Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-02-13
Instructions For
N -
VA1Uu UIllItVII

Rev. Augustus Barnett of Philadel-
phia sent a list of questions to $50 of
his toWnsmen. Among these was JOS
eph Fels. The Iatter's answers to the
more important of these questions fol-
low:
Question-If women are allowed to
vote, what will be the effect on poll.
tics, morals and reiigion2
AnsWer-Denial Of Suffrage to Wo-
men is an inexcusable injustice. The
effect of abolishing injustice must be
good. So woman suffrage will surely
have tendency to improve matters
But we have no right to Withhold il
even If that should not be the case.
Question-Should Socialism be re.
garded by the Church as foe or an
ally? 49,.
Answer-If the Church wants to
abolish jndustrial wrong REGARDLESS:
of 5the opposition Of powerful inter
ests, it will look upon So ialism as
an ally. 1t need not endorse the whole.
Socialist program. It need but ..recogJ
nize the grand work that Socialist.
are doing in exposing economic ant
opinion. n - -. o.!
If the Church is opposed to such.
work it should regard Socialism as +
= ouestio,n4shouId a Z murderer ,5sds5 b.
given chance to redeem himself? -
Answer But we must make
conditions so that men who have not
become murderers will have a chance
also. Then there will not be SO many
nngderers. to redeem. ~
Question-How far are Christian
property owners, responsible for vice
conditions in, Philadelphia. -
Answer To the extent that they.
Won't help to, abolish poverty. 10 the
same extent are responsible Chris
tfans who do not own property and
l4o4IGhrtsuans ALSO. s..,A .sf r. ~.
Question-Why are the masses
alienated from the Church?
Answer-Because, with a few hon
orable exceptions. churches won't
help to apply Christianity. People be-
come justly disguised with an ihstitu,
tion which claims to exist for the vel
fare of mankind and yet refrains from
attacking such deep-seated wrongs r. As
denial OF the equal right of all men
to the use of the TGod-giFen eartTg'
which silently looks Cd while acorpoz
ration-owned judges send laboring
men to Jail without jury trials, WHICH
tacitly endorses the maintenance of a
standing, army d ana navy, which nut
tiers no protest when strikers are Shot
down by militia, and which in other
ways Justifies the suspicion that
Mammoth is its master. Such disgust
IS deepened when, to make. a show
OF interest in economic questions the
Church advocates charity instead Of
justice, makes a scapegoat aof some.
minor evil such as the liquor traffic
demands prosecution through ind miss
onment or other means of, unfortunateSf
outcasts, and confines its treatmefft
orasoe1al disease to application of .pah L
NATIVES to symptoms instead of at.
tempting to remove the cause. ft0 IL "
Question-What will be the charac-
teristics of the Church Of the future =
Answer quote Herbert lSisBf9e 4
low: The Church of the future must /
appeal to the social conscience. It is
hldeous thatJwe should eat our: frieA Is u
U peace while our brothers are starry
ing. 1t must assert mains right to T
heaven here. It must abolish poverty. /
pr be abolished. It must teach men toll
nave Faith IN aCreatof who has made
things we'll. that the! ills OF hunia nitEi
are due, not to mans indifference to I
ruth and to his transgression OF rfa4-sIl
irai laws; 1t must have faith in Man; 3
attn that. he would rather do ffightdd
han wrong. The Church of the future
must enlist men in the holy crdsade-l1
or economic liberty, firing their
hearts Withszeal for the public good
eading them to the republic that III
o be through the simple ways OF jus
ice and truth" H