Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-05-10
Communicated.
THE CHURCH'S DUTY TOWARD
SOCIALISM.

The following Is an outline Of the
address delivered at the meeting re-
Gently held here in the interest Of
Socialism
There are two great worid-move-
menEs which are nov stirring mems
souls with noble purpose one Is
the effort 10 promote International
Peace by means Of compulsory arbitrn
ton. the other. 10 realize Industrial
Peace through Socialism
Al FIRST sight, both Of these move
ments seem to borrow their best mo-
tiyes from Christianity, and yet,
strange to say. the Christian church is
not conspicuonsly in the lead; other
forces and other agencies are urging
these enterprises, while the church is
busted with technical matters She
needs larger vision of the sign Of
the times
Lacking the church s direct encour-
agement as a stimulus. these peace
movements are actuated chiefly by
humanitarian. or at least economic,
motives. Men are beginning To meas
ure the enormous waste OF life and
property in both war and Industrial
struggles: they are actually being
driven toward brotherhood in sheer
self-defense.
Wonld.-ft not be far better for the
church TO take the lead, organize and
systematize these movements upon
spiritual grounds, and thus TO con-
duct humanity to the grand consum-
nation OF true Christian brother
hoodg 1t is clearly her mission not
only TO save souls, but society at
large. Her pulpits and her councils
should ring with appeals to nations
and to men, TO stop wars and envious
competition, and 10 adopt co-opera-
zion in all things.
The church must speak with no
uncertain sound against everything
which is evil. War being easily rec
ognized as vicious, the pulpits can
safely denounce ii. But industrial
war, in the smoke of which we are all
now struggling, is not so clearly
reprehensible, and so the man who
dares denonnce it is often viewed
with suspicion il not alarm. Yet i'm
dustrial war, or competition, is not
only as cruel in effect as international
bloodshed. but is often its cause.
The bloody Russo-Japanese war had
its origin in the exploitation of Man
churia by Russian capitalists.
Let us then put check upon capt.
tai ~ is the almost universal cry.
Yes, but how? The imperfect attempts
to control or restrain it are little bet
ter than patchwork, which method of
reform Christ positively condemns
when the body polite needs an en-
tirely new garment That such is the
present condition we shall endeay0r
to prove by arraigning the competitive
system as incurably vicious upon the
following seven charges:
First-It is extremely wasteful.
Enough money is squandered upon
superluous advertising alone in this
country to support one million fami
lies.
Second-It is unjust, in the distri-
button of Gods abundant gifts. Our
commercial life left to individual
caprice and selfishness is marred by
mismanagement and monopoly, pro-
ducing both extreme poverty and
swollen fortunes. A system creating
such conditions is little better than
thinly-disguised anarchy.
Third-It is cruel. Competition
drives well-meaning employers to
unpleasant necessities. They must
stoop to conquer in this Industrial
Slfilc, NHQ 81, lOI tuChp
labor, they employ little children and
weak women where only strong men
should serve; $50, 900 children be-
tween ten and fifteen years of age are
employed i'm mines, factories and
sweat shops; 5000, 600 other children
are said to go hungry to school be-
cause their parents neglect them to
rush off to early work. A pale and
sickly race of factory hands is the
CHASTITY witness against the operations
of greedy competition.
Four-Again, political corruption is
product of our mad competitive
system. Who can now trust the aver
age politician? Men scramble for
office, immodestly announcing their
own candidacy; when elected they
often seek by graft to reimburse their
pockets which have been depleted by
campaign expenses (vote buying, etc. }
The mercenary character OF our legis-
latures is shocking, and yet the evil
has become so common as no longer
to excite surprise. Witness the shame
full revelations of fraud and graft in
the building OF the Harrisburg, Pa. !,
capitol. Well does John Ruskin COM
ment: "If you examine into the his
tory of rogues you will find they are
as truly manufactured articles-a as any
thing else, and it is just because our
present system of political economy
gives so large a stimulus to that man
ufacture that you may know it to be a
false one.
Fifth-There is q growing disregard
for Gods commandments, especially
the Fourth. Providence mercifully
provides for man and beast one day S
rest in every seven. Yet thousands
of men are deprived of this right.
Why? Because competition overrules
Divine law. The excuse is 1--WE can t
afford to give one day in seven,' or
1--WE haven't sufficient men, So
cialism offers the solution-a more
equitable division of labor.
Sixth--The ravages of the liquor
traffic are largely due to our money
grasping system. Saloons multiply
for filthy lucre's sake. Saloon keepers
generally have very little regard for
the characters and souls of their vic
tins. They are actually licensed TO
sell drinks. some of which are slow
poisons. And this is tolerated by a
Christian public us it nothing to
you.'' O Church of God, that 60, 600
of our fellow countrymen annually
drop into the drunkard' S grave?
Seventh-But this evil does not
stop here: it quick spreads into
foreign lards. Afto we have sent
brave and aggressi missionaries to
enlighten the heai en- there follows
A,.,o~soor sso;x fl5 yafion,, with sfc