Evening journal., 1908-09-07

REV. DIR. FRESSLY
UPHOLDS LABOR
Pleads for Closer Sympathy
Between the Rich and
Poor

Because today is Labor Day. the Rev.
DR. Mason w. Presley. occupying the
pulpit Of the First Presbyterian Church.
thought 1t appropriate to preach a La
Dor Day sermon yesterday morning
which was well received by a large audi
ence. The sermon was in line with the
number Of very strong sermons that have
been preached by DR.. Pressiy during his
occupancy Of First Church pulpit. He
upheld organized labor and declared that
Il should be protected by the govern
ment. In pleading for a closer sympathy
between the rich and the poor he
eulogized the members of the DUPONT
family as "a family OF useful and capable
men and workers for tho common good.
He expressed no fear of paternalism In
part he said:
"The government should legislate and
protect organized labor as IL has leg
islated and protected. organized capital;
then we would be approaching our duty.
We would like to see a protective prem
ium paid TO the men and women who
are putting their brain and Drawn and
blood into our manufactured products,
just as there has been a protective tariff
put upon the capital invested in these
Industries. Whatever Of advantage to
the working man good wages under a
protective tariff may bring, are dis
counted by the increased cost Of liv-
ing All incomes. whether earned or un-
earned, should be taxed under gfadu-
ated scale. so that some Of what "a rich
man has may go to him who hath not.
It's "A sting TO the honest working man,
who Is patiently bearing his part OF the
burden of life to be frowned upon by the
idle rich man, who passes him by in his
automobile, spending a fortune, he has
never worked a lick TO earn.
Henry DUPONT gave TO this commun-
ity "a splendid example. when in his
charity for men out of work he bought
farm after farm, and sent these men out
to them to build stone fences out of the
stones scattered over the fields, and one
OF the conspicuous traits Of this remark
able family is that so many of their
young men go into the powder works and
learn to work. IL has made them,
though wealthy. practical helpful men,
and much respected at home where they
live. / say. it's wholesome example
and ] believe there is a growing sense,of
our wealthy men 10 be helpful to the
working people; and it is invariably true
where those men know how to work
themselves. think our government
ought to come into heartier co-opera-
tion with labor. our Bureau of Labor
should grow into such proportions Of d.
rect help to our working people. as has
our protective tariff becomes to invested
capital. That the government feels "A re-
sponsiblity i'm this direction is seen In ita
interest in the Employers Liability bin
and other like measures. That the gov
ernment has the ability is seen i'm its
splendid organization and aternal care
OF Cuba and the Philippines, and by its
marvellous reconstruction of the Panama
Canal zone.
There is scarcely any detail Of a lazy
and improvident life I'm these cases, that
our government has not met and mas
tered with singular success. All phases
of labor, of sanitation home-madng,
building. storc-keepng, farming and In
dustrial enterprise have been treated
and settled In manner that amazes the
worldl The same thing could be done
for tho poor working people at home
and for the idle and incompetent rich,
too Our Christianity furnishes the
motive. let the government furnish the
methods and the money. Let her take
hold Of poverty. idleness. shifuessness,
vagrancy. and non-support, and organize
them into system and science.
That's paternalism, you say2 Wen,
some OF # viii do good 10 some people.
All OF as have to be fathered and moth
cred. too. and it will not seem patroniz-
ing TO do this. II will be patriotic. lg-
>norance and incompetence and idleness
can be trained Skill and thrift can be
rewarded. And our working people IN
shops and mills. need it as much as the
l farmers Let protection, prosperity and
progress be assured not alone TO our
American manufactured products, but
lalso the labor that makes them. / speak
as practical churchman. Christianity
Is nothing II not practical. Christ was
a carpenter. and He is everywhere the
friend Of the working man, and, also, OF
/ the richi for He was rich and Of His
own free will, became poor, that all alike
may be rich. I plead, therefore. for al
OF us, alike. may labor in His name, and
make very real In all the world. Hi'
lnimitable spirit and His illustrious ex
ample"