Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-01-25
SERMON-LECTURE
ORGANIZED LABOR
JOHN BUSH.


Our Lord Himself, though Son of God
as we'll as son of man, did not think
it beneath Him to labor at the carpen-
ter's bench. lie Himself dignified
labor. For fifteen years or more He
labored at His trade Of carpentering.
But who today possesses a single
thing the result of His toll at the
| bench? And indeed did we possess all
which came from His hand what bene
fit would they bring us2 On the other
hand, how i'll could this world afford
to lose what He gave it by those
matchless three years of the service
of the ideal. Whether a man be plOw
ing OF preaching, sweeping the
streets or building empires, his work
is only worthy if his motive be the
good he is doing for his fellow man.
His satisfaction will only be complete
when it is the result of service rem
dered with the hope of benefitting
mankind And to such there comes
pride in the labor of his hands or
brain far more satisfying than the
monetary consideration which may be
his. In this there is the true realiza
ton of the brotherhood of man. And
we have already seen this evening
to what extent one great branch of
union labor has caught the vision Of
this brotherhood.
The motto of my native state is,
Omitted we stand, divided we fall"
This is as true of states as it is of
labor. And yet, Notwithstanding the
fact that the achievements of the trade
unions are familiar, there are those
who look askance at what unionism
stands for. The power of collective
force is such as to command respect,
whether that force is ever applied or
not. The great advancement of labor
conditions during the past 30 to so
years is Q marvel to even men Of
union labor And yet nothing is ever
attained in this world without sacri-
flee. Union labor is today enjoying
privileges for which our forebears
sacrificed and sacrificed literally and
ungrudgingly. The thinking mind
realizes that the purpose of life is not
what we get out of life which gives
the highest JOY or brings the greatest
I enjoyment. The true purpose of liv-
| ing is service. And that man who rem
ders mere self-service to the world is
indeed poor. The member of union
| labor must learn TO think not in
terms of self, but in therms which in
clude his fellowman. TO be always
thinking in terms of self begets within
one the spirit of the despot. While
to take into consideration others will
! beget within one the spirit of human
| itarism and brotherhood so essential
to union labor. One has truly said,
an the great advancement Of labor
| conditions that have been made the
dark side is found in the narrow, in
| tolerant guild feeling, the appetite
| for power, the recklessness as to the
use of it. the cult of the union as
sort of sacred object in comparison
with which duties and obligations to
others, to the mass of the community,
are forgotten" And while there are,
of course, plenty of greedy, grasping
and intolerant employers, there are
also not few who are in the ranks
| of labor who seek not the good of the
union with which they may be identi-
| fled. But such are happily growing
fewer in number as the policies of
union labor are being shaped by think
| ing men. The labor demagogue is los
ing ground every day among men true
| to the principles of union labor. Only
|
rights of men for a reasonable share
| in the profits which they are bringing
| to their employers, deny the value of
| But deny it as they may, union labor
| has become a most potent factor IN
the economic world today. And while
not a prophet nor even the son of
| prophet | am firmly convinced that
L. l,oc Iad
| labor will be an even greater factor
in the world than ever before. A
slumbering giant when once awakened
| to his full power and opportunities
will make his efforts manifest even IN
| greater measure than ever before.
| For there never has been doubt IN
my mind but what union labor has
come to stay in the world
Those who work for wages make up
the great body of the people in the
an industrial society. Since democ-
racy is based on the assumption that
the welfare of the majority must be
regarded as paramount, it seems evil
dent that any system of governmental
or social organization that processes
to be democratic must regard the well
fare of the wage-earners as of para
mount Importance. In so far as the
community fails to give first place to
the welfare of the wage-earners, who
make up the greatest number in an
industrial society, it fails in it's efforts
to establish democracy.
When the American people q will
ing to stand frankly for the PROPOSE
tion that the good things of life
shall go to the favored few who hold
the natural resources or some other
form of monopoly power, there will
be no further necessity to discuss
democracy. But so long as the Ameri-
can government is organized as de-
mocracy, and so long as American
society is based on democratic prin-
ciples, it will be necessary to insist
on the fundamentals of democracy un-
til the last bulwark of privilege is
destroyed and democracy is, indeed, a
reality. The workers who carry the
burdens of the worlds activities,
should have a reward commensurate
with the service they render. They do
the work. They should receive an
adequate pay. And that pay should
not be the minimum which is often