The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-03-28

Gospel is seen wherever men are
moved and inspired to take thought
for others and to labor for the COM
mon welfare.
the spirit of Jesus will not seek to
employ the arm of government in
compelling men to believe any kind
OF doctrines. Neither will the man
who believes in the power of truth
denounce and despise the men who
may not agree with him in all things.
These things belong to the inner
realm of conscience and motive, and
with these the state has nothing to
do. But with social conditions, with
conduct that is injurious to others,
with evil systems and demoralizing
institutions, the state has everything
to do And it is in the effort to i'm
prove social conditions, to take up
stumbling blocks, to make it possible
for every child to grow up straight
and tail, and to have justice done in
the world that the Christian must
prove the reality of his faith and love.
Two or three applications of our prin-
ciple is all that space permits.
Suppose one part of the community,
that is intelligent and understands
the laws of health, is seeking to make
is possible for all men to live in health
and security. But suppose that an
other part of the community, that is
ignorant of the laws of health and
| cares little for the common safety,
insists on throwing their Stops in the
street after the good old troglodyte
fashion. Must the Intelligent part
OF the community watch their chill.
dren sicken and die with fever till
the ignorant and stubborn part of the
community have become Christians ?
II they are sensible will they not or.
| ganize a Board of Health and either
compel the other fellows to leave the
community or have some regard for
| the health of others?
| Suppose few corporation mana
| gers without soul and conscience EN-
| ploy little children in their mills and
mines in the most demoralizing con
| ditions and at starvation wages? And
suppose the employment of such chill
dren is found to be utterly demoraliz
| ing in that it is depriving them of ar
| education, is undermining their con
stitution and is uniting them fo1
] IN ir %ho =
low this evil of child labor to 80 or
unchecked till we have created sou
In the mill owners and have developed
in them trace of conscience? Mr.
Maupin, will you not agree with me
that the most Christian and most sen
slble thing we can do is to pass {
good strong law which shall prohibi
the employment of little children il
mines and factories and shall punish
most severely the mill owners wht
grow fat out of the i'll paid labor O
children?
i Suppose we find that few corpora
ton managers, men without con
science, but with unlimited capital
are forming great combinations t,
beat down competition, to corner tn,
necessaries of life, to fix the prices o
commodities, to compel every man i,
the same line Of trade to Join the com
b1nation or go to the wall. and to b.
trade buccaneers and commercial
pirates. And suppose it should appea
that in such an order of things tn,
!, individual trader has no chance i,
life, and is fast being reduced to tn
condition of a serf and underline
! Now, must we wait till our Rockefel
!, lers an Posts have come to under
!, stand the whole Gospel of Christ an,
!, nave learned to apply the truth t.
t every detail of their commercial life
VIII you not agree with me that tn
} most sensible and Christian thing t
do is to enact good straightforward
I laws which shall make it impossible
for men to play the part of CONNER
: cial pirates and prosper and groy
z rich?
| Suppose, once more, it should b
/
a certain road-from Jerusalem t
Jerico-and are in the habit of roll
, bling and half killing all traveller
t who pass that way What shall W
5 do under the circumstances? Shal
l We build hospital along that roa
: to care for these robbed and wounde
2 unfortunates? Shall we maintain tina
5 hospital till we have sent mission
aries to these robbers and they ar
all converted? Will you not agre
? with me that the wise and Christina
l thing to do is to call upon the Jeruss
+ lem police to clean out that nest I
: robbers and to make that road SAT
: for every child who may pass tina
: way? Is not that a pretty sensibl