The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-12-18
ROOSEVELT AT LABOR TEMPLE
LET ~ THE LIGHT on TAMALE
row. MS ADOPTED MOTTO.
Church Worthless n n Does Not Help the
People, but the Individual Must
nave the stun In Him Give Him u
Gun and III Lick Him with Club.

Gun and I'll Lick Him with Club.
Theodore Roosevelt surprised a Labor
Temple audience yesterday afternoon by
walking in and making a little address.
/ Announcements had been sent out TO
the effect that the Rev. Charles Stel2le
superintendent Of the Temple. which is
AT Fourteenth street and Second avenue
would speak at 4 o'clock on the MCNa-
mara case. 4 goodly crowd filed the
church to hear Mr.. Stelzle give hiS views
about the dynamiters. and with tho clergy
man when he took his place on the rostrum
was the Colonel
/ MIR SteDles talk was postponed in
definitely and MIR Roosevelt began.
He had come, he said, to see what the
Labor Temple people we're doing because
he believed with all his heart in religion,
{ but not at all in the religion that doesn't t
translate itself into active work in the
direction of dccency and righteousness" "
u feel" said the Colonel. that it is the
greatest reflection on any church if, as
the population begins to become dense,
the church moves out. The church is
not an end in itself it X merely means
TO an end means to help the people,
and the church isn't worth anything if
II doesn't help the people.
Il believe in this church because 1t is
n labor temple because IL works through
working people There have been a great
many things from time to time that |
have wanted to have done. and in order
to get them done had to turn to people
who already had good deal to do. Ex-
pcrienCe has taught me that II is no Use
TO turn to the man who is doing nothing
he continues TO do nothing. When there
is work to be done. We have TO turn 10
those who already are working"
Mr. Roosevelt went on to say that the
opportunity of the church to-day lies in
the leadership Of movements for social
hcttermcnt. IF the church cannot take
the lead in such work" he said, then the
church no longer deserves to toe a power
IN the body polite. And 10y the church
! mean all religious bodies and all the vast
body of religious men and women. what
over church they attend or whether they
attend any church at all. We have a
right To expect the church To stand as
leader in the fight for the betterment Of
the condition physical, intellectual and
spiritual. Of the people. Ours is a democ-
racy. The experiment means nothing
unless il il kept a democracy; and to do
! this every social movement must have its
! expression in the lives of the people
/ themselves
Il don't know which 10 distru,t the
! more those who deliberately blind their
! eyes To the need for hetterment and who
hook on az the misery of others without
trying Ia help them OUT. or those others
who give leadership that tends 10 lead
our people astray In their struggle for
betterment If mar doesn't recog-
ni2e that there are new conditions To be
met; If he's the type of man who doesn't
Sympathize with work like that which
the Labor Temple Is doing because he
| thinks that Mr. Stezle and the Others
ought 10 preach only dogma; If he doesn't
realize that hfe means change and that
changes must he made inthuman arrange
ments to meet the changes in conditions
he isn't worthy 10 be trusted with leader
ship.
"Di,trust beyond all other men the mGn
who gets YOU To follow him on the ground
that he will help you by doing omething
crooked on your behalf. Distrust, TOO.
the man who COunsels YOU 10 enter on
- career OF revenge of riEhtlng one
, wrong by committing another. and SO
starting an endless chain of wrongdoing
Col. Roosevelt then borrowed phrase
from an account given by MIR. Stelzle
Forward Movement in letting light
in on "Iamale row, one OF the densey
crowded and unsanitary spots of a border
town visited by the worke for the move
ment in their Texas campaign. where
they plaCarded every disorderly house
with he owners name as well as the
keepers. The way to do justice" MIR.
Roosevelt said. lis to let in the light on
Tamale row. Work through the state
when the state has the power to remedy
the conditions at fault; work through the
church and the various social organl2a-
tions; but always work through and with
the individual. | believe in this Labor
Temple, because its aim is 10 help each
individual man 10y putting him in posi-
ton to help himself. There isn't a man
here who doesn't stumble sometimes.
there isn't a man anywhere who doesn't
stumble sometimes. Shame on the man
who doesn't stretch out a helping hand 10
his brother who has stumbled, Help him
mp if he stumhles but that doesn't mean
YOU have got to try to pull him mp when
he lies down. Even the man who has
stumbled has got to keep his legs moving
he cant lie down and refuse to move and
expect others 10 do it for him. Use the
power of the State and the power of the
church, but remember that the basis pf
II all is character and that to accomplish
any lasting betterment character must he
develoDed in the individual
"ln our civil war or in our own little war;
the Spanish war not much of q war. bur
Il was all there wGS--the troops had TO
nave the proper equipment. but they also
had 10 have the right 81 uN in the eindividuRl
II the right stun isn't in man you cant
get il out of him You couldn't do anv-
thing with fintlocks in a modern war
but neither could you do anything with the
most up to date weapon in the hands of
fool or a coward Put the finest new rife
into the hands of man without character
and Hheat him over the head with club"