The independent., 1903-07-02

the Vine Street Congregational church
today.
Text: NWoe to him that increaseth
that which is not his. .''-Hab. 81.
The day is passed, said Mr.. Bigelow.
for swaying men by the citation OF
Scriptural authority. That is WeiL
Who does not know what confusion OF
thought and viciousness of conduct
have resulted from the practice of 81
lencing reason with Scripture texts?
Shakespeare never said a truer
thing than when he declared:
~ he Devil can cite Scripture for his
purics
Il reereant preachers wish to fur
nisn comfort to monopolists they Will
find as much Scripture for their pur-
pose as did the preachers who justified
from "Holy Writ that cruder form or
servitude called chattel slavery.
Even some of the reported sayings OF
Jesus are not incapable OF being
pressed into such a cause.
In Mathew 20:15 we read: Us 1t
not lawful for me to do what | will
With mine own?" This is the ultima
tum with which an employer rejected
a petition for higher wages. wonder
that the pulpit apologists for existing
wrongs have not made use of this
text. Mr.. Parry's sermons might all
be preached from it. The men who
have nothing to arbitrate" would ind
comfort in it.
There is another passage which
might give them some comfort pro-
vided they do not look too closely in
to it's meaning, and that is the par
able of the improbable servant. Here
we have the familiar picture OF a
shrewd and not over-scrupulous mo-
nopolist-one of those men who have
10 interest in any principle save the
principal which yields them interest.
Let the servant describe him.
Lord, / know thee that thou art a
hard man, reaping where thou didst
not SOW, and gathering where thou
didst not scatter. -
Of course this monopolist is not
commended in the parable. Neither is
he condemned. IL one were looking
for the Scriptural authority to reap
the fruits of other mems labor he
might easily persuade himself that
he found it here.
Then there is the famous reminder
that we have the poor always with us.
We know what valiant service that
text has done in the cause Of econ
omic slavery. Jesus might also have
said: "The slaves ye have always
with you He would have stated a
fact. And it would have been as
logical to discourage I'll attempts to
abolish chattel slavery because, for
scoth, slavery aIwG 5 had existed, as
to reconcile ourselves to poverty in
tho future because it has existed in
the past.
Even the best of our preachers have
not escaped the error of looking at
poverty as a blessing in disguise, when
they should see that it is the fruit OF
monopoly and the mark of slavery.
For example take these words of so
great and good man as Phillips
Brooks:
'T know how superficial and un-
feeling, how like mere mockery, words
in praise of poverty may seem but
I am sure that the poor mans dignity
and freedom, his self-respect and en-
ergy, depend upon his cordial knowl-
edge that his poverty is true region
and kind of life, with it's own chances
of character it's own springs of hap
piness and revelations of God. Let
him resist the characterlessness which
often comes with being poor. Let him
insist on respecting the condition
where he lives. Let him learn to love
it"
Reflect for a moment on the poor
mans dignity Enthuse if you can
over the poor mans freedom.
1t is evident that those who speak
thus do not know the meaning of that
dreadful word poverty"
The wages of one of the girls who
clerks in a certain dry goods store IS
six dollars a week. Out Of that she
paid four dollars and half for board.
Imagine the freedom" of paying for
clothes and dentists and doctors bills
and street car fares and summer vaca-
tions and insurance and savings ac-
count out of one dollar and half o
week! This girl is to be married. The
girls in the store have contributed out
of their scant wages to buy their sis
ter2worker clothes necessary for her