The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-12-15
CHURCH AND WORKER
SUBJECT FOR A PAPER
SOCIAL SCIENCE CLUB TAKES
UP TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION

Problems In Manner They Should
Rev. Co.. Shut Declared Workingmar
Drifted Away From Sanctuary
That the church is guilty of neglect
of duty in the slight attention that il
pays to social problems was the posi-
, ton taken by Dr.. T. G. Kelly in a
paper on THE Church and the Work
| ingman," read at the regular meeting
| Of the Social Science club in the
library of DR.. ]. w. Andrews last
evening. The discussion was led by
Rev. G.. J. Shut of the Episcopal
church.
DR.. Kelly said in part:
1T is apparent to even the most
casual observer that the workingmen
as class, do not attend or belong tc
the churches. This was observed early
in the nineteenth century and viewed
with apparent uncOncern; now the
separation, which has been and is in
creasing, is looked upon with anxiety
and deep fOreboding.
1.-The attitude of the workingman
varies from tolerance to downright an
tagonism; from indifference to the
deepest contempt. The attitude of the
majority of class conscious working
men is that of active hostility to any
thing and everything connected with
the churches. The people who are left
in the churches are the wealthy, we'll
TODD, and the young people from the
stores, offices, ETC., the soft-handed
workers.
Church Bounty of Wealthy.
"The church has so long been the
recipient of the support and bounty Of
the wealthy, property owning class.
its interests have SO long been bound
up with and to great extent de-
pendent upon them, that it has been
subservient to them. So many wealth
people have for centuries held the
controlling power in the church that
it has come about quite naturally and
to some extent without evil intent
that the church has found itself in
the position, to say the least, of toll
Grating the evils OF the present
economic condition, and often of de-
Tending them.
"Workingmen tend to seek those
places where their social equality is
in no danger of not being recognized,
e. g., lodges, fraternal societies, labor
meetings, sOcialistic gatherings and
the saloon. Neglect of social problems,
in favor of narrow and limited the
ology, or even broad and progressive
theology, has been the error of the
churches SO long, that many have be-
come set in their way. They have lag
ged behind on many important issues,
taking up with them when they do
after the movement is well under way.
Churches Not Given Credit.
''The churches have not been given
able and philanthropic work they
have done. Much of it is quite I'M
known to the people at large. But
notwithstanding all the noble, heroic,
self sacrificing, self effacing, charit-
able work which has been done, the
cause or causes underlying the ex-
istence of the slum and the misery
and degradation attendant upon pow
erty, have been woefully neglected.
"Is the church TO blame for the pres
ent economic system, the terrible in
justice of which makes it possible,
nay, inevitable, that fifteen to twenty
million people are forced to live be-
low the accepted standard of normal
living and many of them in the
Indebtedness and degradation of the
most extreme poverty, while at the
other extreme, there are thousands, if
not some millions, who control the
wealth of the nation, living in care
less luxury and extravaganza? There
is some doubt about it, but | feel
forced to say that the benefit of the
doubt is not all on the side of the
church. For what is the church, even
today, but mass of fairly comfort
able, complacent, wellto-do indif-
ferent folk, who for the most part
accept as inevitable, if not to say de-
sirable, the domination of the wealthy
members in the matter of church act
ivities, because of the large measure
of financial support received from
them, and supinely acquiesce in the
matter of the control by the same
class of all or nearly all public service
and industries and in the pro-
duction and distribution and the
of life, and even until re-
Gently in the control of legislation.
Longing For Religious Revival.
"There appears to be an ardent
longing on the part of large number
of ministers and church people for
revival of religion, and there certainly
is a crying need of such, but, accord
ing to the teachings of Jesus, who is
accepted as the head of an
oracle of the church, repentance and
restitution are explicit conditions or
and unless there can be
sincere repentance on the part OF
those members of church and society
" no are responsible for the oppression
and wrongs of the working people,
that restitution will be the result,
there can never be such a revival, nor
can we expect the working people to
accept, or even to see their needs OF
spiritual salvation, unless such re-
pentance and restitution come to pass
and their social salvation be ac-
How Can They Live?
How are the people living, who are
$175 to 1925 per day, the
average days pay of workingman?
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