The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-09-22
BISHOP cANDLER's WISE De
PARTURE
(By s. M. Dinkins.)

date, Bishop w. A. Gambler wise
ly departed from the routine of dis
cussing inanities and dealt with a
subject which the church has practi-
cally neglected for 1000 years-that
of the Inequalities among men in
the matter of their material posses
sions." Where the church has not
neglected this question entirely, it
has too often aided in promoting
such inequalities-as when one wing
of Bishop Gamblers church agrees
lively defended negro slavery. Many
other instances could be cited.
While the bishop looks at this SUBJ
ject from afar and views it through
the wrong end of the telescope, yet
it is a good sign that he looks at it
at all. Most preachers think that
economics and Christianity have
nothing in common; and to this err
ror we owe the slow progress of
Christianity. So I repeat that it is a
good sign when a bishop devotes
time to discussing in the papers eco
nomic questions, even if he is wrong
in his premises, his reasoning and
his deductions.
Bishop Gambler says that "earth's
inequalities seem divinely appoint
ed" Speaking generally, I think the
bishop is right, for nature abhors uni
formity as much as it does a vacuum.
But in narrower sense, it must be
the will of the Creator that all men
shall have equality of opportunity,
for God is no respecter of persons.
Inequality of conditions and Unequal
| ity of opportunities are very differ
emit things. Given equality of oppor-
| tunity, and there would still be inc
quality of conditions, owing to the
differences in men themselves. But
there could not be such differences
as exist between Dives and Lazarus
Nature gives to exertion and to exer-
ton only. Since some men are ca
pable OF more exertion, bodily and
mentally, than others, 1t is natural
that some should have more mate
rial possessions" than others. And
where differences in possessions ex-
list by reason of these differences in
exertion, effort or labor, no injustice
is done any man. For they exist, as
Bishop Gambler well says, by virtue
of divinely-appointed order. Against
such differences it is folly to rail.
But there are differences in posses
sions which exist by reason of man.
made laws. 1t is to these to which
would call the bishops special at
tention. And it is these that should
claim the special attention of the
churches and of the preachers every
where. These are differences for
which charity is an insult, not a rem
| edy. Justice is the remedy. Our
laws permit some to reap where
many have sown. Thus many pro-
duce without getting, while some get
without producing. And it is worse
than atheism to call this a Color
dained order.
If Bishop Gambler wishes to know
something about man-made differenc-
es in material possessions let him
read Robert Hunters "Poverty"-the
Macmillan Company, publishers. The
book was written after the author
had had eight years experience in
settlement work in the slums of our
big cities. Such conditions do not
exist as the result of divine appoint
ment for the development of broth
erhood among men," The causes
that produce such conditions destroy
brotherhood and imbrute men.
And think Bishop Gambler misin-
terprets Christ's words about our al
ways having the poor with us-that
is, the poor in the sense of those to
whom We give charity. A man is not
poor, though he has not a cent nor
particle of food, provided he has
health and the opportunity to apply
his labor to the resources of all
INSTRUMENTATION having to pay
some other man for the privilege of
working. Christ told us not to think
about what We should eat for tomor-
row, or what we should drink or
what We should wear-for the birds
OF the air and the grass of the fields
don't have to think of such things,
and we are more important than they
but let us seek first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and all
these material possessions will be
given unto us. That is, there will be
no poor, for all will have enough.
Plenty of wealth is produced for all:
but it is unequally distributed. There
is the rub. Man-made laws intervene
to destroy Gods righteousness. Let
us have laws that will guarantee that
he who produces shall haye-that