The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-04
PASTOR STANDS
FOR SOCIALISM
Rector of ST. PauIs Episcopal
Church Delivers Striking
Labor Day Sermon.
HOLDS W0RkINGMAN HAS
LOST MANY PRIVILEGES
Condition of Toiler Today Worse
Than Five Hundred Years
Ago, He Says.

5stisrsd ,bsr ,,,hristian Socialism was the
solution OF the difficulties between lho"r
and capital ITS subject Was the Ie'"
ton OF union labor 90 religion .
The sermon was largely addressed 10
tho union workineman and II was He
lvcrcd at st. Pauls church last oNeHnlh
20 large congregation, me re, So.;ai- al
Reese took occasion TO praise th" SnSidl-
is,ic movement which he designatcd as
an instrument raised up pv Goa 10 mum
ble those who were exalted AT nc ~
penso OF the sweat and blood and hanp'-
ress Of th,, POOR people. ~" declared Nhat
the present social condition Wou1 pc
,verihrown. the worklncman Would pS
elevated and III" common peppie "puI.
come into their own under ihe banner OF
Tho Rev. Mr.. Reese in,imated that ,he
interest of the salt Lake Commences n c,Uo
in seeking 10 avert the threatened rail
road strike was not SO much because ot
The interest OF the members OF the cluo
in the welfare Of the work'nStI1n,ah -
Sas in the fear that tlc proiltS or INC
business men might be disturbed hy the
impending strike.
Make Attack oil Laws.
Tho laws Of this and other countries
were attacked by the rector on lhc
ground that th"v were parharic, un,thils-
lian and undemocratic. As an illustra-
ton In proof OF the assertion that the
laws of this country arc undcmocratic.
the Rev. Mr.. Reese called attention 10
tho fact that despite OF the great senu-
rncnt In favor of tho recall OF officers
in tho event tEnt they failed 10 DO Their
duty. large number Of ID" senators oi
rhc various states SUPPORTED ih" brcS'-
dent OF the United States In opposing the
recall OF the Judges whom the people had
chosen.
The preacher prcfaced his sermon with
the statement that nearly all Of has ntc
had been spent IN intimate association
with the working class, and especially
the union woIkinEman. lie was unrc-
served In his praise of ~" acc"inpnsi-
Of tsl,,, t.tl. n,aI r N L
ing out the defects Of labor. These. he
eaid. were chiefly in the belief Of a great
many wurkinEmen that tho church ~as
the enemy. rather than tho friend. nt
union labor. with tho result that the
morals OF the workinGman were deter
ioratnc. Somewhat startling was bis
workingman Is infinitely worse At pres
cut than II was 500 years ago,
Sermons to Follow.
Before beginning his sermon tho
preacher announced that Tor tho three
sunday evenings following next Sunday
evening. his subjects would be The
Commission Form Of Government. Con
scrvation" and Labor Disputes
The Rcv Mr.. Reese took for the text OF
his sermon last evening the eighth verso
Of the nth chapter OF the Epistlc ~
James,
BE yc also patient. establish your
hearts; for the coming Of the Lord draw
eth nigh
9TH" subject or the sermon tonight is
the relation OF union labor 10 religion.
began tho rector. and there Is no subject
concerning which ] Ike better to spcal,
or think. | have been intimately ASSOC
ciated with workiugmen. chiefly union
worlmcn. FOR" the greater part OF my
lifc. In fact, practically all my life. up
until ? few months ago. The relation
between the union man and religion
should BE- close one. For those who
call themselves workingmcn I believe the
church has something 10 say something
"a say concerning the ideals OF these
men.
II know that there arc a great mr.
men who say that the workiugman should
have no use for religion or the church
because tho church Will do nothing for
the workinsman. Those who make such
statements expose their great ignora nee.
One has only 10 look back over the
HISTORY or tho world 10 prove the falIacy
oC such statements. In That connec don
Wish 10 make statement which may
provo startling 10 those who have not
investigated. Tho condition OF tho work =
inSmsn today is Infinitely lower than II
was 900 years ago. Tho Wor<lngmun Of
,nuaH is Infinitely less worthy than was
Inc NorHlnEmau 81 800 years ago
Workmen Lose Standing,
Let US look backward. What was the
place OF tho worl0n<mau IN the social
llfc of tho world In the period lust before
thc discovery OF America? Tho working.
man 81 500 years ago was not segregated
rom eincr people. not special sort of a
human being. lie occupied a plano which
In our peculiar social system Is occupied
hN the man whom We term tho aristocrut
The nottingham OF 500 years ago was a
greater man tnt"lectually morally and
physically tnau hc rs TO-DAY
You are led 10 believe that the church
has hoen the enemy of labor. Five hun
dr'd years ago the laws OF the church
Were W. avs oi The land. The rcgula =
tions 81 all phases OF the social system
were the regulations OF the church No
man could raise his hand. speak. write
"r even think without either obcyinc or
disobs wing the cauons of the church
The church guided education eslab
ished the rules Tor apprenticeship and
looked af,cr all labor questions In Eng
land-A constitutional monarchy. not a
republic as you have hcrc-let ~ scc
what tho church did fcr the workincman
The church established through A mar
unmcntary enactment. n minimum wagc
scale. The man who worked on IL farm,
must b. paid certain wage. AM man
VINO paid an employee less than the wac,
scale prescribed. vas subject to prose.
cutlnn and punishment
That wasn't all the church did 7,
regulated tho cost of living matter
which appeals with particular force 1.
- nov. u liked p maximum price FOR y
bush"l OF Nfent. Tor meats and Tor every
necessary of HE. The church mnds sou.
-ral other laws which made the lot or IN,
lnoprrr NOR" pensant. The toilcr of sos
hNF HAs NtlJfy AEE more ulsaSuTss
pceiviug relatively higher wages thar
tie ~orhingman ~ today. and the reIs.
TIA" cnst OF living Was very much los,
than !i - today.
Early Eight-Hour Law.
One thing more-and this may sur.
prize mnny-iu England In the latte
part of Tic lourtceath century law wa,
enacted by parliament whereby no mar
Was permitted to labor more Than cigh
hours out of every iseuty-four
Il have ~ on the authority OF an cui
r-nt Oxford professor that the zenith n
the power ~ the workinEuian in m,
world Was reached in England in the mid
dc Of the fiftecnih century.
This condition was brought abou
through tho cooperation Of the chi!rr,
with strong uuions ol work.ngrnen an
guilds OF 7roftmakers and tradasnc,
throughout England ana Central Europe
The condition OF the vcrkingr7en va
on this high plane until the power of a.,
church vas broken down. When the IN
Guence OF tho church became less fsit IN,
iot OF the vorkinsman began 70 dNter
io-ats. As room as I-e church lost ~
powerful hold on human life tho condi
lions became worse. Before the powo