The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-25
LABOR AND THE CHURCH.
LABOR COMMISSIONERS WILLIAMS
GIVES HIS VIEWS.
Paper Read Before Mems Club of Port
land Avenue Church Of Christ Gives
Hard Knocks to Modern Christians as
Laborers Regard Them-Some of the
Points. Il

Labor Commissioner w. H.. Williams
read a paper last Wednesday evening
at the 5 banquet at the Portland
Avenue CHURCH Of Christ, upon invita-.
tion of the Men s club. His topic was
I.The Church and the Laboring Man, y
and the paper excited general interest
and was well received. Coming from
the labor commissioner of the state of
Minnesota, himself member of the
rank and file. of organized toilers, the
paper may prove interesting as show
ing just why the churches and the
working people are not more. closely
allied. Some Of the points made are
new, and the whole article is notable
Tor Its frank and plain statements.
Some Of the Points.
Excerpts from the paper follow:
1.-The reasons which operate to keep
Che laborlng men from occupying seats
in the churches of the land can be
found in the organizations themselves.
The churches no longer preach the doc
the disciples of the true faith are not
now made up Of fishermen, shepherds
and carpenters. The doctrines ex-
pounded have changed no more than
have the character of those who are
supporters of the latter day doctrines.
Under present conditions the laboring
man does not feel at home in the
church.
Christ Socialist.
"The SNUG pewowner who grinds the
faces of the poor during the week and
kneels at the altar on the Sabbath
tinds no place in Christ s plan of saliva
ton. Nor do the ministers preach the
doctrines of their master. It is need
less for one to ask you what would
happen to the man who stood in Min
neapolis pulpit, and advised, demanded,
that they divide their goods among the
poor, and devote their lives to good
works. He Wouldn It last month, and
another would occupy his place.
,'Christ was a practical socialist, but
nineteen centuries have so modified his
teachings that the poor and lowly are
now scourged from the temples, while
the money changers reign supreme. In
fact, the laboring man does not feel at
home in the church; the surroundings
are not congenial. Socially he is made
to feel that he is an inferior being and
the, pharisaic air Of spiritual superior
ity which .greets him freezes him to the
marrow. Why should he care to visit a
place where he is received with cold
liberation or oppressive condescension;
where he is welcomed not as man and
a brother, but as a being Of lower intel
Igence, whose welfare must be consid-
cred to some extent for the good of
society? Tt is not a situation which
appeals to him.
Workers at Church.
You say the picture is overdrawn.
60 to the laborer and send him to any
of the great churches in this city, then
note the reception he receives from the
ushers who meet him at the door. just
note of he is drawn up the center aisle
and given, the seat of honor, or if he is
will be found for him later. . In nine
cases out of ten he will receive the
latter treatment and be permitted to
stand and watch the wealth and fashion
and solid responsibility of the city
sweep by him and settle down in solid
comfort as if at home.
Preaching Is Strange.
"And when he has been given a
place in some obscure corner he listens
to doctrines foreign to him. He hears
creeds and formulas, platitudes and gen
erallties, but the Sermon on the Mount
is forgotten. He cannot by the widest
stretch Of his imagination be made to
believe that this is the gospel of the
Nazarene who gathered about him the
poor the halt, the lame and the blind
He feels that it is all hollow mockery;
that these Snug Sunday Christians have
no sympathy in the thought of relig-
ion which would fill his needs They
pay their pew rentals, their minister s.
salary, and demand for their money
something soothing to their feelings
Can you wonder, can anyone won
der-that in these times when gigantic
80 4o1
troll of the natural wealth Of the coun-
try;, when production is regulated by
trusts, when wealth as a solid phalanx
is arrayed against labor, determined to
disorganize and subdue it, that the labor
ing man believes that he who is not for
him is against him, and that he does
not class the church and its influence
not be, for the reason that the stream
cannot rise above it's source. The sem
timent of the congregation, Of the
sanity, dominates. Is he too severeY
Who was referred to by Christ and Paul
in: the following: 'Woe unto you
scribes,. Pharisees, ,hypocrites7' Who
are tinkling brass and sounding Gym
b ba Who were whited sepulchres in
Christ's day9 Who are they today9 49,
"Now, I do not wish to be under
stood as entering into a specific de-
nunciation Of all churches; my remarks
are ar, intended for general application
There are in every church organization,
good men and true, who follow as
nearly as possible in the footsteps of
their Master. complain of the fact
that in the church as in the market,
money dominates. I do not believe this
Is denied, at least the laboring man
firmly believes that it does. He needs
all the. teachings of Christ for his
guidance, and all the sympathy Of
all his followers. But to get him you
must 60 out into the highways and
compel him to come in. Is he worth
going after9
".Jesus found Peter, the rock upon
which he built his church, against
which the gates Of hell could not pre-
vail. among this class. Every disciple
OF the Nazarene was a toiler. When
the scale fell from Paul's eyes and
Jesus spoke to him on Damascus road,
Paul turned craftsman 1aborer. I bid
the church Godspeed, and point. it to
the laborers, where Jesus found his true
friends and disciples.,,'
All Souls Universalist.