New Britain herald., 1916-09-11

the masses against capital and shows the real value of true and honest competition as against the unjust com petition of most modern business me- thods. An abstract of Dr. Cross ser mon follows:
 This is the gospel of labor
 Ring it, ye bells of the kirk
 The Lord of Love came down from
 above
 To live with the men who work
 Jesus Christ of Nazareth was both carpenter and thinker-true fellow therefore of all who work whether with brain or hand. It is not the place of the church to solve the prob lems of industrial ferment, nor the place of the church to build the fabric of the economic life; but it is the function of the church of Jesus Christ and of his servants to place upon Business structures the spirit level of his teachings, and to hang beside the buildings of our economic system the plumb-line of his ideal of life. The churches have taken de- cided stand upon many economic is- sues. Witness the declaration of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, which represents 19,OO0,0O0 of people connected with thirty-three Protestant denominations in this country. Of the sixteen items in the declaration we quote but five: "The churches must stand for equal rights and complete justice for all men in all stations of life.
 For the protection of the worker from dangerous machinery, occupa- tional diseases, and mortality. "The right of employees and en- ployers alike to organize; and ade- quate means of conciliation and arbi- tration in industrial disputes. "The gradual and reasonable re- duction of the hours of labor to the | lowest practicable point, and that de- | gree of leisure for all which is 1 condition of the highest human life.
 "A new emphasis upon the applica- ton of Christian principles to the acquisition and use of property and 1 the most equitable distribution of the product of industry that can ultimate- | ly be devised.
 "The battlefield of our day is bus mess life. Business is the unregen- | erated sphere of our social order.' Does our business system tend to make 1t fairly easy to do right and hard to do wrong? Does it reward pen alize neighborliness? Neighborliness was the principle which Jesus laid down as fundamental. Can you live by this in your business? If you can l not, you must either confess that business or Jesus is a moral failure | Which?
 There Is Always Some Gain.
 Many maxims of business life might be cited and many principles of action which are contrary to the spirit and teaching of Jesus Christ We note one. Competition is the life of trade This depends upon the character of the competition. Tn ath- | letics there is good competition when a hundred men prepare for and com 1 pete in a race. Two or three only receive prizes, but those who fell short of a prize gained deepened 1 chests, stronger muscles and health workmen for leadership only a few get the promotion but those who competed for the place are better workmen and worthier for the com l petition Competition which leaves l the competitors who are defeated at | least no worse off than they were before is good. Most business com petition is like the gladiatorial com- :, bats of old; the defeated is left bloody corpse Such competition is not born from above.
 Business Completion Depiored.
 Modern business competition is to ] be deplored for many reasons The