Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-01-18
/: Jesus and the Class Struggle !:
= 4

Ever since the institutions Of pri-
vate property and the state came into
existence, thousands Of years ago.
there have been two great classes: the
class that possessed the property and
governed the people and til class who
were propertyless and governed BY
others. There have always been a
conflict Of interests and a resultant
struggle between these classes.
On bloody battle fields. IN legisla-
tive chambers; IN political campaigns
and IN the Industrial sphere, the con
flict has been Waged; but the align
ment Of class interests has been
essentially the same.
Jesus Recognized the Glass Struggle.
The people were divided into classes
then. About hall the people were
slaves. Hail 81 those who we're not
chattle slaves were freedmen who
had been slaves Or were the decend-
ants OF slaves.
The remaining one-fourth constitute
ed the capitalist class Of that time.
they owned the land and other prop
erty owned privately. Where there
were public lands and mines, these
were worked under q system, which
gave the wealth produced to the capt.
talist class. The money was con
trolled By them. They were "THE
RICH.
They constituted the government,
made the. laws and administered the
affairs Of state. They were the
MIGHTY !" the ruling class.
Having time and means to devote
to mental enlture. they were the
WISE, = the learned.
They were idlers. In fact, they
considered work degraging and de-
spised those woh performed any Ia
Dor. They were the GENTLEMEN
and LADIES, the leisure class.
The people who worked, whether
bond Or free, were propertyless. penni-
less and without voice or vote in the
government. They were mostly with
out education They were worked
like other beasts Of burden, ruled with
an iron hand and robbed Of the pro-
duct Of their toll. They toiled and
suffered IN poverty. as millions do to-
day, that the privileged few might
enjoy wealth and eacse.
They were laborers, slaves, servants.
menials, low fellows, Williams, dogs
common people the WORKING
CLASS.
These classes never mingled social-
". The sun between them was
impossible.
Jesus Was Of the Working Class.
He was born member Of the work
ing class. It is q fact, unknown By
most christians and overlooked by
most preachers, that birth determined
social rank in those days, and Jesus,
being born IN the family Of q work
ing man, was fixed permanently in
that rank by the class distinction OF
his day. The workers child could not
aspire to political honor or hope TO
mingle with the rich on an equal foot
ing. jesus was doomed by his humble
birth to associate with the lowly and
share their toll and ignominy.
His message Of deliYerance was to
the poor, the meek, the oppressed
This describes q mission to deliver
the working class.
Reader, If you are q rich man, that
is not your gospel It was good news
to the poor and that does not mean
you. If you are big capitalist, de-.
pendant upon no man for q living. free
to come and go at viii, with money to
crafty every need and within, unfami-
liar with the worries and sorrows Of
the poor, he Is not your savior.
But If you are q owrking man or wo-
man, cursed By poverty, enslaved by8
4 capitalistic, industrial system. dis
possessed, dependent upon Others and
hound to ceaseless toll. heart worn
and wounded BY wand, worry and sor-
row-he is your savior. He lived and
died not only to save you from your
s..-.s.,sei SIN INIT aluf IN deliver