The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-03
sTELzLE GIVES some
LABOR HALL STORIES
Teachings of Christ Comes Up
for Earnest Discussion in
Union Meeting.
Preacher -Machinists Writes
Interestingly of Many Sid
ed Labor Speeches.

Rev. Chas. stelzle, Labor Commits
sioner for the Presbyterian church. who
sends out weekly letter to the labor
press, this week dwells on an exper-
ience at a. recent meeting of a labor
union. He says:
whats the use Of talking about the
moral aspects Of the labor question %
indignantly demanded a socialist at a.
meeting which recently addressed
Don't You know that all sin is due
to poverty?' he continued is that So
I replied, '*then I suppose you would
say that all the capitalists are saints"
There were about dozen of them
cigar Understanding in the ante-room
for a special or der of business.
They were talking about various
phases Of the social question, when the
sargeant-at-arms remarked, with en-
phasis, "You fellows ought to study the
bible If you want to learn some of the
greatest truths ever given mankind.
Take such sayings of Pauls as Charity
begins at home,' and Know thyself,'
aren't they great?" The crowd took it
IN very solemnly as the learned brother
gave them a little sermon on the mas
terry of the latter text. But if there had
oeen a man In the bunch who had even
a Sunday school scholars training in
the scriptures. he might have made the
speaker feel like thirty cents, for neith-
er of his texts can be found anywhere
in the bible.
was not responsible for the dis
cussion, but after had finished my
ADDRESS the boys began telling me and
the rest of the crowd why they had CIV
en- up going to church. was naturally
very much interested in the reasons
presented, although there really wasn't
new thing said. Finally the business
agent Of" the Brewery Workers re-
marked with something of a blush
"Well, I suppose you have all told the
truth about yourselves, but I want to
say that I don't go to church any more
because I just plain .back-slid' And
his candid expression discounted sew
eral of the fancy little speeches of his
brothers. ,:---...,: - !
He was long-whtskered, loud mouth
ed, and he supported a. bad breath. He
happened to he pre1enta because 1t was
an open msstInE he found III
6 4
Ivics ii,l
He did say some fine 8 ab bout tho
beautiful spirit etus Christ ana he
very earnestly reminded us that he had
accepted the teachings Of Jesus as the
guiding principles Of 'ihs life. But in
the very next sentence he declared with
fury: If I had my. way would send
every capitalist to hell!" At the con-
clusion of this fiery speech q very mod
est workingman arose and quietly re-
marked: my brother, you had better
go home and learn your lesson over
again. You haven't quite caught the
spirit Of Jesus, if I know anything
about it, And there were others in
the crowd who agreed with the last
speaker.
A delegate was reported for this To-
CAL
"We initiated five candidates at our
| last meeting" he said, "and it re-
quired five different interpreters to OBJ
ligate them .
I wondered what kind of a PROPOSE
tion it must be to- get anything like
harmony in that labor union, even un-
der ordinary circumstances. 1 thought,
too, of the report of the United States
Labor Commissioner, in which he de-
clared that the labor union is doing
more to Americanize the foreigner than
any other institution in the country.