The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-06-09
THE CHURCH AND LABOR.
Mr.. WATKINS OF THE Y. M. c. A. DE.
MES THERE is ANTAGONIST.
Christianity Is Addressed to Personal
Character and Not to Sociological
Questons--Jesus Carpenter.

Questions--Jesus Carpenter.
The following Is an address by MIR. Edgar
Watkins president of the Young Men
Christian Association OF this city, which is
Tue nlst oil series on the question, us
the Church Antagonistic to Labor
some time since read in the organ of
organized labor published In Houston an
extract from the speech OF man who as.
serted that there was an antaconism be
tween labor and the churches Of the pres.
eht day Whether this a truth or not, the
idea is prevalent
Believing that a discussion of the sun.
1ect by men who might look at the question
from different attitudes would result IN
clearer understanding or each other.
conceived the idea of having series OF adj
| dresses before the Young Mems Christian
Association In pursuance of the idea, MIR.
Max Andrew, the able young editor of the
houston Labor Journal has promised to de.
ufer an address or get some representative
lhOor man to do so next Sunday
Mr.. Clarence Ousley will discuss on the
next sunday the question from the stand.
point Of Il business man.
IN the Following sunday we will have an
anuTess IRON Rev. William Haync Leavell
city. AZ Vui
In thus announcing the proposed discus.
slon, IL VIII not be considered improppr FOR
, le Us representative of this association
10 say few words upon the subject
Laboring Man might be defined as
mau VINO works TINT he may enjoy the
necessities OF life, or lay UP stores Tor his
Hr t 1thers future necessities or comforts.
IN THIS sense, almost every man In Hous.
| ton would be included in the definition.
! Inc word is generally used in more
restricted sense to mean man who works
/ works at manual labor.
Iaklng laboring men to mean men who
WORK Tor daily, weekly or monthly wages,
/ | must confess that according TO my ob,
/ seryation there Is a feeling among them
! that Ia their struggle to obtain Justice
| from capital they have not had the support
from the church which they believe they
! should receive.
! There exists also feeling that the
church as an organization sometimes takes
/ an active interest in favor of its more
wealthy supporters as against Its less
Some laboring men feel that in support
! ing certain sumptuary laws, the church has
/ ehdeaVored to curtail their liberty, more
| especially is there a feeling that the strict
/ Sapbatarlan advocates measures not con
/ sstent with his legitimate pleasures
LABOR mas struggled upward from a dis
organzed and helpless mass until 1t mas
/ made Itself great organized power. That
/ II has accomplished much good by this or
| ganl2aton no candid man denies, that it
mas not been free from errors was nor To
be expected, and its best friends admit that
errors have been made.
The good accomplished has not been with
out hard Tight. In this fight there have
been enemies OF labor who were conspcu
Gus In the work of the church. It is not
! unreasonable that sometimes the church
member has been confused in the MUD or
| laboring men with the church itself. Re
cause there are church communicates who
are unjust is no reason to blame the church
| Are there not men in every organization
who are worse than their order? How
would the labor organizations like 10 be
Judged by their worst men?
The charge that the church generally is
untrtendly to labor or that II supports
capital against labor will he found upon
Investigation, in my opinion, to be without
tlon that the duty Of the church Is TO teach
the gospel, and not to take part IN tine dis
cussion Of political or sociological questions
other than TO urge the application To these
questions of the principles OF this gospel.
This position I believe 10 he correct and
II the principles of the Sermon on the
Mount were adopted, labor would get Its
full due.
As to sumptuary laws. / believe that
church members make a mistake In en-
deavoriug by legislation to make men CON
/. fovm TO their Ideas Of conduct. The church
can teach until Its teachings lead men to q
proper conduct. but by getting laws enact
ed which the people generally do not heart,
lily support It viii only bring contempt
: upon the law. Let the church be careful
TO lay no greater burden than the necessary
things. | speak OF conditions, ana | hope
no one with misunderstand me, ! do not
mean that any law should be violated
know that many laws are violated that
should he obeyed, aud all laws should be
obeyed or repealed
The man who works six days oS the week
needs recreation as well as rest on the
seventh, nor is recreation Inconsistent with
Keeping the Sabbath holy. Let us reulem
her that the sabbath was made for man
and not man for the sabbath. Let the
motto OF the church be, In essentials
unity; in nonessentials liberty In all things
charity"
meant that the lahoring man is less reltg-
! ious than other men. He is not, and II
there DO any difference he is probably
more religious than the average man.
have attempted to outline rev
thoughts rather as as Introduction 70 what
may be said by the gentlemen who Will
discuss the question at length.
| hone that ! may be pardoned Tor ask
Ing your attention 10 this association. We
are struggling to get ourselves IN posi-,
tiop 20 help all classes, We nope 10 nave
building where you can mud means 81
recreation and OF physical meplnl ehu
moral Improvement.
we invite you to come to the association
rooms TO the Sunday afternoon meetings, 10
use such books as we nave IN ne t beSut ns
hnvc that may help you, We need your
sympathy and your presence, your advice
and your help.
In the name or the carpenter OF NALN-
reth He who probably belonged 10 one
Of the eight guilds or trades unions which,
according 10 Mommsen, were tnmemorially
established and honorcd In the Roman en-.
ntre We nsk yOu to- lay aside prejudice II
any Won have, ana give TO His church your
allegiance
,'rhis Is the gospel or lahor-rihS III Ne
Relis OF the kirk
mo lord az Love came down from ahoVe
'ro i've with the snen who work,