Poverty And Christianity

To the Editor of The Register : Sir: - Id yourarticle last week on Mr8. Chant, you very correctly point out that poverty is an insuperable obstacle in the way of moral advancement, and pertinently ask the church, "What are you going to do about it ?" I beg to submit the answer that the visible organizad church occupies its traditional position toward this vital question, viz : 'Opposition to reform.' I think the Rev. Mr. Davig, of Detroit, raay be taken as fairly representing ganized christianity in his views on the question. Congregationalism stands midway between the so-called orthodox and liberal sects, and I think he representa the most popular type of preacher now prevalent in churches. On Sunday, May 27, in the Congregational ohurch in this city, he took as the main part of his subject, "Money-making," indicating his position toward poverty by distinctly approving of the system now prevailicg, in which there must be many who must be poor through no fault of their own. In the sermón, while he was oblivious to many facts and much of accepted political economy, yethe showed much research and a gouu ueai oí acuie uiuugui ; saw a possible danger and a real disease, but prescribed an impossible remedy. He started out with a very inaccurate statement; forgetting that money is only a medium of exchange, he described vividly how it is omnipotent, - it feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, houses the poor, builds bridges, digs tunnels, etc., etc. ín no exact sense can this be true, for when any of these things are done it is by meaos of man's labor applied to natural opportunities, and the difference is very wide in ethical considerations. He was by no means blind to the evils of the love of money ; he spoke of its materializing influence upon the ricb, its vulgarizing effect upon the middle cíass, and its brutalizing the poor ; he pointed out the hypnotizing power of wealth in a moral sense, and after instancing the growth of the wealth of this country asked, 'Can the church stand its prosperity ?' Finally he exhorted his hearers to hold money with a loóse grasp, to desire it only as a means to do good, and to keep the love of it subordínate to the love of God. This sounds very good, but on close examination it proves to be a sanctimonious approval of our present system, giving advice impossible to follow regarding our individual conduct; for to live in civilization and to follow his exhortation is a trifle harder than to fly in the air : the latter may be done by aid of a balloon, but when you go up you don't know where you are going, or where or how you will come down. The only law thatis infallible in making money, is, "get all you can and hold fast to it." Now suppose we start out to live up to this reverend gentleman's advice, and are fully determined to love money less than God, and hold it with a loóse hand. We will not obey the steel rule of commerae, "beat your neighbor when you can," so we will ask of our neighbors nothing but their just obligation9 toward us, whilo our conscience and the re3t of the world require from us the fulfillment not only of our just, but our legal obligations, and those who are in business know how impossible it would be to make both ends meet under such conditions. If a man holds his money today with anything but the very tightest grip, poverty is the inevitable resuli, and under existing circumstances following Mr. Davis' advice we a9cend rapidly into the clouds of spiritual exaltation, but the descent into poverty is sure and much more dangerous than any descent ever made by an aeronaut ; in fact one has very slim chances of ending anywhere else than in the poor house or death by privation; because the Almighty Dollar's gospel of "every man for himgelf and the devil take the hindmost" is supreme. Jesus himself did not have and could not have wealtb, and a perfectly honest man cannot hold wealth while he lives among the miserable dishonest mi!lions in the world, and if he does not hold wealth with a firm hand the devil of povty will surely catch him with a terrible g"PAs well might the advice be given to half the competitors in a race, - "do not run 60 fast ; you are hurting yourselves ; don't think more of the race than you do of your health," - knowin? that the era would not elack up even though some might, and the only chance of getting a plaoe in the race is to strain every muscle to the ful lest ex tent. In the matter of desiring money only to do good, I'm reminded of the hero of a yellow-covered novel, named Dick Turpin, of the olden times in England, who robbed the rich and gave to the poor ; but today the rich have the knack of shifting their expenses to the poor, go that ia making anything more than a bare living one must rob ihe poor instead ol the rich. But never mind, we will give it to the missionaries in África - forgetting that we make ten heathen to one that is converted by our money. There was one who loved justice, who said "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." To use Carlyle's image, modern society is iike a pot of tamed Egyptian viperp, each struggüng to get to the top. The strong get there and stay there, having no burdens to sustain, but the weak cannot get there because of the very weight of those above. Will not the honest, in and out of the church, arise in their might and say these things shall not be ! God has made ampie provisión for the wants of all men during tbeir life, and the competitive system that forcea men to prey off each other is the result ot man's laws. God ordained that man should wrestle with nature for the supply of his wants, but modern law sayg that man must struggle with each other, and how deadly is that struggle, witness Mrs. Chant, who told not one-half as woeful a tale as New Yorkyields every night, and our other large cities are not much behind. It may be said that our competitive system is the parent of industry, invention and economy. To tome extent it has been but to a much greater extent it haa brought forth vice, want, misery, ignorance, dishonesty and crime untold. Will some oneplease show me anything that admits of our competitive social system, in the Sermón on the Mount, the Mosaic law, the Lord's prayer, or indeed any of the teachings of Jesus. It can't be done. Therefore, for a remedy, let natural portunities be free to all meo. none of God's gifts to the race being appropriated by a few persons for their exclusive benefit. If the community gives land a valué, let the community appropriate that value. In short, taz all land to lts full rental value, then all men will have the result of their labor and that only. Thus may men live as brotherg, obeying God's laws, giving money its due place and holding it with a loóse hand. Thus prosperity may and will increase infinitely without any danger whatever to the community or the church. Yours,