The wageworker., 1910-01-29
What the Church Demands
For Those Who Labor

Lords day, but where the conditions |
of industry or service require continu-
ance of work seven days and the con-
sequent employment of some part of
the employe on the Lords day, then
those so employed are entitled to re
ceive a holiday on some other day in
the week; and, furthermore, that it is
the obligation of every Christian en-
ployer to so arrange his scale of
wages that the living wage of his en-
ployes is calculated, not on a seven
day. but on six day basis.
A Living Wage.
1t is the obligation of every Chris
tian employer, a part of the essential
Christian teaching Of the brotherhood
of man, to pay every employe living
wage, that is, a wage on which not
only the worker but the average fam
lily can live under proper sanitary con-
ditions and with reasonable comfort.
Normally the great bulk of the indus
trial work Of our country should be
done by the heads of families, and
wages should be adjusted not to the
cost of living of the unmarried board
er, but to the family life in the home.
The living wage differs from time to
time and from place to place. The
obligation remains unyaried and no
industry can be counted as properly
conducted from the standpoint of
Christian ethics which is not so con-
Quoted that all employees shall receive
living wage.
| Reasonable Hours Of Labor.
| 1t is manifest that that industry
which, employing it's laborers six days
in the week, compels them to work
twelve hours out of the twenty four,
does not give to those employees a
proper opportunity for sane and
healthy living. Family life intelli-
gent social intercourse with ones fel-
lows, are impossible under such con-
ditions, and the laborer not only is not
encouraged to develop upward, but, by
the conditions of his labor, is held in
an inferior and degraded condition,
with no chance of development. Such
a condition is we believe, contrary to
the dictates of the religion of Christ
and menace to the well-being of the
state. 1t is an obligation resting upon
Christian employers so to organize
their industry that the employe may
have reasonable hours of labor.
In view of present discussions and
| IL, vii of bn vicfit ~
opinion, this commission is not pre-;
pared to state, for all industrial con.
ditions, what is a reasonable working
day. The movement for the standard
iZation of reasonable hours at eight
for all industries has not reached such
a stage that, in spite of its own opin
ion that eight hours for labor is rea
sonable, this commission is prepared
to call upon members of Christian
churches to adopt that standard as 8
part of their Christian obligation, bu
it is the conviction of this commits
sion that anything over ten hours il
. any business or employment is al
abuse which should not be tolerated
in Christian community, nor exact
ed by a Christian employer. Thi
, commission recommends to the officia
bodies of Christian churches, in orde
to sandardize. as it were, the simples
Christian obligations in the industria
+ field, and to secure their recognition
the adoption of resolutions calling up
r on employers of labor within thos'
q churches to conform, in their indus
trial operations. to these three simpl
!, rules:
q One days rest in each seven.
Reasonable hours of labor.
A living wage based on these res
sonable hours of labor.
q F. NJ. NORTH, Chairman.
CHARLES STELZLE, Secretary.