The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-09-17
MINISTER'S AND SOCIALISM.

sued by the ministers socialist con-
ference" mention of which was made
in press dispatch.
1t is remarkable not only because
1t bears the signature of more than
/ GO ministers OF practically every
denomination represented In the Uni
ted States and Canada. but also for
its peculiar wording. which is as fol-
lows:
Brethren: We who are ministers
to congregations OF various denomi-
nations hereby declare our adher-
ence to the object of the Ministers
Social Conference, which Is;
L. To permeate churches, denomi1
nations and other religious institu-
tons with the social message OF the
bible; to show that socialism is the
economic expression of the religious
life; to end the class struggle by es-
tablishms industrial democracy, and
! t. -nasi;af tnu' taigE' ar'iastfca -sz.1.s
brotherhood upon earth.
.. We believe that the economic
teachings OF the scriptures would
find It's fulfillment in the cooperative
comm6nweafth az modtftf' socialism,
8. We believe that the present So
ear systefn, tdsSs,7 as IL Is ape! the
sin of covetousness makes the ethi-
cal life as inculcated by religion i'm
,1.AcSSt.ss~, -sass. ssas.a!5s .yA.s ~ IS g
to a social system founded on the
golden rule" and the royal law"
OF the kingdom or God ,"Tnou shalt
love thy neighl,or rs Ms self which,
realized under the co-upefatlre COM
monwealth of socialism, will create
an environment favorable to the
practice of religious life.
A. We accordingly urge with ut
most earnestness that all our breth-
rem in the ministry, and the people
in all churches search the scriptures
and study the philosophy OF social
ism, that they may see II our belief
be not indeed Gou's very truth.
Among the signers may be found
men now in charge of Presbyterian,
BAPTIST, Methodist, Christian, Epis-
copal, Unitarian and other congre-
cations, some OF whom occupy prom
inent positions. That such collec-
| ton of loose phrases and manifest
generalities should come from such
ing, says the Fort Worth Telegram
The second paragraph Of the
manifesto declares that the econom-
ic teaching of the scriptures would
find its fulfillment in the cooperative
commonwealth of modern socialism.
What kind of modern socialism
The Mark kind, or the Wells kind,
or the Debs kind, or the Sinclair va
riety? This Is not an idle question.
lThe.- casna! and Mnpreiudiced read
err seeking purely information on the
subject of socialism as 1t Is today in
terpreted will meet with diffused
thought rather than diffusion of
thought. Socialism has many teach
ers. To declare in favor of the COM
monwealth of modern socialism is no
more specific than to declare in IA
I vor OF the modern trei.I or thousfit
which is as variegated as the num-
beY Of modern thtnkers,s..
The third paragraph Of the mani
festo declares that the modern so
I cial system Is based On the sin oi
nervousness. This" ~ <" Attenuation
but It also lacks specific citation.
The words modern social sys-
ft.ui Die. iat1rer '0.ss1d.~' m ;i.-". "a =
rowest sense they apply TO the sys-
TEN under which various people oc-
cuny position In society Our modern
professional men, laborers and a
! vast number OF specialists In varioKs
lines. A few hundred years ago so
ciety was generally divided into two
classes, the cleric and the civil.
Each had It's degrees OF position,
ranging from lay brothers to cardin-
ais, In the one and from serfs to
mobiles in the other. Can tho change
| from that condition to the one un-
der which we are now living be at
tributable to the sin Of covetous-
ness? For a specific instance, would
| InlS country twenty-five y'aIs Aho
have been prepared for such a spec
tacle as that of William Jennings
Bryan, presidential candidate,
| summoning Samuel Gompers, head
of labor organization as a counsel
or In planning campaign Would
the country twenty-five years ago
have been prepared for such pho
ltograph as was taken In Washington
a few weeks ago at the conference
for the conservation of national re-
sources, In which James Hill, rail-
road magnate; Theodore Roosevelt
president OF the United States; An
drew Carnegie, philanthropist, and
John Mitchell, leader OF mine work
ers, were shown seated side by side
as equal contributors to the deliber-
atoms OF that important meeting
Doubtless some phases Of the mod
ern socialism system are based on
covetousness. but that Is not saying
the whole system Is so founded,