THE RELIGION OF LABOR.

THE RELIGION OF LABOR.

At the Epworth League meeting in Detroit Saturday evening Henry D. Lloyd spoke on "Riches and Religion," and declared that the supreme issue of the age is between these two forces. Among other things he said to submit to monopoly is inconsistent with the principles of Christianity.

"To be a monopolist," said Mr. Lloyd, "or to submit to monopoly or to allow our brothers and sisters to submit to monopoly is wholly inconsistent with the doing the will of the father, or coming unto me, or trying to be perfect - which is loving God - and wholly irreconcilable while doing as you would be done by, bearing one another's burdens - which is loving your neighbor."

"Not until the people make themselves their own masters in their business, their industry, their livelihood, matters of their own time, their own money, their own opinion, their own wills, can they be masters in their government or in their churches, or anywhere. Slave anywhere is slave everywhere. You cannot make a rope of sand, an army of sheep, a democracy of cowards, nor a church.

"To make the most of ourselves, human and devine, to help others to make the most of themselves, to recognize that we are not getting our best unless all our neighbors, red, black, white and yellow, are getting their best, to create the institutions which will make it possible for all the people to lead this life together. This is democracy and christianity. This democracy and christianity are now moving forward to civilize and sanctify the largest of all the fields of human association - the common toil. This is the religion of labor.

"The religion of labor says: "There is never any disobedience of the commandment, thou shalt not kill, if it is not disobeyed, if such needless slaughter occurs because the laws requiring life saving appliances are disregarded, because men are overworked, because grade crossings are unguarded, incompetents are put where life depends on competence, and because profits instead of being devoted to improved service are spent on more palaces, more yachts, more game preserves, more consolidations, more legislatures and other luxuries.

"Here it comes - the issue of the ages - the issue between rich and the people - for the poor are the people. There has been no history which the poor have not written, and by them and for them is now about the be written the greatest chapter of all, not to make the rich poor, but to make all the people rich.

"To make good christians we must make good Christ's denunciation of wealth, and this we can do by making it commonwealth. It would be hard to find an honest dollar in what we call 'wealth.'  Wealth is not the farm, home or shop, or savings of the poor man - it is riches, excess. It is an unfair share of the general product which was made by the co-operation of all. Or, it is held in order to give to its obainers or inheritors a welfare superior to the general welfare. Or, it was accumulated by getting more than was given.Or, it consists of what was the property of others got from them without their consent, or even knowledge, and very often in violation of the law - by stealing in short, in the blunt language of the ten commandments. Or it is enjoyed by its owners, in a luxury, and misemployment of labor, and a closure of the resources of nature to the people, which forbids all the children, the little ones or the grown-ups from that fullness of life by which alone could they come unto me."

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The Volunteers of America have established at Benton Harbor a fresh air camp for the slum children of Chicago. Nor do they stop with this treat for the little ones who seldom see a green thing about their slum home life, but they propose to give the mothers of these poor children a chance to go along. The Volunteers will do a good work if they are able to carry out these plans. The mothers of these poverty stricken children will be benefited by a few days in the country quite as much as the little ones. There is exceeding little in the lives of such mothers which in any way approaches happiness. There may not be in the lives of the husbands and fathers either, but certainly there is less of monotony and more of variety and freedom to go and come than belongs to poverty stricken mothers. The husbands get away from their homes during the day, but the mothers are obliged to remain in the same squalid, poverty stricken, monotonous surroundings day in and day out. The husband meets various others during his days away from home who are on a different plane of life, he goes to the saloons and associates, unwisely perhaps, with others, all of which is foreign to the mothers. The children, never having known different surroundings, do not appreciate different and better conditions. They do not realize what is theri loss in the way of interest, pleasure and comfort. But the mother senses all she herself is deprived of and her children as well. Hers is the saddest lot and if the Volunteers can put a bright spot into the lives of the mothers in the way proposed, they will certainly be doing as good a work as they do in getting the children out in the country for a few days' touch with nature.