Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-02-13
STRIKERS AND MINISTER'S.

The striking typesetters In Now York
some time ago invited Methodist minis
tiers to a conference for the purpose OF
discussing the question. What should be
the attitude Of the Christian clergy to-
ward organized labor The Methodist
ministers were interested In this mat
ter, because some OF the typesetters OF
the Methodist Book Concern are MEM
bers OF the union The ministers urgef
that the Book Concern Is a charitable
institution. because the profits were de-
voted to the support Of aged and In
firm minister's and should, therefore,
not be treated as an ordinary business
enterprise.
This view of il is significant enough
because OF the loud cutlery against
mixing business and religion; but still
more significant Is the fact that the
aborers found IL necessary to appeal
to the representatives Of a church, 60
take some action ON account OF the
strike. II proves the imposslbillty OF
keeping religious organizations from
contact with secular concerns. The
Methodists, like every other ecclesiastl-
cal body, constantly Is confronted by
questions OF secular nature, which Il
must answer. II encounters an obll-
CATION impossible to avoid, 10 take up
and grapple with social problems-pro-
blems on which men and women today
are vitality interested. Churches cam
not stand aloof and sing of heaven, un-
concerned about the struggles OF the
many children OF the Eternal Father
whose lot upon the earth Is hard, al
most TO the utmost power OF endurance.
Critics of the Lstter.day Saints gem
orally forget this. IN their anxiety to
make point against the Church. They
forget that the Saints. from the begin
ming, were "empire-buiders" When
they came to the valleys OF the noun
taius, they were under the necessity of
taking hold Of everything that goes to
the building up of society To them
everything became religious duty. To
plow the ground. build roads, plant
| trees, was as much religion az 10 pray
| and preach, The performance OF civil
duties became part OF their divine SER
vice, because their desire was TO see
righteousness and justice prevail every
where
They did not believe in a religion
which could be laid aside when the
AZ d.,ll
II was. OF necessity a religion they
could take with them IN the fell and
the canyon the workshop and the Of
Ace. IN fact everywhere.
And yet, they never for a moment
permitted the Church to encroaoh up
Oh the domain OF the state. Their POSI-
ton was that defined a short time ago
by Bishop Lawrence In sermon upon
the text For we are workers together
with Cod" preached at Appleton
chapel, Harvard University. He con-
sidered the different tendencies of to-
day. which seem to be toward the Wild
ening OF the gulf between the rich and
the poor Then he said:
''ro me there ia only one motive that
will enable shop workers 20 hold up
| their character while doing their work;
| that Is the sense that each and all OF
| them are doing their share toward
building up the great national fabric
| OF which they are "A part. The coming
| OF the kingdom OF God is not what IL
| mystical or heavenly, but what Is near
| and real. Gods kingdom Is society.
| Gods kingdom cannot come so long
| a. part of society Is working In sullen
stolIdity as are some of the workipg
| people today"
That is, ana has always been, the
view Of the Latter-day Saints upon
| the question of the relations between
the temporal and the spiritual. II Is the
view OF all who understand the Scrip
ture teaching concerning the kingdom
| OF God.