Montana labor news., 1936-09-03
PRESBYTERIAN GROUP URGES PRODUCTION
OPERATED PRIMARILY FOR SOCIAL SERVICE


man and not merely something me-
chanical or material or financial. 1t
is not first of all. an under
taking for gain, but it is first of all
an undertaking in which human be-
ings work together for purposes of.
Joint and common interest.
Leaving land aside, the essen
tial elements in the production of
wealth are all human beings and
not dead distractions to be spelled
with a capital letter and treated as
if they were neither flesh nor blood.
"It is now apparent that sound
economic and industrial policy will
so organize industry that every CO..
operating element shall have a'per-
sonal interest in its success ard a
personal share in its gain,
1.-THE elements that enter into
productive industry r three-fold:
First, the man who works with his
hands; second, the man who works
with his head; third, the man who
works with his money. Sometimes
there is an overlapping of two Of
these classes, or in some cases. of
all three of them, but in general
each class represents a special
group in the industrial system. Each
member of every such group, there
fore, should be made to have a COM
mon interest in the joint product.
"Why should we not leave off liv-
ing on the edge of an economic and
industrial volcano, waiting in fear
and trembling until the next destruc-
tive and uncomfortable eruption
shall occur, and accept the concep-
ton of industry as a cooperative
enterprise in terms not of profit
only, but of service of and to all
the factors in industry and in the
entire community.
Christian Spirit Must Guide
Industry
Conscience in an industrial so.
ciety will look for moral guidance
on economic matters. Economic
science does not give this guidance
but as Christians we believe tina
Christ, our Master, does give sucl
guidance and therefore under Hin
the Christian must in a measure d,
the same. The church as the mora
guide of society is not an authorit,
on any of the physical, or chemical
or mechanical, or technical processe
of industry. These matters r il
the realm of mechanics, not dynam
les and as such + not in tn
church's peculiar field.
1.-THE deepest and most effectiv
function of the Christian churc
in industry is moral instruction an
inspiration, not technique admins
tration. The church should be tn
boiler and not the engine, by whic
we mean that the church should b
the creator of power rather than tn
deviser of machinery in the realm
: industry.
''It is obvious that the Christia
church must be competent to civ
instruction in the moral laws whic
govern our social, industrial and p'
litical life. Our day requires tn
instruction, the people desire it, ar
the Christian church as the NOR
guide Of society should give it. !
whom else can the men of industl
look for instruction in the NOR
principles of a true social order
, not to the Christian church?
= 'The minister who does not di
cover laws of social life in his te
book, the Bible, has studied it
very little purpose. The minist
who does not teach these laws do
not follow the example of either t
Old Testament prophets, the Ne
Testament Apostles, or the Divi
:, Master of both"
80 Community Service Is Funda-
! mental Principle.
SIS On the position Of the church wi
regard to specific groups which a
vocate definite plans for changi
our political and industrial orga
izations the message said:
ne GAS churchmen we cannot affo
e. to place the churches of America
ne the disposal of any political pan
m or economic system. The atten
r to identify the church with a
theory of individualism OF collect
ism is wrong, for the church is I
bound to any economic theory
no political system. AS Christians
n ought to remember that while {