The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-10
The Church and Social Service
Paper Read BY Rev. r W. Lilley Before Recent
Meeting Of the Keokuk Ministerial Alliance.

| thought was In the mlHu Oh TIE SoAi
mittee that assigned me this topic.
/ We are in the midst OF great moral
4 social and political revolutions. Long
established customs are giving way
before a new force. Changes in
home, church, business and society
are so radical that we hardly know
where we are. In fact it seems that
| the whole world has pulled anchor and
gone in search of something, it is not
sure what or where to find it. Every
thing is pulled up by the roots and
the roots examined. 1t matters not
how sacred thing is or how ancient,
| it is thrown into the smelling pot and
melted down and analysed or put
into the witness box and cross cues
toned, and made to give a reason for
tlts existence.
The church has not escaped. 1t
must justify its existence. 1t must
| show the world that it has mission
/ of service, not for itself. but for the
world. We are in the midst OF So
cial revolution which Is as fortultous
as any the world has ever passed
through. 1t is called THE Social
Crisis. Not political or theological
Voices fro mthe platform, puplit and
the press are declaring with great
emphasis that the great problem be-
for the American people is social
one. We are told that western
civilization is passing through So
cial crisis unparalleled in history for
scope and power. By common con-
sent this social crisis is the overshad-
owing problem of our day. The indus
trial, commercial, social, moral and
religious life of advanced nations is in
the throes of it. In politics all nations
and methods are undergoing upheav-
ais and refinement as the social
movement advances. In the world oil
thought the young, strong and serious
minded are interested in the solution
of the social problems. Even litera
ture and art point like compass need
les to this magnetic pole of oul
/ thoughts" DR.. GLADDEN. says: The
l l6uQGuCleS WulCu nave DCCli 6dthSiih
strength since the civil war--the tend
| encies to the accumulation of powel
! in the hands OF the few; tendencies
| to use this power predaciously TIM
/ tendencies to boundless luxury AMI
extravaganza; tendencies to the sep
4 Grafton and antagonism of socia
/ classes-must be arrested and tina
4 speedily or we shall soon be in chaos.
/ The church is in the midst of
society whose tendencies are down
ward, say what we may to the Con
trary. Mammon is On the throne o
our commercial world and the grees
for gain is eating out the heart o
commercial honor and reputation i
trampled under its iron feet. Mel
speculate on the sales of the berievet
loved ones and the story of dead b.
withholding the news that the friend.
and relatives of the unfortunate one:
should have had. The papers are filled
with the exposures of the most cynic
al schemes for plundering the multi
tude; social classes stand over agains
each other distrustful and defiant
while the house of mirth resound!
with the mad revelry of the waster:
while thousands have not enough t.
eat and wear. We walk down thu
streets of some OF our cities and he
hold the grinding maddening POVERTY
on one side and the glittering equip
r Il u md fhf
pomp and swell of the rich. many O
them Haunting into the faces of tht
honest poor that they have robbed
the extravaganza of their i'll gotter
gains. Men and women who know tel
us that there are two million of chill
dren under fifteen years of age wht
are engaged In manual labor unsuitet
for their tender ages. The same is tru'
in our city on small scale. 1t would
be on a larger one If the demand
was greater. Boys working in our cit,
for five dollars per week, kept out o
school and pay fifty cents out of thu
five for clothes rent Girls and womel
work for as low wages as five and ter
cents per HDuT. Wen Huih III d Gel tai
factory for twelve hours per day in !
room where the thermometer register
100 to 11S degrees, and receive from
81 so to 81 90 per day A few day
ago | stood by the side OF dead wifi
and mother listened to sobs of tn
husband and watched the tears FLOW
from the eyes of the motherless boy
knew the family. The man and VIC
man were hard working people. TIL
mother and wife had worked hard t
supplement her husbands wages t
meet living expenses. The time cam
when she must undergo an operation
: She was too weak to stand tn
4 shock and died. On her coffin was
q lovely bunch of flowers from the fri
d that had been employing the man q
the magnificent sum of 81 so for /
hours work. And If am correctly II
If formed the owners of the factory ar
8 church members. Going out into tn
q cities, shops and factories OF til
s world. one one hand we see the cap
a talists scoWling at the lahorar an