Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-09-19
TALMAGE'
SERMON
FRANK DE WITT rALMAcC. D.,
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago


struggle in the mining regions is Of
fered 10y Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage
in this sermon on the text Luke X, %,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
SELF
A startling telegram was lying upon
my desk rs L sat down TO write this
sermon. 1t was direct information,
sent to one of the Chicago newspapers,
and it read: Fifty thousand employees
of Pittsburg's mills and factories face
loss of work through famine in fuel
as a result OF the prolonged miners
strike. Coal and coke stacks are near
~ exhausted. 1t is asserted that some
OF the largest plants will be forced to
close in few days"
Terrible is the suffering which is be-
ing caused in the little towns and vii
lagos where the Pennsylvania miners
live. A lady who just left the village
of Shickshinny, which is situated in
the heart OF the coal region, told me
that there the men and the women
and the children were practically starv-
ing. Even the dogs, gaunt and bag
gard. were running through the streets
like famished wolves. More serious to
hundreds of thousands and even mil
lions of men, women and children ali
over the east are being indirectly az
fected on account of this miners strike
In addition to those who directly earn
their daily wages in the mines.
But the social disturbances attending
the Pennsylvania strike of 1902 are no
worse than the Pullman strike of 1894,
when the troops had to be ordered out
and the fire bells ceased ringing lest
they should summon together n crowd
of starving men and women. Then
President Cleveland sent the United
States troops to clear the tracks for
the mails, and the Calling guns were
unlimbered and made ready to "shoot
to kill" The present disturbance is
no worse than the famous Homestead
strike of 1892. when the Pinkertoh men
guarded the works night and day and
when H. G. Frick, the superintendent,
was nearly murdered, and the strike
of this year and those of 1891 and 1892
are rs mere bagatelles compared to
the awful railroad strike of 1873, when
every great city-north, east and west
was terrorized and when human
blood was being daily shed.
Capital and Labor.
The troubles between capital and.la-
Dor on account OF the strike are no
worse here than I'm foreign lands.
John Burns, She labor leader and n
member OF the present British parlia-
ment. told me that during the famous
London dock strikes of few years ago
II 10
pressed by hunger that at times they
became almost uncontrollable 1t was
only by the most level headed leader
ship that anarchy and riot were avert
ed One day he saw n large crowd Of
strikers assembled together. There
were murmurings and curses uttered
upon every side. He heard an anarch-
list IN nearby wagon pleading with
the strikers TO end their hunger by the
torch and the murderers weapon. Then
John Burns, the labor leader, cried out
IN loud voice: "Stand back, meni
stand back and let me passr' The
men stood back. John Burns passed
through the opened lines until he came
TO the wagon ana climbed up. Then
he turned and said: Men, you know /
and children and myself are suffering
hardship. just as you are, But, men,
II you will hold out a little longer In
this strike you will surely win-not,
however, in the way my anarchistic
friend wants you to hold out. He saws
tor you TO use the anarchists torch
ana the murderer's dagger; he SAYS to
use that means which will surely tie
She hangman's moose about your neck
and turn the artilleryman's guns upon
Your homes. Is he willing to do what
ne wants us to dof" With that John
Burns took n daily newspaper out OF
MS pocket. twisted 1t up as q torch,
struck match and lighted It. Then
ne turned to the anarchist and said.
Now, friend, take that torch and burn
yonder building if you dare" The
mans lace became as white as death.
Then" said John Burns. II lifted my
INST and knocked him down as n butch
er might fell an OK. With my foot 1
thrust him out of that wagon as though
ne were mad dog, frothlng ut the
mouth, trying to bite my heel.p
Strikes among the bricklayers, strikes
among the freight men, strikes among
the builders, strikes among the sewing
girls, strikes up and down this land in
every direction. Strikes In times of
financial prosperity. Strikes in times
OF panic. What are the causes OF all
these strikes? The object OF this SER
mon Is TO try to adduce some reasons
for the labor agitations, present and
past, and to show capital and labor
that each has selishly erred and sim
ned. My object is also to show that If
the employers, as well as the employees,
would equally live by the Golden Rule
and love their neighbors as themselves
an era of national as well as ipdivid-
uai prosperity, both financial and spir-
itual, would result such as the world
has never seen.
Changed Social Conditions
Capital has sinned and helped to
cause the present social agitation be-
cause 1T has ceased to make the la
borers' interest its own interest The
present social conditions prevailing be-
tween capital and labor could not have
existed fifty or hundred years ago.
In oiden times the employer associated
with his employees The small factory
sO"AS ~ EfhStAhu dce8ll llWAy UIu
the manufacturers homestead within
stones throw of the men and women
who worked in his factory. The result
was that If workman had sickness
In his family he could go to hrs en-
ployer and get financial help. If he
was in trouble and did not know what
TO do, he could go to his employer and
get advice. If he was an honest, ener-
getic employee, he could always feel
that his employers eye was upon him
and that ne would be deservedly re-
warded. And If he did wrong the
workman also knew that his employ
er's eye was upon him anu that he
would suffer accordingly. The result
was that the manufacturers mansion
md the mechanics cottage were in
such close touch that the owners look
ed upon each other as brothers and
members OF a large family, in which
the employer was the elder brother, OF
head OF the house.
Employer and employee in olden