The wageworker., 1909-10-02
Church and Labor
Have Work in Common

There may be many points of diff
ference between the Church and
Labor as to specific aims and meth
DDS, but there are enough points of
agreement and a sufficient number "a
fundamental principles for which.
both stand to warrant Church and
Labor in uniting for the purpose of
carrying out a common program
Church and Labor should be sym
pathetic one toward the other, first,
because of their common mistakes.
Both organizations have been con-
trolled by men and women who
were very human and therefore fa1-
liable. There are still occasions when
criticism one Of the other is justi-
| fable. But this criticism should be
/ sympathetic, because it will no doubt
be discovered that the critic has been
guilty of the same offense.
! Church and Labor may cooperate
| because they both believe in the sal
vation of society, although they may
not agree in every particular as to
| how this salvation is to be accom-
| plished. No one can successfully
| deny that the influence of the Church
has extended infinitely beyond the
comparatively narrow limits of it's
own institutions and organizations
A city without Church would pre-
sent hopeless situation. The un-
conscious influence of Christianity
| cannot be measured. The principles
of the Church have SO permeated So
ciety, that the great mass of men
have come to accept them as mat
| ter of course. But even more sig
nificant is the positive influence of
ineffective it may be in some re-
spects, the Church may well be proud
OF it's history in the matter of social
reform. The labor movement, if it
counts for anything at all, must be
considered as social movement. In
a very important sense, the individu-
al is absolutely lost in it. There
is no term that is more frequently
employed to express the significance
of the movement than .the solidar-
ity of the working class
Church and Labor may cooperate
because they both believe in the
emancipation of the individual. They
both demand that man shall rise
up and be counted as one. There
was a time, when nothing was quite
SO cheap as human life. Even today,
many large employers of labor con-
slider it cheaper to run the risk OF
killing their employees and paying
the slight indemnity than to go to
the expense of introducing safety ap-
pliances. Labor has long been fight
ing for the recognition of the value
of the individual human life. 1t has
insisted that a man is of more value
than machine. The ancient philos-
ophers declared that purchased
slave is better than hired one, and
in accordance with this principle,
they compelled half the world to live
behind prison bars. They insisted
that the workingman had no soul.
Then came Jesus Christ. He showed
the world how highly God values the
individual. And the Church has ever
since advocated this principle.
Church and Labor may cooperate
because they both believe in the care
Of the human body. 1t would not be
very difficult to produce proof texts
from scripture In order to indicate
that the Bible teaches this doctrine,
.sYe are the temples of the Holy
Ghost was the statement of the New
Testament writer when he argued
for bodily cleanliness. Labor is try
ing to secure higher wages and
shorter hours in order that living con
ditions may be improved. In such
matters as sanitary reform in tene-
ment houses and factories, in the
securing of suitable social and rec
,reative centers for the people, and
in every other particular that in
f1uences the physical conditions Of
the masses, Church and Labor may
present united front.
Church and Labor may cooperate
because they are both aiming at the
development of the human soul. One
takes it for granted that the Church's
| work is soul dexelnnment It muS1