The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-06-30

OF mankind. whether connected with capital
or labor. Its Influence is given to secure
the righteous demands OF both these Inter
ests, and Its message is to the representa-
tlyes of both. 20 man, what is good;
and what doth the law require OF tnee
but to do Justly and to love mercy, and TO
walk humbly with thy Godr'
When capital declares that IL has the
right to buy man as It buys a commodity,
In the cheapest market, and has the Right
10 combine In order TO enforce this right,
the whole church Of Christ, even ms
much maligned modern church, does not
hesitate to tell capital that Its demand
abrogates both the law and the gospel; that
1t violates the golden rule, which sums up
the Law and gospel. that 1t is an upright
eous and unjust demand. | do not mean
that there are no recreants In the church
and In the pulpit; but the voice OF the
church Is vastly, Overwhelmingly harmon
ious In laundering forth Its denunciatlon
Of every such demand.
And when organized labor afIivms MS an
axiom, according to Dr. Jessoff that the
worst man should get the same pay as the
best" and declares its right TO combine
In order to enforce this demand the chureh
should not allow its sympathy for the hard
working and the poor to make II hesitate
to tell labor that such demand is -oulish;
that Il is unlighteous and unjust: that 1t
snbyerts honesty and takes the heart out
OF honest workers. / do not mean that
there are no demngogues In the church anu
In the pulpit. but the voice or the chnrch
is one In crying out against the imbcciity
and the unrlghteousnpss OF such demand.
Capital has no honest right to coeree
labor. and labor has no honest right TO
cocrcc capital. for both coercions alike are
violations OF the principles ana teaching
Of Jesus Christ. of which the church Is the
only authorized exponent Life, liberty ana
the pursuit NJ happiness are as much the
right Of labor az OK capital, ms much the
right of capital as OF labor. And the church
should so preach. However. YOU define the
church either rs a denomination or nu ag-
of al
Christianity, II is not out OF sympathy
with nor antagonistic TO the lahoring man,
however. you define him, whether as tine
unskTlled lahorer or rs the one who works
by hand. or who earns MS bread - the
sweat Of his brow or who belongs to some
labor organization or brotherhood.
The whole question OF the relation OF he
church and labor SO far as II is burn
Ing question, or practical question 10
day. goes upon the theory that the chuTch
In these disionted modern times rs not IN
sympathy with the laboring man. but rs IN
sympathy with his economic antagonist,
thnt it's influence and power are given to
Genital as against labor Otherwise there
is~no question md We are but amusing our
selves with a vacant discussion.
CHURCH's FOUNDER AN ARTISAN.
Now. then. want TO deny the alleged
fact that the church IS in sympathy with
the rich as against the poor, with capital
ms against labor The allegation is false.
In the hrst place, the church Is the church
Of n lahoring man. Jesus of Nazareth was
an artisan. He was not an unsettled
laborer. His whole character would make
It impossible for Him TO remain unskillful
in whatever he undertook, 1t Is the cont
mon Judgment Of scholars who are students
Of the life and times OF Jesus thai He was
what we would call In these days "cabl,
net maker" and that means man skill
full In the use OF his tools, with dh educated
hand and eye. Jesus Christ lid not begin
His work 10y calling the rich. He knew
how difficult II Is for a rich man not I,
consider his riches nrst. lie knew that
utter sacrifice Of self would be demanded
of His propagandlsts and that the estab
llshed classes have never yet begun nnt
carried forward any great moral reform
So not many mighty and not many noble
were called. lie took His apostles from
among the masses aud not from the classes
| do not mean that His disciples were ignor
ant and unlearned men In any but th'
rabblnic sense. But He was a laborinl
man, attracted TO himself those of thu
same walk In life, and naturally and wisely
! chose His own fellows as His defenders
eXponents md advocates
Jesus Christ did not denounce wealth mo-
| forbid his followers to grow rich. He dc
| clared that wealth Is temptation and
| danger to the moral nature, that the low
of money Is a root of all sorts Of evil, and
!
| the weakness of orr nature, He said it wa
| difficult for u rich mnn to enter tho king
/ dom of heaven; and the truth of thes
things Is confirmed unto us by the univer
| sal experience and observation.
Jesus Christ, NJ whom the church is thu
! authorized exponent, was laboring maj
who earned his maintenance In tho swea
Of His face. Unless the church be falls
/ to the history, tradition, teaching, example
principles and spirit Of the Man OF NaZar
! eth Il can not take sides against nor refus
| its sympathy 10, the lahorer; to charge sucl
n course Is to defnme the church Whoeve
fnrthers such charge is either a wilful G
an ignorant dCfamer Of the church who's
real founder was the Artisan Of Nazareth,
In the second place the Christian churcl
i am spending now of the whole churc
| of Christ, for only IN this sense can tn
phrase have any proper meningitis yer
largely made up of labor!ng people Tn
vast majority of the constituents of ever
denomination. with n single possible eSceI
tion. aud that n comparatively small dc
nomination. II composed of men and wome
who earn their bread by the sweat OF thei
brow
To assert that the church IA out Of SYN
rntly with and antaGonlstlc N tho intcrcs
of labor Is to assert that the Chrlstnl
masses Of iaborinp people who can Great
and dominate sentiment IN the church, n
either imbecilo or traltorous. For onl
In one on tho other of these WAYS coul
! the church, largely composed of lnhorer
| be false to and out of sympathy With III
, lahoreIs.
There may he individuals who are oppose
/ to the interest and just demands of lnb'
and who by reason OF their power contr
some Individual local church and force TIN
church to slda openly or secretly with cap
tai in all contests with labor. And thel
/ may he laborers blind enough to oppo'
/ every demand OF everybody but themselye
) who would even hovcott n Sunday scho
! and force the resignation OF a Sunds
, school superintendent who happened TO
n 'uonunion" man MS was reported In q
q news columns Of one of our afternoon p
Q pers nhout ten days ago, But these are Q
q ccptlonal and extreme examples. They g
NOT representative OF the whole constit
a ency OF the church. which is made IN
q the neonle who, on the farm. In nc $40
= on the 1ail. and elsewhere, labor with the
- ! hruds 10 chArge th1 cr'n"h. thN' ~
! mittedly constituted, with being, as an {
: .anism, ont of sympathy with labor ~
4 partial n IT'S economic antagon'st, cRplt'
!. ! Is euulyalent to the assertion that the "
, GRIN, neoplo nre too lruhecile to create 7
y sentiment OF the church. or are raise
!. iheir own interest or are selhlsh enou
10 sell out to the enemy.
9 SYMPATHY WITH THE oPPRESsE
!. Nc. the truth Is, the church, as who
>. fnvors righteousness in all classes, and :.
g tice mixed with mercy 10 everybody
Z sympathy Is with the oppressed and
n resentment is against tho oppressor, Wit
o out regard 70 their riches.
:; In the third place, when we come hol