The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-19
Says Church Must Study Indus.
trial Problems.
is LOSING ITS HOLD.
Working Men Slipping Away
From Religious Service.
Plea for Cooperation of Capital
and Labor.

--~-~~
DR.. L. F. Loveland in his sermon
last night on THE Relation of the
Church to Industrial Life" the four1 II
and last of a series OF sermons or
practical subjects. said that stripped Of
It's fanaticism and Utopiauism socialism
was strangely like the doctrine Of
Jesus Christ. He also told how so
clallsm was becoming a substitute for
religion among the laboring men, that
IS 1t was beginning to take on some
or the aspects of religious service.
having its own hymns. and teaching
the brotherhood of man. However, lie
stated that the church had foster al
these principles of brotherhood. had
taught that all men were sons of God
and should have high ideals. have
protection and be helped mutually.
and that the laboring man had heard
this and thus the church was partly
responsible for the unrest in industrial
conditions. Because of this the preach
or declared II Tor no other reason the
church should stand by the laborins
man. He made a strong plea thal
labor and capital should recognize
each others rights, that labor should
not bite the hand which fed it. AMI
that capital should not smite the
sinews that kept its machinery going.
Cries of Amen" and that's right"
We're continually heard, and much
hand clapping.
The speaker also suggested that
America. should take a fast from its
over-accumulattOn of people from the
slums of Europe. He wore a dark coat
and white pants. The church was
crowded up stairs and down in spite
OF the warm evening. The sermon in
part follows:
ssThe present day church is seek
ing to feel its way out of a place well
called the dawn of Christian effort
Our fathers fought out dogmatic
questions. We are fighting out
social and Industrial problems.
Yesterday was the age of the saliva
ton Of the individual. Today the SAL
walton of the individual is so closely
connected with the community and So
ciety that this age might be called the
age of the salvation of the city and
the state.
"Our industrial unrest is not sign
of decadence, but a sign of progress.
However fundamental facts should
be studied to be kept from being driv~
en- hither and thither by every new
voice.
people in Kansas can hardly realize
that there are 100000 people in the
United States living on public charity;
100000 more living just below the
line of personal comfort and scarcely
above the line of personal distress;
that every tenth funeral in this coun-
try carries a dead body to the potters
field In New York alone last year
5000 families were eVicted because
they We're not able to pay the rent.
Another thing: more than a million
people are here from the slums Of the
old world. We are taking them in
rapidly. If the laws of physical be-
ing hold good in government We will
get the indigestion pretty soon and
think we ought to take fast until We
assimilate what we have already TAX
"Of the people here there are 25.-
100000 who are not exactly in har-
u1ony with American institutions who
do not exactly bear a love for the
American flag. These elements form
nucleus that would easily breed q
revolution. On one hand is the starry
Ing; on the other hand the multi
millionaires, on one hand the respec-
table sinner who is violating every law
in the accumulation of wealth, on the
other hand, the irresponsible masses
who do not care for the law. And
standing in between is the Christian
church.
Alongside is the great brawny mass
OF laboring people that constitute 90
per cent of the population And tho
laboring men have heard the PREACHING.
OF the church for the past so years that
man is a son Of God, created in the
image Of God, and that every individ-
ual has a high price mark on him.
Then the laboring man says that if this
IS true he will demand that capital
recognize this high mark. that if he is
valuable he should be protected
anu AAE great COMPUTATIONS IKE THE
Santa Fe railroad are realizing this.
Hence the Santa F'e is sending out
corps Of teachers whose slogan to the
employees is Get the safety habit.
Isn't that so Mr.. Rice? (The speaker
addressed n. NJ. Rice, manager of the
Santa F'e storehouse, who was sitting
near the frOnt.)
The church has been preaching that
not only man is valuable but that he
should have high ideals. The laborinG
man has heard this and has said that if
that is true he and his boy and his girl
must have chance; that he too. must
have q piano in his home. So he has
asked for shorter hours. eight hours
for labor, eight hours for sleep and
eight hours for the culture Of himself
and family. If he should have ideals
he should have wages sufficient so that
he may acquire that which we say he
ought to have. That's why We ought to
blush with shame when we see a de
partment store working its girls six
days in the week at $3.50 a week and
expecting her to board herself W.
Christian people ought not to GO into
Mysteries over the red-nght districts
when we do nothing to remove the
cause of them.
THE day now is when we must learn