The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-03-11
CHUR|CH'is ATTITUDE
TOWARD WORKERS
Christian Church Must Become
Militant Factor in Work Of
Industrial Reforms.
It Should Be the Life Giving Law
OF All Movements That Make
for Righteousness.

Church members, and especially the
men Of the churches, ofttimes specu-
late as to why the workingmen do
not attend the churches. The church
and the workingmen are drifting
farther and farther apart, of that
there can be no question This is
especially true in the larger cities.
And the reason? In the days of the
Puritans men and women were prac-
tically forced to attend church upon
penalty of social ostracism. Those
were the days when America was
under the domination of England, and
before We obtained our freedom. This
would naturally lead up to the ques-
ton. Does liberty of action tend to
separate the church from the work.
ingman.or, is there still some other
element which explains it, something
having discovered, hesitate to speak Of
it?
Brotherhood of Man.
Belief in the teachings of the Man
of Sorrows prevails to a greater de-
gree in the home of the average
Wage-worker than in the home of the
millionaire. Any person of average
intelligence is capable of reading the
Sermon on the Mount with fair I'M
derstanding and in that sermon, as in
all the utterances of Christ the Bro
therhood of Man is uppermost
But what Of the Interpretation of
the modern church upon that SER
mon? When Christ was on earth
He didn't put on the soft pedal; He
meant exactly what He said and what
is more important He practiced it,
Right here is where the reason can
be found. The church is not practical
Practice Versus Precept.
The American workingmen has a
keen sense of pride. Recognizing and
understanding the plain and homely
truths taught by Christ, he hesitates
to regularly attend the church MAIN
tanned by his employers-employ
who SO generously design to receive
Of equality one day in each week,
while engaged in grinding out enorm-
Gus dividends from his toll, and by
keeping his wages at the lowest pos
sible minimum, the remaining six.
Unfortunately the church of today
is filled with men who affiliate with
it in order to hide their own hypo-
crisy. The church should exist not
only to preach the religion of Jesus
Christ, but to practice it as we'll. It
should as an organization aim to ap-
ply those teachings to the abomin-
able industrial conditions that exist
today and rid itself of these men who
take refuge behind its doors to hide
their own hypocrisy, or who affiliate
with it merely to give them social
standing and "respecta bility.'
Path of Duty.
Rev. Charles Stelzle, in one of his
recent articles says: "Whatever may
be the opinion of the average work.
ingman with regard to the church, his
devotion to Jesus Christ is, in. most
cases, unquestioned."
The teachings of Christ admit of
but one interpretation. The organ
lied church must become a militant
factor in fighting the evils of our in
dustrial system, 1t must recognize the
just demands of the workingmen and
fearlessly uphold them, if it expects
the workingmen to take an active
part in the maintenance of the
church.
Let the church be practical and
workingmen will not be slow to lend
the church their aid.
RICHARD JONES.