The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-04
HITS SOCIALISM.
Rev. w. N. CleveIand's Sermon
to Labor.
Fears That Socialists Will Hurt
Church.
IS OUT OF HARMONY.
Charges That They Teach Class
Spirit.
Talks Of Grafters in Labor
Organizations.
) OUT OF HARMONY.

Before a congregation that filed the
church completely and which appeared
to be interested deeply in what they
heard, the Rev. Winfield NJ Cleveland
pastor of the Third Presbyterian church,
Branner and Fourth streets. preached a
sermon for laboring men at the services
yesterday morning. Mr.. Cleveland had
for his subject "The Brotherhood of
Man. and he took for his text some
verses from the eleventh chapter of ST.
Luke. Master what shall I do to in
herit eternal life? Love thy neighbor as
myself.
"By way of introduction said Mr.
cleveland, Il would like to say few
words relative to the relation of the
church to the great social problems of
the day When 1 speak of the church
have in mind more especially the
Presbyterian church. because 1 know
verify believe can be spoken of any Of
the other great church bodies.
THE church for which we speak has
from it's very inception stood by the
great body of the common people II
has always been recognized as friend
of every class 1t continues to stand as
an aid to all who are worthy. 1t is the
exponent of all that is good and true
and beneficent. 1t is decidedly in OPP
position to any method or plan that pro-
Gl,ces class distinction, or the protection
| by law of a favored few. Jesus Christ
was no respecter of persons. The Pres
byterian church when it lives up to its
declared principles will be found the
| friend of all.
AS proof 1 might cite you instances
to show that the men who have been
most prominent in the church nave
been those who have never recognized a
/ hon COY nj
decency and uprightness. You will find
the members of the church giving large
" of their means to homes, orphan asy-
lums, places of retreat and objects con-
tributing to the health. rest ana happl-
ness of less fortunate out JUST ds
worthy men.
again the church must be interested
intensely in the great problems OF the
laboring man, the wage Garner, the
very backbone of the land, because the
| greater majority of the members of
the church come from the laborlng
classes. Some of the leading men in
the Trades Unions of the country are
jealous officers in the church and one
of them recently said that never would
the labor problems be solved until the
principles taught by Jesus Christ and
the church We're applied TO human. So
ciety.' aAl ~
Mr.. Cleveland mentioned several
prominent labor men who were closely
identified with church work and said:
1.-THE fact that these and hundreds of
others l could mention are christian
men would indicate that the church
of Jesus Christ is not against the work
ingnen, else they would not be in the
church. They believe in the church
and that it is a real benefit to the Ia
boring man. The church has given
them characters that have made them
useful. In this manner at least the
workingmen are obligated to the
church, The Presbyterian church has
always recognized the problems of cap
ital and labor but not until recently
has the church organized a labor de-
partment and been wisely working to
bring to men the fact that the church
is friend and not an enemy; willing
aid and not an antagonist to the well
fare of the labor classes.
1.-The church realizes that Socialism
must be reckoned with-there are
nearly nine million Socialists in the
world. I know when Socialism is men,
toned all kinds of opinions are reach
ed, for we find all kinds of Socialists.
There are as many kinds almost as
there are men. l grant there is what
may be termed Christian Socialism?
A man may be a Socialist and a chris
tan. But what 1 mean today is that
the SOcialistic doctrine which is taught
becomes to thousands of workingmen
a substitute for the church. In sever
al American cities the Socialists hold
preaching services and Sunday schools
but they are conducted mostly by de-
posed or disconnected teachers. They
insist that Jesus Christ was Socialist
and that they represent his teaching
more nearly than does the church. The
very teaching of Christ as illustrated
in the parable of the Good Samaritan,
which illustrates fully the whole of the
gospel, this is set aside by the spirit
of class consciousness which they adj
vocate and this spirit develops the
spirit of class hatred. They are labor
ing under the delusion that sowing
seeds of hatred will bring a harvest
of love. Any organization or move
ment that teaches class spirit or class
hatred is clearly out of harmony with
the principle of this government. 1t
is wrong in tendency, wrong in action
and the church must be opposed to it.
This sort of Socialism every liberty
loving man and woman should antag-
onize- That the great body of Amer
lean laboring men are Socialists is not
true as has been recently stated. So
cialism as described is materialistic 1t
deSpises the church of our fathers and
mothers and declares that the church
is against all honest labor and in con-
junction with the greedy and rich.
There are many who really believe that
the church is the enemy of the masses
and that it is managed and supported
by the wealthy and yet a more false
conclusion could hardly be reached.
when a man carelessly drifts with
the crowd and ceases to think and med
itate for himself, no wonder he gets
queer notions. The trouble is that too
many let some irresponsible fellow.
who has conceited opinion OF himself.
do the thinking for them and they ac-
cept his conclusions as true without a
question. I prophesy that this sort of
thing is going out of fashion
'"The great labor organizations have
learned by sad experience that graf4el
have come up in their ranks; they have
found traitors among them as i'll the
other avenues of life; they have been
dictated to and bossed and often lei to
serious difficulties when had brains
been used wisdom would have saved
clashes, life, money and suffering
There is as noble a type of men at
the heads of labor organizations in this
country as in any other field of life
There are some who are not so. Per-
sonally, I believe in unions. In union