New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-30
CHURCH AND SOCIALISM
PREDICTS Il REVOLUTION.
Clergyman Says Christians Can't
Remain Silent.

The National Christian Socialist Conference be-
gan three-day session yesterday afternoon IN
the parish house building OF the Church of the
Ascension, Fifth avenue and 10th street
The Rev Charles P Fagnani professor In the
Union Theological Seminary and secretary OF the
Quill Club, who presided. said
The tie which binds this afternoon is love
for our fellow men. take II. We are here to
unite in discussion of conditions which exist which
we feel should not exist, and which we are here
to improve
He then introduced Rufus ". Weeks, who read
paper on What the Christian Socialists Stand
For"
I'VE do not believe in Christian socialism" he said
Properly there is such, for there can be no
more two kinds Of socialism than two kinds OF
free trade" Then he added that socialism was
politics. based economic principle. The
economic regeneration of the shall be dem
ocratc and not olisarchic. That is socialism.
said the speaker
Following Mr.. Weeks the Rev. A. W. Wilson.
pastor of the Congregational Church in Ridge
field N J., said among other things that ministers
where esrousing the Of socialism were either
attacked forced to give up their pulpts, and
that there was coming such revolution as would
wholly overturn the Christian church.
mo other class of men are 50 subject to attack
for their principles he continued. There is one
name this programme whose owner will not
be heard at this conference He intended to speak
The call went out him 1t has gone out TO
others-sience! He will not be here. Silence or
resign has been the command elsewhere. Men
have been asked to resign, have resigned, and Will
continue resign
When he had taken his seat. the chairman an
nounced that the Rev. DR.. E. A. WATSON. rector of
st. Stephens Episcopal Church, Newark, N. j.,
due to talk The Fellowship and the Socialist
Party una yoidably absent This announce
nent caused much speculation.
DR.. Wasson's place taken by Joseph Wan
hope a socialist orator after the Rev. Mr.. Wilson
had ended his speech, saying:
we are only touching the fringe OF the Christian
church, individual here and there. How many
churches could get preachers into in this city,?
We have twenty open pulpits said man
the platform.
Yes. twenty out of a thousand went on the
speaker. What are going to do? Go in and
make the preacher trouble What If we do? VIII
it not get him awakened and thinking, and then
get him to preaching his thoughts? The preachers
getting restless. and l sure there is gong
to be revolution. You can't transform the church
to views. 1t means an entire breaking up,
and the forming of a union church Of all bodies.
The people will not stand ecclesiastical mon
archy.
We socialists made the mistake Of confusing
religion and the church" said Mr. Wanhope land.
believing that the church but one OF the
buttresses of capitalism, threw out the whole
thing Religion has been used by capitalism for
its nefarous purposes. But because II mas
prostituted patriotism. made marriage largely
matter Of property, We don't propose to do away
with those things altogether Depend upon IL tnat
religion will not be wiped out by an economic
change. Your movement is verging toward ortho-
dox scientific socialism,.
]. Eads How. of st. Louis, a relative OF the great
bridge builder and heir much of his wealth, who
prefers the life of tramp, then took the PLATFORM.
Got any jobs for the preachers who are going to
lose them for espousng socialism, he was asked
Yes we'll find them he said. and then himself
asked question: Are you going to appeal 10
the proletariat the intellectuals?'
Both" said the crowd, with laugh.
Then, said How. let those appeals be made to
the proletarat and then come to U.s."
The Church and the Revolution the topic
discussed by the Rev. DR.. Eliot White. for nve
years secretary of the Diocese OF Western Massa-
chusetts. Mr.. White comes from Worcester, and
has found there good deal Of opposition to his
socalistic theories. He said:
We are going to have revolution and the
doubt is that it will come by peaceful methods .h.
movement will do so as 1t sweeps from east to
will be far keener alignment than-vell. / ex-
If you're not ready to experience blood wounds
There heresy trials in our churches i is
things about us and do nothing to remedy that
Now, 1 don't want to be grewsome. but sup;
pose in gathering of capitalistic men and
Were bronght IN Blood stained stretchers bearing
in heaps the shattered limbs and the frasmsnts
people would turn In horror from that scene
too all because there must be more and greater
dividends What could man say but to those
capitalistic men and women: Thou art the man;
And you know revolutions have never been par
the French Revolution: Fouon. the banker who
a that eat If M this ts to By
anything like that one was. there may come the
their burden of results. How can the Church be
still neutral? Christ never was
rich and the poor It is not It is a night be-
tween those who get and don't deserve, and those
V-h
Then the speaker drew number of contrasts
He used Harry K Thaw, with his income of $50 ooc
and his lawyers unable yet to find that he had
done anything earn it. and John D. Rockefeller.
with a 100000 year income, on the one side,
mentioning that the United States government
was the loser in the Standard Oil suit. having not
yet collected one cent of the s2s.oo6" fine but
having had to pay s79 50 expenses to Mr.. Rookie
Teller He continued:
That twenty millions is sort Of pension to
Rockefeller Now. up in my town of Worcester
Steel and wire Company. who is sixty-eight years
old, too old to get another JOB who WORKED
month or ss6 year.
ANY CHRISTIAN rH who does keep still is on the brink
of hell looking down. / can imagine that Paul
farmers farmers whom he awoke on his way to Lexington,
and some Of them rebuffed him :. and refused 10
they the who demanded the credit
At the night session the Rev. Stephen S. Wise
upheld President Roosevelt. saying the Socialists
had not understood the President and that the
latter was committed TO policy of social equity
and righteousness. Rabbi Wise also thought the
Christian Socialists had been unwise in their choice
of a name, as the designation had been taken
by a party in Austria and all German speaking
countries pledged to anti Semtism, thing both
unchristian and unsocial and had prostituted both
the terms of Socialism and Christianity. He con-
tinued:
he ma that ahoroiD arAs