. II,
Unfortunately, many Of the men have be-
come parts of a machine, dull, heavy given
to drink and hostile to the church
! I found men daily Offering their lives as a
sacrifice and going to work with the noble
spirit of warriors. @ is .ssE
i I .sharoened garden hoes with men. who in
| five or ten years reach their goal the grave
worn out with grinders consumption. AS
the manager sent me to work he said: sec
down into that wet hole and you will fine
men who need the gospel. They don't believe
in heaven or in HE'LL preached q. good BIZ
of gospel to the stockholders who sent mer
to such a task without making provision fol-
their health. / found that not in one factory
was there decent provision for mans toile
or bath, and that they have to eat thei
luncheons upon dusty work benches in thu
same environment In which they spend thei
ten hours of labor.
ml. oLolneI 1aleISSIg IL WI hiA5Lu0i
did not end with his return to his Study
He has arranged with the librarian Of thu
city library to have special shelves filled
with books Of interest to workingmen, ant
is planning to spend certain noon hours
with them every week. He makes i
plain. however, that he does not go among
them to get subjects for sensational ser
mons with which to attract crowds or t.
advertise himself or his church, and thi
fact, he says. has saved his experirnen
from being failure.