The independent., 1903-04-02
A LIVING WAGE
Rev. Herbert 8. Bigelow's Sermon on the
Parable of the Good Samaritan

va thC oOou
1--WE need a modern version of the
| parable of the good Samaritan" This
| was the contention of Herbert s. Bige-
low, pastor of the Vine Street Congre-
gational church, Cincinnati, O., in
preaching on the subject of "A Living
Wage" Continuing, the pastor said:
We do not mean that the parable Of
the Good Samaritan can be improved
upon. 1t is a priceless treasure, just
or substract word?
But we need to interpret this par
able in the light of the changed condi-
tions of modern life.
The teaching of the parable Is that
no religion Is genuine which does not
move men to compassion for the suf-
ferings of humanity.
Look at the priest and the Levitc.
What eounterfeits they were. In SIM
pie words that will never die we have
the hardness of these clerics con-
trasted with the warm-hearted Samari-
tan. What sharpens the contrast Is
the fact that the Samaritan was a
hereto. He was not Of the Orthodox
faith. His name was a reproach. So
much the worse for these teachers In
Israel that they should have been put
to shame by the humane acts of such
a man.
The moral is apparent 1t matters
not what religious label man may
| wear. Does his religion touch his
heart? Does it manifest itself in acts
of justice and love? That is the final
| test
Now apply the test to modern condi-
tions We would all be quite willing
| to go to the rescue Of man who had
fallen among thieves But we never
have a chance. That kind of suffer-
ing does not exist today. Most OF lis
never have had and never will have
such an experience as befell the
Samaritan on the Jericho road.
Men seldom fall victim to thieves
today. But they suffer in other ways.
| If we do not see to relieve such suf-
ferings as we find among us, we bear
witness that our religion is as heart
less as that of the priest and the
Levite.
Doubtless it was common thing In
that country for men to suffer vio
lence at the hands of lawless bands.
This would be good reason for using
that particular illustration
But If Jesus were TO repeat that
parable today, it is inconceivable that
he would use the same illustration.
He would select some common kind Of
suffering among us and he would de-
clare that if our religion did not
prompt us to go to the relief of that
suffering it would be worse than no
religion.
You see the man who fell among
thieves was the victim Of lawless
act. In our country the laws are fair
ly we'll enforced so that the victims
of lawless acts are very few. But
those among us who fall victim to
the cruel operation of unjust laws and
are thus despoiled by lawful acts, their
name is legion. To make the applica-
tion OF this parable to cur modern
life perfectly apparent we must sub
stitute, for the victim, man who is
robbed by due process Of law.
Unquestionably there are mnltitndes
who, although not robbed outright,
are, by due process of law, deprived
even of living wage, SO that they
suffer continually. The government
under which they live Is such that
they are virtually doomed to a life
of hard labor, for which they do not
receive enough to permit them to live
in bodily comfort or moral health.
What claims our sympathy today is
not an occasional victim of outlaws.
But there are millions of men and
women whose wages are so small and
whose work is so hard that their bod
les are broken, their minds darkened
and their spirits crushed. What about
these victims of social wrong? Are
you Indifferent to this, or does your
heart ache for a change that will
bring more abundant life to these
toiling millions? I take it that this
is the supreme test of the genulneness
of religion in our day.
But is this the condition of those
who labor SO hard after all? Have
we no. exaggerated the matter? lie.
us see.
The treasury department OF the fed
eral government recently made an in
vestigation into the wages received
by the factory workers of this coun.
try The investigation included 50O,-