The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-06

Rev. H B. Taylor, of st. Pauls Uni
versalist church, delivered discourse
yesterday morning on the coal strike.
His sermon was analytical of the stu
alton and eminently logical. He said:
ct desiIe this morning to speak of
some aspects of the great coal strike.
In doing so I shall not, l trust. find 1t
necessary to make eXcuses-at any
rate no elaborate ones-to company
of people who should, and believe do,
stand for a deep interest in whatever
concerns the true welfare of the people.
1 want to speak, if / am able, from a
Christian point of view and SO to speak
is not to forget that such a point OF
view need not be an impractical one.
"It will hardly need to be said to those
who are accustomed to our usages
that the utterances from our pulpit are
suggestions, not dogmas. do not
forget that JeWett said to the young
man who corrected that great Greek
scholar:
eve are none of us infallible, not
even the youngest of US, and am Will
ing that objections be voiced. We care
only to present at this time. as always
sideration of Christian people. Hardly
need 1 stop to recount the miseries
which already attend the strike nor in
adequately try to foretell the inevitable
suffering which must come even
though the strike were settled tomor-
row.
II shall not ina CINE any of my hear
ers so lacking in imagination and pity
as not to shudder at what they must
see of pinching poverty's work and the
prospect of freezing, starvation, body
hurts, soul hurts, which must come
with whatever of good results Of the
strike. No, 1 am sure, we must all
tremble when we stop to think of the
hardships which may be endured by
thousands in our own city II more coal
is not speedily mined. Neither need l
remind you that there are very few of
us that are not directly affected even
if we were able to shut up the springs
of natural sympathy, which doubt we
are
People Have Power.
1--WE want further on to remind our
selves that we have. rights and powers
in this matter. We may not simply
blame. If disastrous strikes like the
present are to continue or recur, we
cannot escape responsibility, it seems
to me-
eff you are inclined, at this moment,
to disagree with that statement, may
I ask you to suspend judgment until
the matter can be discussed more fully.
a little further on. If we have powers
and responsibilities, ought we not to
consider what they are?
"Have we any right to pass any OPP
portunity for service, however small,
in matter which so vitality concerns
our brothers and sisters.
Were labor and capital everywhere
Christianized there could be no such
thing as strikes and lockouts, for a per-
feet democracy of service would ex-
list.
"'You are brothers, was the keynote
of His gospel he We brOtherly.' was
His constant injunction. And the man
who is brotherly, I think the story Of
the Good Samaritan and other OF
Christ's words teach, was and Is more
in the kingdom of heaven than the
man who is merely correct in his the
ology. Thou shalt love thy brother as
thy self. Your interest and his are
bound up together.
"All this attempt to apply this ideal
of Christ seemed visionary and i'm
practicable until tried. Then it was
found that it worked.
ut seems to be even better political
economy than the one that assumes
not only in theory but too often IN
practice, that it is the business OF the
employer to get the most possible out
of employees with the least possible re-
turn and the business of the employ
ed to give as little as possible for the
most he can get.
BrotherIness Is Solution.
"Some have seen and more must see
that work is better done and there are
fewest wasteful wage wars where
brotherliness is the law of wages and
capital. Where it is quite as vital
question How much can l do for my
employer or my employe as how mucn
can l get out of them.
"W. Stanley Jevons one of the ablest
political thinkers of England is quoted
as saying:
1.-The present doctrine is that the
workmens interests are linked with
those of other Workmen and the en-
ployes. Eventually it will be seen that
Industrial divisions should be perpen-
dicular, not horizontal. The work.
mans interests should be bound up
with those of his employer and should
be pitted in fair competition against
those of other worEmen and employers.
There would then be no arbitrary rates
of wages. no organized strikes, no long
disputes rendering business uncertain
and hazardous
@That comes near to Christ's teach
ing. 4,,,.
morning of those firms who have found
that in trying Christ's doctrine OF
brotherhood as applied to industry that
Jesus, the idealist. is also the most
practical of men. I can only commend
to your attention proven experiment In
brotherliness as applied by the Roy
crofters, Ivory Soap company, William
attic Thread company and others.
Is Christ Dreamer?
But the ideal condition does not ex-
ist. Is Christ, then, merely dreamer
AS was said of another so it may be
said of Him: If His head was In the
sky His two feet were firmly planted
upon Mother earth. He knew men and
conditions as they We're
"And knowing that controversies
arose among imperfect men He sub
mitted a specific way out of them.
eff thy brother shall trespass against
thee go and tell him his fault, between
thee and him alone-that is, says the
modern commentator, cancellations; ii
he will not hear thee, then take with
thee one or two more that in the
mouths of two or three witnesses ev-
cry word may be established e., ar
bitration; if he shall neglect to hear
thee, tell it unto the church-since
church and state under Jewish dispen-
sation are one-laW.
Does it seem clear that Christ's way
to settle the coal strike would be by
cancellation or arbitration or law? Be-
fore any sane conclusion concerning
the strike can be reached we must ask
and answer, if we can:
Issues of the Strike.
what was the occasion Of the pres
ent strike? I think it may be worth
some very careful scrutiny of the facts
to determine, If we can, at least the
main issues, for they have. been con-
fused in some minds by other consid-
Grafton not to the point.
"Who brought about the strike?