The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1910-05-23
SAYS CHURCH
DESERTED POOR
Rev. Charles SteIz|e Stirs Pres.
byterIan Assembly.
Ne FIXES THE BLAME

For Those Who Live In Comfort
able Homes" Preachers Should
Talk More About Uplifting the PEG.
pie.
Atlantic City, May 20. - Declaring
that the religion of the Protestant
church in America is today a religion
only for those who have moved up
town or who live in comfortable
homes" that the church has deserted
the poor in our great cities and that
God and man may hold the church re-
sponsible if it fails to apply itself to
the great social problem which con-
Germs the people in the factories and
the tenements, Rev. Charles Stelzle.
superintendent of the department OF
church and labor of the Presbyterian
church. created a profound impression
upon 5000 hearers at the mass meet
ing of the Presbyterian assembly, held
In the interests of labor.
Rev. DR.. Stelzle's address was as
follows:
when 80, 900 Industrial workers are
killed every year it means that there
is something wrong In our Industrial
system. In some cases it is nothing
short of murder. The railways OF
America alone kill nearly $4,000 per-
sons every year and injure 100000. 1t
is said that there are nearly always
100000 sick in our country. and the
pity of 1t Is that most of this illness
is preventable.
1.-The present working day, from
physiological standpoint, is too long.
It keeps a majority of men and wo
men in q constant state o. 0ver-fat1gue
and induces drunkenness and other
excess.
"The real justification for short
workday is found in the interest OF
the race. It is the business of the
church to help remedy this situation.
We should talk less about building up
the church and more about building
up the people. The church is simply
q means to an end and not an end in
itself.
"As q matter of fact, however, the
church Is deliberately deserving the
people In the most densely populated
sections of the country. The church
has long been saying that the gospel
It breaches is a universal gospel. If
the church believes that its gospel is
good for and adaptable to every ma
ton, why does it fee when the for
eigner comes in? Shall it be con-
fessed that this gospel is good for the
foreigner only when it is exploited
and that it is not effective for him in
q land which is known as Christian
country?
1.-The church has been declaring for
many years that it alone holds the
solvent for the great social problem,
which concerns the people in the fac
tories and the tenementts. But is the
church honestly ready to apply this
gospel to the social and economic con-
ditions of the people? It will not suf-
Ice Ato say that II the workingman
would accept Jesus Christ the labor
question would be settled.
I'VE have been declaring that the
gospel is the power of God unto sal
vation to every one that believeth. but
Il would appear from the action OF
the church that its power is limited to
those who have moved uptown or to
the suburbs, to those who live in COM
Portable homes and adequately sup
port the church.
IF the church sincerely believes
that its gospel is the gospel simply
for q class and that class is one
which already possesses most of this
worlds good things, then it is justified
IN deserving the poor in our great
cities. But it must be prepared to
explain away the statement that Jesus
himself alone came to preach the gos
pel to the poor.
In spite of the fact that the mines
Of this country are the most easily
worked In the entire world, we kill a
tara larger proportion of miners every
year than are killed in any other coun
try in the world.
Il recently heard minister pray to
the Lord at q labor meeting that he
might save the lives of the little chill
Aren who are obliged to work in the
glass factories. This is all very we'll
hut don't let us put it all up to the
Lord. Let us put it up to the legisla-
ture. l get tired of this maudlin sym
pathy on the part of the church, which
Is never followed by any action"