Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-09-18
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMA0E, DID,.
Pastor of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

10 both parties in the unhappy labor
struggle In the mining regions Is Of
fered by Rev Frank De Witt Talmage
in this sermon on the text Luke X, q,
Thou shalt love thy neghbor as thy
self"
A startling telegram was lying upon
my desk rs ! sat down to write this
sermon. It was direct information,
sent to one Of the Chicngo newspapers.
and 1t read Fifty thousand employees
of Pittsburg's mills and factories face
loss Of work through n famine in fuel
as a result OF the prolonged miners
strike. Coal and coke stacks are near
ly exhausted. It is asserted that some
of the largest plants will be forced to
close in a 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 Shckshinny, which is situated in
the heart of the coal region, told me
that there the men and the women
and the children were practically starry
ing. Even the dogs. gaunt and bag
gard. were running through the streets
like furnished wolves. More serious to
the national welfare Is it to think that
hundreds of thousands and even mil
lions of men, women and children all
over the east are being indirectly af-
fected on account of this miners strike
in addition to those who directly earn
their daily wages in the mines.
the Penns ylvnnia strike Of 1902 are no
worse than the Pullman strifo of 1894.
when the troops had TO ho ordered out
and the fire bells ceased ringing lest
they should summon together a crowd
of starving men and women. Then
President Cleveland sent the United
States troops to clear tho tracks for
the mails. and the eating guns were
numbered and made ready to shoot
to KILL The present disturbance is
no worse than the famous Homestead
strike Of 1892. when the Pinkerton men
guarded the works night and day and
when H. G. Prick. the superintendent,
was nearly murdered, and the strik,
OF this year and those OF 1894 and 1892
are as mere baCatcleS compared to
the awful railroad strike of 1878, when
every great city-north, cast and west
was terrorizod ana when human
blood was being daily shed.
Capital md Labor.
The troubles between capital and la
Dor on account of the strike are no
worse here than In foreign lands.
John Burns, the labor leader and
member of the present British par1ia-
mcnt. told me that during the famous
London dock strikes of a few years ago
the men under his leadership were so
pressed by hunger that at times they
became almost uncomfortable. 1t was
only by the most level headed leader
ship that anarchy and riot were avert
ed. one day he saw Il largo crowd OF
strikers assembled together. There
were murmurings and curses uttered
upon every side He heard an anarch-
ISL IN nearby wagon pleading with
the strikers to end their hunger by the
torch and the murderer's weapon Then
John Burns the labor leader, cried out
In loud voice. stand back. men,
Stand back and let me passw The
men stood back. John Burns passed
through the opened lines until he came
TO the wagon and climbed up. Then
he turned and said: "Men, you know l
am your friend. You know my wife
ana children and myself are suffering
hardship, just as you are. But, men,
II you will hold out little longer in
TINS strike you will surely win-not,
however in the way my anarchlstlc
friend wants you TO hold out. He says
Tor you to use the anarchists torch
and the murderer's dagger; he says to
use that means which will surely tie
the hangman's moose about YOUR nccl,
and turn the artllleryman's guns upon
your homes. Is he willing to do what
he wants US to do?" With that John
burns took daily newspaper out of
his pocket, twisted it up rs n torch,
struck match and lighted It. Then
he turned to the anarchist and said,
Now, friend, take that torch and burn
yonder building If you dare" The
mans face became as white as death.
Then" said John Burns, 81 lifted my
hst and knocked him down rs a butch
Pr might fell an OK With my foot |
thrust him out of that wagon as thou.h
he were mad dog, frothng at the
mouth, trying to bite my heel
Strikes among the brcklayers, 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 Nre 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 selfishly erred and sin
he'd. Ny object Is also to show that II
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 indiyid-
ual prosperity, both financial and spir-
ltual, would result such as the world
has never seen.
Changed Social Conditions.
Capital has slnned 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
In olden times the employer associated
with his employees. The small factory
tpuua NJ ENGLAND manly oluavc ha