The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-08-26
a SERMON FOR SUNDAY
an ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
THE INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT"
The Rev. Jonn ID. Long Gives Some
Wholesome Advice About Present.
Day ProbIOms-Tbe Causes of Dis
cnnto n md Tho Ea1nahins-


BABYLON, J.. lin the old First Pres
byterian Church here, Sunday morning,
the Rev. John ID. Long, pastor. preached
on "The Industrial Conflict" the text
Vas from Eccesiastes ii:22: 'What hath
a man for all his labor?" Mr.. Long said:
The writer of this text was asking as to
the rewards OF life Let US accommodate
it to the conflict now waging between cap
ital and labor 1t is the old question of
the laborer and his hire. What are the
teachings of Holy Writ on .he question:.
Here, as elsewhere, we believe that the
Gospel applies, for as Ruskin suggests, the
Gospel GEARS upon life at every point, and
is either good for everything or good for
nothing.
Civilization is based upon labor human,
animal, mechanical What we call capital
Is at bottom only accumulated labor The
Hay laborer lays brick in a wall; that 10
labor. He saves up part of his wage,
hnd that becomes capital. Mechanical la
Dor, by which most of the worlds work is
pow done, is human labor invested in ma
thinery, and working through the same.
OF course, money or capital is secured
bot only through saving and invention,
but In many other ways; yet human effort
is back of it all, and it becomes sort of
call loan upon the bank of labor. Was it
not Emerson who said, HE that hath a
dollar is master of all to the extent of that
dollar"
Vast fortunes have been piled up by
those VINO have invented machines by
which mechanism may take the place of
human hands Thus the inventor is en-
obied to draw thu wages OF thousands. We
all know how largely the machine has SUI
persedcd the naked hand in the manufac-
ture Of thousand ard one articles of
daily use. Take, for example, pins and
needles and nails
To be sure, many great fortunes have
been made by other means than by ma
chinery, but in the main the wealth of
modern times is founded upon mechanical
labor.
Before asking what the letter or spirit Of
the Bible teaches on the labor question, let
US face the situation of to-day. Organized
labor and capital are in conflict. There
are strikes. and rumors of strikes. Each
strike is battle in the war.
1t may be well to observe that organized
labor has as yet only fraction of the total
labor army, but it is fraction that is in
creasing.
Why this warfare? Bee ause labor on the
one hand is dissatisfied with its share of
the rewards of industry, and because, on
the other, capital constantly seeks to re-
duce, the cost Of production by opposing
Lue ueIndnuS OF laDOr.
Other factors, however, enter into the
situation. One arises from the develop
ment of the modern corporation Wheth-
er corporations have souls or not, they lack
in large measure the element of personality
and the personal touch Men who work
for corporation are working in the main
for an unknown entity. Now, we remem-
Der that among the old time Romans the
word for stranger was also the word for
enemy.
Further, there has been much dishonesty
in corporate dealings. Take such things as
the corrupt purchase of public franchises
below value, the increase in cost of certain
necessities of life by reason of unjust COM
blnatlons to keep up prices. These and
other similar crimes against the commu-
nifty have done much to infame not only
labor, but the general public against CAPT
tai.
Also, the rising standard of life, by which
the living wage gets further and further
from the meagre pittance that would SUI
flee to support the frugal China man, leads
the, laborer to constantly demand a more
and more generous wage.
Still other grounds Of hostility might be
referred to, such as the natural, though
sinful, envy Of the rich by the poor; the
ostentatious luxury of the rich the growth
of class distinctions between the poor and
the rich and the inequality of pecuniary
rewards. The men who discovered the
priceless boon of anesthesia-who found,
that surgery might be rendered painless by
the use OF such agents as chloroform and
ether-gained but little money from their
discoveries, They doubtless might have
traded on the worlds fear of pain, and by
using the patent laws and secrecy secured
wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, but
to their honor they did not On the other
hand, the men who introduced such i'm
proved and cheapened methods as the Bes.
semer process Of producing steel gained
money by the hundred millions. 50 peo-
pie are tempted to ask, Have not some
men been rather selfish, to say the least,
IN the acquisition of their wealth? And
may they not have obtained a little more
than their share"
Before we go further let us ask what is
to be the probable outcome of the war be-
tween labor and capital? Is it an irrepres-
sible conflict, or can the opposing interests
be -econciled? The answer is already be,
ing given. Take such situation as may
now be seen in the coal trade OF Chicago.
After bitter fighting the dealers and the
transfers have come together TO nonopo-
lie the coal trade OF the city and keep out
all competition. Wages and profits have
been put up at the expense OF the outside
public. This is likely TO 60 on more and
more.
The ultimate outcome, unless the tend.
ency Is checked, will be organization all
along the line until we have collactIvism-a
vast organized machine, in which men viii
be cogs and individual initiative and per-
so!nallty WIN be restricted TO an extent that
VIII largely arrest the progress of civiliza.
ton.
But let US take>a breath and turn to the
Bible. What are the teachings of the Bible
in regard to labor and wealth? The Old
Testament is plainly anti-capitalistic. In
proof of this you have but to read the laws
regarding capital in the Book of Leviticus
laws that, il enforced, would compel
plain living as surely as the iron coin of
Sparta. Hear what was laid down there.