The Haslingden Gazette. — 1908-10-10 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

NOTES FOR WORKMEN. the present time, and it was "How can I be , brought into a right relation with my environment. or in other words, my circumstances, 60 that they will not overpower me but shall minister to lay true evolution":' It oats very important question. lie was perfectly certain The position el Mr. Richard Bell as leading that difficulties were made to be overcome, and official of the railway servants has never been an when they were overcome sorrow was turned into enviable one. But just no wit is absolutely a joy, and the curse was turned into a blessing. It bed of thorns. The working conditions of the was alarming what terrible things were happen- general body of railway workers seem to be going in regard to suicide. It was sad to hear a ing from bad to worse, and, of course, Mr. Bell teacher declare at Paddington Station that he has to bear the brunt of the complaints. He is would commit suicide if he did not pass his ex- expected to do solnething to remedy these grievaniinatimi. It was said that General Luard lost ances, but w-hat can he do:' The great railway his strength and committed suicide to escalie the companies have evidently put their heads toattacks toady against him. In the United States gether and determined to reduce expenses. That of America more people by thousands died by means putting the screw on the men. When Mr. laving hands upon themselves than were lost in Bell protests against this screw he knows that all the deaths in the South African War. The his protests will be of small avail for it is part chief end of man was to know God, to glorify and parcel of the policy of economy that the mini. Govt. and to enjoy Him for ever. They would 'tallied have at all costs determined to carry out. never take a right view of their surroundings, or • • • get into a right relation in their environment One of the most serious grounds of complaint is until they realised that sin was sin, and until that men are being turned adrift without good they were saints who were sinners saved by grace. cause after years of honourable and faithful Without the latter life was a poor miserable vice. The position of a rail.aynian used to be thing, scarcely worth living at all. But if they regarded as one of the greatest permanence and took hold of the power which made for righteous. security. In feet, last November, when the big nets and were religious that made life worth liv- railway strike was threatened, the directors of ing. Because present conditions were hard we the railway companies put it forward as one of wanted to realise that Jesus Christ was here, that the advantaged of a railwayman's position that -Jesus of Nazareth passeth by," that He knew his employment was constant and permanent. we needed food, clothing, and shelter, and that Twelve months have not gone by since then, but if we wanted these things we must obey the if the directors made that statement today they spiritual law of God first. His second question would be thought to be indulging in a ghastly was, "What is that fly in the ointment that can joke. There are not many callings to-day. in spoil the best legislation, the best institutions, the which a tuna's employment is more sinecure than best reforms"? That fly was am. If a man on thu railway. One result of the present policy would drink his brains away, and his health away, of the directors is that any spiteful and narrow. if a man would yield to his lusts and his appetite, minded foreman is able to exercise a species of and let the devil control the body that was given terrorism over the men beneath him. Many to lie a temple of God. if a man would say he good and reliable railway servants find shiny. must have excitement and therefore hi. must bet selves in the street and practically' ruined for away the money that ought to go to his wife life through the dirty intrigues and machinations and children, if a man must gamble and do which this system leads to, things of that character, the best legislation, the • • • best institutions, the hest regulations, the best Yes; in spite of the •• All Grades Movement" of  ..........-.. reforms in all.„ the world would do no good. of last year, wages and conditions of service on (Applause.) Therefore the thing lie asked them railways are going from bad to worse. How to face was the fact of sin. 'a here never was an it? It is no Chinese pusslo. The reason is the error that ever arose in the Church but had its lack of unity among railwaymen on the one hand origin in a defective view of the sinfulness of there are the railway companies combined prat, sin. They wanted to call sin sin whether it was Beastly like one huge corporation or trust. On in the rich man or the poor man. (Hear, hear.) the other hand there are the men belonging to Another question was why they made such a fuss live or six different trades unions, and ontehalf about religious education. He hoped they had of thorn belonging to no union at all. The consmade up their minds that unless they had got ponies are undo( and the men are divided. That something to believe in, something to hope for, explains everything. I sometimes think if the something to trust in arid to be sure of. all whole of the present unions to which railwaymen sanction for morality was gone and their condi• belong were disbanded it would be a good stung. tion was far worse than that of the heathen. There would then be • chancre to form a powerful The whole scaffolding of the nation was erected union to etnbrace them all. The present unions, by the Church in the Word of God in her hands, with their jealousies and divisions, aotually seem the whole public opinion of this country had been to stand in the way of unity. One calamitous the outcome of centuries of Christian teaching. result of the divided state of railwaynien ani which must: be inculcated in the children of our their unions was the acceptance of the disastrous schools. Another question was, what were cone Lloyd-Georgian settlement of last November of the reasons why the man in the street was There is no doubt that if ever the rank and file often out of worls'! A fact which he noticed, of railwaymen were united in spirit and deter. but to which little attention was given. was that mined to force concessions from the companies the population of London to-day was just about it was then. And there is no doubt that the the number of people that formed the population directors of the companies were genuinely afraid of the whole country in the days of Henry