Mexico Missouri message., 1915-09-02
HOMAGE TO LABOR
Its Victories Are Real and Con-
Stitute a Benediction.
Mans Progress to the Higher Things
Of Life a Part Of the Workers
Duty-Should Be Truer
Realization Of Dignity.

There was never time when It was
more propitious to pay homage to La
Dor and it's mighty achievements. We
behold by far the great majority of
the Caucasian race at war-utilizing
the energy and intelligence of more
than 300,000,000 people in the work
Of destruction, the result of which
will contribute not one atom Of good
to the human race or the cause OF
Christian civilization.
Labor's victories are real. They
constitute a benediction. They make
for happiness, for the moral and spir-
itual elevation Of mankind. Wars vic
tories make for woe, for poverty, for
oppression, for homelessness, for the
destruction of the innocent, for the
revel of british passions.
Labor makes for love, It marks the
progress of mans Journey to the high
er things of life. Labor is a builder
of homes; war reduces them to ashes.
Labor plants the vine that Chambers
over the cottage door, in which the
waiting wife and children stand to
greet the toiler's return from the
tasks of the day; war kills the toiler,
burdens the wife with grief and starves
the children.
Labor is honesty and fidelity; war
is pillage and treachery. Labor is
virtue; was is ravisher of the de-
fenceless. Labor is truth; war is de-
ceit. Labor is life and faith and hope;
war is murder, frenzy and despair. La
Dor makes the fields glad with golden
grain, and the birds to sing in the Joy
that animates all nature; war leaves
the earth desolate while vultures sit
in solemn silence contemplating the
SCARED and broken landscape.
Labor is altogether good and It
blazes mans pathway to heaven; war
is evil and marks the road to ruin
and death.
We see all these things today. We
look about US in our own country and
behold the fruitful harvests. 1t is a
land Of plenty. On every side we be-
hold the wonderful results Of labor.
Our harvest fields, our great shops,
our wonderful cities, our churches and
schools, our cattle on a thousand hills
all these testify of labor's worth,
they constitute labors benediction.
One hundred millions Of people at
peace with the world and striving to
build better and better every day and
every year.
And across the water in the land of
our ancestors see what war is doing.
Think of those tens of thousands of
gallant men who have fallen in France,
Belgium, Germany, Austria and Rus
STA! Think of the hundreds of thou
sands of humble homes waiting anx-
iously for footsteps that will never,
never RETURN think of the thousands
OF blackened spots from which ascends
the smoke Of ruined habitations.
Think Of the danger of women and
children, think of the cities destroyed,
and Of the rivers sending a crimson
tide to the sea!
Surely the comparison will give to
each Of US a keener appreciation of
the great boon human labor is. Sure
ly, we must have truer realization
of its dignity. Let those frivolous
ones who are prone to look upon
honest labor as uncouth and beneath
ones respect give thought to labor
today and contemplate what a truly
great blessing it is, and how much
nobler it is than the emptiness and
worthlessness of Incidence. Labor is
king at whose shrine all men may
pay tribute-all others, kings, kaisers,
cars and emperors are as nothing
compared with the true monarch OF
Christian civilization whose throne
has been sanctifled and blessed by the
great God himseIf