Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-09-01
WORK|NGMEN STARTED
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
A Carpenter With Some Fishermen
Founded The Greatest Institu-
tion In Human History.
LABOR'S GREAT DIGNITY.
Christ And His Fellow WOrkingmen
The Inspiration OF The World.

=
the Rev. james l.. Smiley preached a
forceful sermon bearing on Labor
Sunday. He spoke, in part, as fol-
lows:
is not this the carpenter Sur
prise and scorn prompted this ques-
tion as the fellow. towns folk Of Jesus
objected to His teaching. They
locked TO the Scribes and Pharisses
for instruction and not to poor car
penter Thus men often bIunder in
estimating the real be netactors of
the world.
Today is "Labor-Sunday. 1t is
so named as the Sunday nearest to
Labor Day, the first Monday in Sep
tember. Happily the custom has
grown up of observing day annually
in the honor of the laboring man.
Equally happy the idea of observing
the nearest Sunday in order to give a
sanctity TO this annual observance.
What do we owe to the working
men? First the church owes her
very existence. This fact is too often
overlooked. Men are apt to asso-
ciate churches with the kings and
princes Of the earth with the rich and
the so-caIled saristocracy. These
people have indeed a right in the
church as all other sinners. If peni-
tent, but they are not charter mem-
hers.
The charter members of the Chris
tian church are the laboring class,
the poor, the ostracized The church
was founded by a poor Carpenter,
who was roughly banished from his
home town. He called together q
band Of twelve men, chiefly OF the
working class, and instructed them in
His radical and revolutionary prin-
ciples, until they learned how to turn
the world upside down in order TO
save it. Most of these apostles were
fishermen-me used to hard and
perilous toll on the Sea of GaliIee /:
men who, with their own hands,
caught fish and sold them for local
consumption or shipped them to dis
tant places. Men who produce food
in this way are called producers
and benetactors of the race.
Among these apostles was a Publ
can named Matthew. The publican
was the public tsx-gatherer, and he
was despised by the Jewish aristoc-
racy, because he collected taxes from
them for the heather Emperor OF
Rene. Why did Jesus choose out
casts and plain working people to
start His church? To show that
Gods ways are not man s ways; that
the foundation OF His kingdom rests
upon useful men and not the idle
rich. The latter would be no better
than shifting sand.
His teaching is full Of comfort for
the honest toilsr, but awful warning
for their exploiters. He continued
His severe denunciations against the
rich oppressors, until they accom-
plishsd His crucifxion. Likewise,
most of His apostles met tragic
deaths. as martyrs to the cause of
justice. If we have any lingering
doubt that the he raids of the Gospel
fearle ssly denounced the rich oppres-
sor, let US read the general Epistle of
st. James. Did the Apostolic Church,
then founded by workingmen, de-
no7nce all rich men? Not at all II
showed the temptations of riches, de-
bounced the idle or oppressive rich
men. but showed that money, like all
other gifts, can be dedicated to God
for the benz Eft of our fellowmen.
This grand institution, the church,
has often been exploited BY godIess
rich men for their own in erests.
Nevertheless, it is destined, under
Divine Providence, to be the means,
eventually of restoring justice upon
earth and thus ushering in the King
dom of Heaven. Then both unde-
served riches and undeserved poverty
will be unknown, and all men shall
dwell in safety and peace.
To the laboring class is due also
| the construction of the great build
| ings of the world. Our modern
sky-scrapers" are monuments tc
their skill and courage. Our great
suspension bridges. spanning the
rivers and valleys, proclaim the same.
The great ocean steamships would be
impossible without them. Indeed
the whole world would starve OIL
freeze to death were it not for the toi
of the sun-burnt plough boy or the
perilous task Of the begrimed Goa
miners.
Looking back into antiquity, W,
see visions of millions Of toilerl
| spending their strength for a pit
tance, in building up the structure
which made antiquity famous. fh1
Seven Wonders of the World rep
resent the seat and blood Of count
less myriads of workingmen. TIL
chief of these wonders, the Pyra
mids, still stand as mute witnesse
to the grinding toll of the Egyptia
working class. But is it only un
skilled labor to whom credit is du
for these achisvements7 BY d
means. Skilled mechanics did thei
necessary part; learned architect
designed master builders directe
| the work. All these participate
| in the worlds great structures, an
to all credit 10 due.
| In fact they all, strictly speak