Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-11-03

turtles could men hope to solve the brob-
lem of poverty-this Interpretation is
either puerile or malicious-although
it is continually made by men who
think well of themselves both for wis
dom and piety.
Not only do men resign themselves to
the inevitableness of poverty, but they
even try to persuade themselves that
poverty is blessing They never think
1t Is blessing to themselves, but they
talk softly about the blessings of other
peoples poverty. General Booth of the
Salvation Army recently preached
sermon In which he gave seven reasons
for considering poverty blessing. The
Salvation Army claims to have fed
Christmas day in New York city %, 900
people. Monstrous, Seven reasons for
the blessedness of eating your Christ
mas dinner at charity trough with
2o,0OO other paupers The blessings of
poverty! You might as well talk of
the gentleness of Dakota blizzard
1t would be as appropriate to speak of
balmy St. Louis cyclone. Cannot the
preachers give us sermon on the
hopefulness of despair or on the pleas
urableness of pain? have heard 1t
said of these preachers that they think
in their hearts. They seem to me to
think in their stomachs. Poverty means
oh hat vt
crime; 1t means bodily sickness and
moral degradation. -
Poverty is curse and l know of no
work so deeply religious and so truly
in accord with the spirit of the Naza-
rene as the work of using the political
tools that are within our reach in this
republic to put an end to the wrongs
which breed poverty in the sight of
plenty and cause the slums of human
misery to mock the triumphs of civil
liZation.
Let us not blaspheme the memory of
that Lover Of Men by quoting his
words against those who point the way
to a higher civilization in which pow
erty as we know 1t will not be. Let
splendid task as the only way in which
we in our time have opportunity to
continue his work in the world
In the garret of tenement house
which stands in the shadow of five
churches there lived family with
seven children. During the intense
heat of last July the youngest, nurs-
cfa oh In cir do
wilted like flower. Night brought no
relief. All night long the ugly brick
walls gave forth heat like great hu-
man ovens. The mother carried the
little sufferer down in the street In the
hope of finding breath of air. She
went to market place near by and,
sitting on the curbstone, rocked the
babe in her arms, watching its twitch-
ing hands and pleading face. The old
cathedral clock tolled away the hours.
At last the clatter of hoofs and rumble
of wheels announced the rising tide of
humanity. But that day brought no
light to the mothers heart, for in the
gray dawn of that morning she saw
the light of her life go out and on her
You may read in the health reports
that the baby died of some disease
with Latin name. 1t died of starva-
ton.
The father works from 6 in the morn-
ing until at night. On Saturday he
works until IL at night. On Sunday he
works until noon. For all this he re-
aaiyac Ct wool, A moro cohar hon.
est, industrious, willing man never
lived. And the mother? All, the strug-
gle she has had to make 81 satisfy
the claims of the landlord and the
grocer, and pay for shoes and clothes
and school books! The truth is, she
had not enough to eat, and the baby,
therefore, was not properly nourished.
Its puny body became the culture
ground for disease germs, which it
would have had chance of resisting
if 1t had had good food and pure air.
Not having these, it died, virtually, of
starvation.
Mothers, have you known what 1t
means to stand in the lonely nursery
with arms so empty and breasts so
full? Fathers, have you listened in
vain for the music of the little feet
and the merry voice In the silent hall?
Have not these common experiences Of
joy and sorrow taught you the great
lesson of human brotherhood? How
long will you insult your unfortunate
fellows with aims? When will you
see the need of changing the laws that
deny them justice? When will you
learn to hear in the cry of these chill
dren of poverty the voice Of your
Christ? Tnasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these ye
have done It unto me."-Rev. Herbert
G Pioalour in DiIp-irn Cincinnati