The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-12-04
The Problem of Poverty.

Abstract of Sermon Preached In Rock
land. in Pratt Memorial Church, by Rev.
c. E. Edgett.
Text Matt. 26:11-"The poor We have
with you always" The speaker began
his discourse by calling attention to the
aboring mans criticism that the church
IS not interested in the welfare of the
working men, and is doing nothing to
improve their condition. After remind
ing his hearers that the mission of the
church Is essentially spiritual, he went
on TO say that the criticism is unfair
While it is true that the churches have
done much less than they ought, and
night have done in this direction, yet
they have done all that has been done.
If the critics would look to the right
sources they would discover that che lead
lug denominations of the church in this
country are taking an ever increasing in
terest in the problems Of the working
man, and are making an organized ap-
proach to the problem of poverty. The
Protestant Episcopal church for many
cars has had an organization known as
the Church Association for improving
The condition of labor" The Presby-
terian church has established a depart
ment of church labor, which is in official
relationship with that church. The Con-
gregational church, in its National Coun-
ell, has representative industrial COM
mittee. which is to study such questions
D. child labor, organized labor, industrial
EXAMINATIONS and Socialism. The Meth
5dst Episcopal church at the general
Conference in 1908 gave its hearty en-
easement of the cause of the working
man, ana put itself on record as favor
ng labor organizations, believing them
to be conducive to the welfare of labor
ing men and incidentally of great bene-
fl to society at large.
But, Notwithstanding all this splendid
cord of sympathy for the working man,
d honest endeavor to do something to
letter his conditions; and notwithstand-
ug the multiplicity of almsgiving soce-
IFS for the dealing out of clothes and
atoms to the poor; we are all conscious
f a widespread opinion that the church as
2 whole is not doing what it might reason
aoly be expected to do. There are those
Who today are solemnly asking if it is
rot time to cease having in each com
munity class on which to practice char
ty! AS some one has SAID: ''There is
iessing in relief of distress, but to keep
1eople poor for the sake of the pleasure
We get out of carrying them old clothes
nd cold victuals is to sin against them. "
The problem we are dealing with is
Try old, almost as Old as the race, but
Inc worst feature of the problem is not
hat il is old, but that it is so new. That
Ee are living in times of great I'M
rest goes without saying, and this I'M
-est IS not confined to any State; IN the
asst as in the west, it is part of a vast
struggle, a revolt against conditions that
axe and are made by poverty.
Robert Hunter in his book says that
I'm millions of our people live in poverty
and other millions on the verge of actual
want. 1t has been said that two-thirds
+ the human race never have enough to
at. the average wage Garner has but
few days or weeks between loss of en-
aioyment and actual want. We boast of
ar modern advantages, and we have
-eason to. There are more comforts and
-onveniences in the homes of working
men today than their fathers knew.
But, paradoXical as ii may seem, poverty
Seeps pace with prosperity. AS Henry
george has pointed out, almshouses and
prisons are as surely the marks of ma
terial progress as are costly mansions,
telephones and railroads. 1t was of this
modern world with its express trains ard
manifold conveniences that a writer said:
There is every reason to fear that there
5 collected a population in our great
owns which equals in amount the whole
9l England and Wales, six centuries ago.
pJ' whose condition is more destitute,
"hose homes are more squahd, whose
meas are more uncertain, whose pros
lect, are more hopeless than those of
The 5erfs Of the middle ages" Surely
isa disquieting thought that the richer
NJ material wealth community becomes
the aarer it approaches the ideals which
Al arr seeking, the more narrowing and
.errltly menacing becomes the cry of
po4rty.
This is the problem we have to face.
Inc days of making light of this prob
EN- and of talking Of the inevitability of
poverty as of death and taxes have gone
9y. 1t is time for sober thought, Pow
cty Is not inevitable The resources of
his country of ours have never been
=>ted. There is enough here to feed my
ads more than dwell here and in addi-
on thereto to feed he millions of the
9.I world.
Why do we have such a problem in
ae 10th century? When we try to get
# the causes, we expect to find that
.runkenness, gambling, improvidence
nd consequent lack of producing and
lrchasng power are among the first. |
ave read that nearly 70 per cent of pow
-fty is cue to intemperance. If this is
rue, we will have no difficulty in placing
.he responsibility. But, is it true? Is it
far to accept statement like that with
out inquiring into its reliability? One of
the best authorities says that investiga-
non tends to show that intemperance is
more often the result than the cause of
poverty. Prof. A. G. Warner has COL
iected and tabulated the results of inves-
legations into the causes of thousands of
actual cases Of poverty in the United
States, England and Germany He says,
Probably nothing in these tables of the
eauses of poverty, as ascertained by cold
counting, will more surprise the average
feader than the fact that intemperance
IS held to be the chief cause in only from
9ne-ffteenth to one-fifth of the cases,
and that where an attempt is made to
earn in how many cases it had contrib
utory influence it's presence cannot be
traced in more than ISL per cent Of the
cases. No doubt these figures should be
r=ceived with caution, but so should fig
ares which make one evil responsible for
Early 70 per cent of poverty. No one
4 plores more than do the Incorporate
abits of so many of our A merican peo-