Golden Age, June 7, 1922
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Golden A.^e
A JOUR-NAL-OF FACT HOPE-AND-CONVICTION
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WEDNESDAY,. JUNE 7. IMS
CONTENTS of the GOLDEN AGE
LABOR AND ECONOMICS Why lien’s Hearts Are Fallin, Them
■ I- Buaineaa to the Beucuo - —
Buuahlng the Unions
A Hungry Dog ..... —
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL
The "New Woman” -MT Logie at Bvmte _____Ml American Pioneers______MT Modern Olarlty
InSnence of Christianity MS Slaves of Ctateta
Fainting Versus Romping M9 Liberty and Dm Itarever The Maternal Safeguard MO (poeta) TA
A Civilising Factor K" Let the Certain HU __
A Masculine Mentality —Ml (poem) ...... -TK
FINANCE—COMMERCE—TRANSPORTATION A Short Leeson tn VlnaiwWi ----------- .
Looking for Money
POLITICAL—DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN The Political Situation __BS3 Direct LaglalaSloa
Religious Conditions —M3 Prltat Bala la Ireland —MS
HOME AND HEALTH Balanced Menu Hard to Gat ■
Wonderful Cures by Milk Diet
TRAVEL AND MISCELLANT Polar Baglou Getting Wann*_________——
RELIGION AND PHILO8OPHT
<Tbe Reformation '
' A Study in Relativity _____--
, Chaining the Devil saw
Ite Fall of Modem Babylon _________________BT>
' Dark Day of May 11, 1T80 ...................... , .. . ST*
■todies In the “Harp af God” ----------------- STB
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। The Golden Age
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h- The “New Woman” By 0. L. Bosenkraiu, Jr. ' . ■ •_ -
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■- TfTHEN the “new woman” came into the lime® f ’W light as a kind of “forlorn hope,” woman’s ’i! sphere of activity was much circumscribed. % Man enjoyed a virtual monopoly of bread-win' Ming, and any encroachment on his time-hon-’/' ■'ofed prerogatives was considered so indecorous J Me to be disreputable. Women as a class were T dependent on men for a livelihood; so marriage ’ was in consequence the logical goal of woman’s s ambition. Spinsters were generally held in low ’■"esteem, being regarded somewhat as incompe-^Hjtotswho had forfeited their daim to respect neglecting their youthful opportunities. Of ^^BOUrse there was a patent injustice in this which rankled in the hearts of those who for any rea-^ ipn had suffered the misfortune of involuntary ^j'tolibacy. But, in the main, as long as the old economic order prevailed, woman’s dependency , entailed no unmitigated hardship; for the average man cherished his women-folk and was proud to figure as their protector.
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EFFECT OF MACHINEBY
'- The application of steam to mechanics revo* hrtionized industry and correspondingly effect-a revision of civilized society. The humdrum ' habits of centuries were displaced by the hurry and bustle of a new, busy, prosaic world, filled £ 4‘ with the clangor and drone of machinery, sor-,/ did with soot and dust and debris, impatient of ’ idealism, engrossed in profits. The domestic ■' village workshop was superseded by cooperative * production on an enormous scale after steam ' , and electricity had supplanted hand-, water-, -and horse-power as the motive forces of indus-ttrjr. The population moved en masse from the rural districts into the crowded industrial cen' ‘ ters. Society reorganized itself with startling \ rapidity to accommodate itself to the new conditions, and the effect oh woman’s status was
far-reaching. Immediately, it was to curtail her domestic sphere of usefulness by substituting factory products for home-made articles. To offset tins deprivation it introduced her to a new field of labor in the mills, where wpmaa soon demonstrated her value as aneccnomie factor by her patience, tractability, deftnoas of hand, and loyalty to her employers. In the * lighter occupations her unexcelled swiftness and accuracy as a worker made her more in demand than men, and not by any means' the fact, simply, that she could be hired for a lower wage. . .' . 1
AMBBICAK PIOKEBBS
So woman discovered her ability to be self- . sustaining—that she was not preordained to exist merely as 'a “parasite on man” ; and with
that knowledge there awoke in her self-refianee,
instilling greater independence in her attitude toward life. She declared herself unwil^ng to '1 continue as “man’s plaything or his drudge.” Ambition was aroused in her to demand “higher ’
education”; and this being conceded, she availed herself of her opportunities to fit herself for commercial and professional life. In short, wo* man boldly challenged the hitherto unquestion- * ed superiority of man and, strange to rdatol compelled man, slowly and grudgingly, perhaps^ but with a certain admiration for her pertinao- J ity, to yield the point The culmination of her - -aspirations was political enfranchisement Chafing under the stigma of being included to the “infant, imbecile, and criminal class,” sho finally succeeded in convincing her brothers of _ ; the inconsistency of allowing her to hold property while denying her any voice in the expenditure of taxes. Today we have women jurymen, women mayors, and women legislator^
In the Old World, where her efforts were retarded by veneration for musty tradition, wo-
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man’s emancipation might have been long delayed. But across the Atlantic white men, from colonial times, have granted their women unusual respect and consideration. Women were scarce with the pioneers and therefore precious. The echo of this sentiment is still audible in the West, where even recently woman reigned a queen, as such exacting homage, though her position might be no more exalted than that of "biscuit shooter” or of the cow-man’s painted partner of the dance-hall.
But woman’s prestige was lower throughout most of the earth, where from* immemorial antiquity the sex-line had been sharply drawn. In ancient Hellas it was held infamous for either sex to affect the dress or the deportment of the other. “Women were not allowed to say, ‘Me Hercule!’ nor men, ‘Me Castor!’ ” It was effeminate in a man to wear his tunic hem below the knees or his sleeves lower than the elbows; and no reputable woman intruded on the male privacy of public life. Every banquet was a “stag party” then; women were content to stay in the background as the inspirers of men. The Roman sense of equity conceded the matron a legal status almost equivalent to that of our day. The Germanic tribes have been referred to as “woman worshipers,” owing to their supposed recognition of. something divine in woman’s nature; hence the great repute of prophetesses among them, and the divine honors sometimes paid their chieftainesses. But their “saga-men” extolled rather the tried loyalty of the connubial . relations than the ecstatic courtship of adolescence. But the “single standard of morality” obtained with them; and conjugal fidelity, it was their boast, was the foundation for their superior strength and stature.
INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY
Ecclesiasticism repealed much of the feminine privilege, insisting on implicit obedience and uncomplaining submission both from wife to husband and from -the unwashed nun to her "spiritual superiors.” Woman was described as a “pleasant evil, at once a honeycomb and a poison.” St. Augustine declared man alone to be made in the image of the Deity; woman was made merely in the image of man. To the "fathers of the church” both sex-equality and personal cleanliness suggested heathen licentiousness.
Nevertheless, the influence of Christianity
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ameliorated the position of women by softening the brutality of the sons of Japhet and infusing spirituality into their conception of love. The artist of Hellas modeled a nymph or a goddess with faultless figure, but somewhat vacuous countenance. His medieval antitype volumin-ously draped the figure of his Madonna, but -etherealized the beauty of her face. JEstheti- ;" cism, the child of athleticism, gave place to ad-miration for character. The theme of troubador, the inspiration of tournament and "Court of ' k Love,” was the refinement of courtship to an exaggerated deference. The “gentil knight” placed the demoiselle, his “ladye love,” on a pedestal and wooed her with extravagant self- -abasements as superior clay.
Chivalry attained its zenith in the salons of France under the ancien regime, but it had never recognized the kilted fish-wife as entitled to its privileges; so she marched with her pike, in peasant camaraderie, beside liberty-capped Jacque with his bloody sabre when the Bastile was stormed. Napoleon established the bourgeois element in power, and they revived thqr •-idealization of woman. The same has persisted in a bourgeois society, even until our own day, more conspicuously so in our own "Sunny South,” steeped in sentimentalism since ante- -helium times — the deplorable result, thinks Mark Twain, of excessive admiration for Sir Walter Scott. ' , .
GOING TO EXTREMES
There exists in human nature a tendency to go to extremes. Man conceives a part, and then overplays it. This is exemplified in the decadence of Islam. Mohammed, the wily, astutely argued that the surest method of perpetuating the subjugation of the “infidel” was to appropriate their women. So he sanctified plurality . of wives, generously extending to all "true believers” the ancient perquisite of royalty Concealed behind the yashmak, and imprisoned behind the lattice-windowed zenana, denied edu-' cation and the dignity of “souls,” the influence of Moslem women must be ostensibly feeble. But the combined influence of the mothers, . 1
wives, and daughters of a whole people during many succeeding generations is bound to be tremendously potent, for either good or ilL The J debauching of its womanhood reacted to de- - '' bauch all Islam. Ignorance and inanity begat stupidity, bigotry, retrogression; and so stagnation ensued anff spiritual torpor.
t Our forefathers were ardent advocates of the “Trinder, kuchen, kirche” rule imposed by Kaiser ’Wilhelm. Sequestered delicacy and the “cling’ . «ng vine” appealed to their stalwart ruggedness.
Hard, daring characters sought their comple-' ment in opposites; so a dependent womanhood . ingratiatingly emphasized their need of strong protectors. Femininity was. ostentatious in its ’helplessness, cultivating timidity to the extreme of. silliness, and modesty to that of squeamishness. Our latter-day matter-of-factness discerns no indeEcacy in frankly saying “leg’’ instead of "limb.” The staple joke about the maiden lady who draped the legs of her tables and chairs excites wonder instead of merriment with the rising generation — is as stale as the “merry quip” of a feudal court-jester. -
FAINTING VERSUS ROMPING ~
The finickiness of yesterday has produced a revulsion of sentiment in favor of boldness bordering on indecorum. The weak heroine who fainted on the slightest provocation, who wept copiously with no valid excuse, or who beat a ftattoo with her heels in hysterical tantrums, ex-■ - cites modern contempt Even the mild excite-iqpnt of croquet gives place to the romp of bas-r ket-balL Catherine de Medici’s side-saddle is ’ "relegated to oblivion by a generation partial to knee-skirts, bobbed hair, and the one-piece bathing-suit The prude is succeeded by the hoyden, and an unperturbed public callously accustoms itself to the new fashions with hardly a wag of disapproval. .
The unchaperoned “flapper” with her “fag” is prone to sniff at the flounced hoop-skirts of her . prim grandmother, but the latter’s demureness often disguised a gentle ruggedness that required ne self-assertion. In a crisis she possessed * the strength of .character to stand behind her husband and load his spare rifle, while he beat off the circling red-skins from the “prairie schooner” that sheltered their brood. So, likewise, her remote Germanic fore-mothers fiercely defended their “wagon castles” from the ruthless legionaries. Our grandmothers could spin, and weave, and nurse the sick, and prepare wholesome food to build up strong, healthy bodies. With uncomplaining fortitude they endured unimaginable privations, lonelinesses, sorrows, and sacrifices to keep the home-fires kindled in the heart of a race.
.We owe an incalculable debt to the exemplary virtues of our mothers and, above all, to their superior purity, their greater freedom from vice and licentiousness than the men, which saved us from more rapid deterioration. Our ancestresses had their foibles, in spite of which they were the true, inspiration of our forefathers, more than any lure of land or of gold or of beckoning adventure.
THE MATERNAL SAFEGUARD
The maternal extinct is the safeguard of infancy, whereby is guaranteed perpetuation of posterity. The insurance of this safeguard has always been the protection afforded motherhood in the more quiescent life of woman provided by the regulations of social economy. Even savages recognized the necessity for man attending to the more dangerous, active interests, and for woman being guarded in the maternal function. The result was a division of labor whereby a disproportionate share of the drudgery of life often fell to the women. It is the tragedy of modern life that while it ameliorates much of the monotony and drudgery-of woman’s life, yet its economic conditions are such as to allow an inadequate protection for motherhood, owing to the subversion of the home. Moreover, motherhood is peculiarly menaced by a subtle change in woman’s character.
It is undeniable that- woman’s character is undergoing a metamorphosis palpable within even a generation. Participation in public life has been a hardening process. The severe struggle of tnodern industrialism tends to eliminate weaklings. Women are discarding their inherent weakness since the term “strong-minded woman” is no longer opprobrious; but the transition is yet incomplete, and the immediate effect serves to emphasize the unlovely traits of woman and to obscure her more attractive qualities.
▲ DARKER SIDE
Often, without predisposition to justice, woman is becoming unmerciful to the erring, uncompassionate to suffering; without correcting her propensity to frivolity and jealousy, she is developing one toward intemperance and brutality; without acquiring wide sympathies, she is abating the intensity of her natural sympathies. Her deceitfulness is. unrelieved by a sense of fair play; her gentleness and affection are perverted into cynicism, asperity, and superciliousness. Dismissing modesty, she manifesto brazen self-assertion and an inclination to impudence. Without love of truth, she is fanatical in her opinions and vehemently antipathetic to her opponents. Her approbativeness demands admiration even for her faults; the sex-lure is perverted to-consider man a dupe; coquetry and the feigned flight give place to the deliberate aggressiveness of the “vamp”. Triumph has begotten inordinate conceit, intriguing her to regard man as a mere nonentity, and woman as the superior sex; therefore man’s rules and regulations are not binding when woman’s whim or caprice wills their violation.
Any comparison of the mentality of men and women must be with reference to standards of the past; for the present generation is in an epoch of transition. Formerly the character of all men reflected in their intrinsic features that of father Adam; all women that of mother Eve. Man was the “head of woman,” the active intelligence, the ruler, the reasoner. Women represented the passive, negative rule, the nourishes of the life-spark which-man transmitted. There have been exceptions, of course. Perhaps Semiramis was one, that original "managing woman” who perpetuated her dominion as the "mother . behind the gods” in the many-aspected goddess Gea, the earth, widely worshiped as the spirit of fecundity in nature under a diversity of disguises, such as Jshtar, Isis, Astarte; as Diana the chaste and as Aphrodite the wanton; as Mama Capac in Peru and as the Madonna of the Middle Ages; and whose latest apotheosis seems to be Mrs. Eddy.
• ' kheb sewstbimties
Wherever men conceded the spiritual superiority of woman, they inadvertently submitted their wills to Semiramis, founder of all false religion. Yet, in a sense, woman is more spiritual than is man, owing to her finer sensibilities, her more sensitive organism. In some instances her emotions are a more reliable guide than is man’s reason. But she is so frequently beguiled intofalse inferences by her faith in the infallibility of her intuition that with rare excep-• tions woman has in the past been unfit to govern, so that even Elizabeth Tudor must depend on the judgment of her councillors or else disconcert the best-laid plans of statecraft.
Chaucer’s fairy divulged that the secret desire of woman’s heart was power; but generally woman has achieved her aims through influence, exerting the same as invisible power, usually for good ends, often for evil; impressing the moral-, ity of a generation with the stamp of her quiet virtue, as a Victoria; or throwing nations into a turmoil, as a Madame de Maintenon. Travelers in Africa found it expedient to conciliate the good-will of the Negro women; for despite the degrading servitude of the latter, their,, friendship guaranteed the hospitality of their lords.
In old, thickly settled communities, as France and Burmah, where women have so long outnumbered the men that they are economically more important, woman has been satisfied to concede man a kind of strutting preeminence, as the figure-head master, while herself retaining the actual, though unostentatious, management of business. Here her mentality seems to have risen to surmount its inherent deficiencies without softening the masculine by developing at the latter’s expense. The balance is preserved by a tacit assumption of the masculine right to dominate and protect. •
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• a civiLizrN’G factor
Woman has prospered by the decay of brute force. Civilized, artificial conditions, by enhaxtb-ing her safety, enable her to dispense with the, male protection to an extent never before possible. Woman is a civilizing factor, struggling interminably with blind persistence for improved conditions of life, whereby herself incidentally derives most benefit in the sequel Civilization tends to create a "woman’s world” wherein femininistic ideals prevail and the robust vir- . tues of a pioneer age decay. Eventually social emasculation ensues, bringing national decline which, according to historical precedents, invites subjugation of the effete race by a ruder, <• manlier people. This contingency is an unlikely one in our times for the reason that military success is no longer dependent bn physical strength and courage.
Moreover, feminism is spreading among all nations, though by almost imperceptible degrees. Everywhere women are hearkening eagerly to the promise and are being thrilled by hope; and everywhere their ideals are imposing themselves with perpetually stronger force on society. In Great Britain the Pankhurst window-smashing propaganda has paved the way for admission into the sacred precincts of the House of Lords. Finland, Russia', Czecho-
Slovakia, and the Irish Free State extend the • suffrage as a matter of common justice. The
Turkish women are ignoring harem restraints and appearing unveiled in public. Japanese women are abjuring the self-effacing docility of • their immemorial training. Even the despised women of China refuse any longer to condemn their daughters to the tortures and toddling helplessness of the "Golden Lily.” Rich Chinamen can take down the signs from their ponds forbidding the drowning of girl-children. For women are in revolt, and men are hastening to express approval and to congratulate them on their success. Even the most conservative advocate of the idea -that woman’s place is the home begins to perceive the futility of his prejudices ; for the confines of the home are becoming too narrow for woman’s ambition.
- A MASCULINE MENTALITY
With her ambitions woman is acquiring a masculine mentality; but it must not be hastily assumed that this is unadulterated advantage, accomplished without a sacrifice. The feminine ? mentality was imposed by nature to correspond' with her function as child-bearer. Her distorted perspective was deliberately .designed for specific ends, and compensated by special attributes, absent in man, and probably only imperfectly understood by him, to equip her to perform her role in nature properly. The mistake made by modern woman is in believing that she can retain her old function with her new mind. The two are incompatible.
Mind is an adjunct of physique. "You cannot eat your cake and have it, too.” The attempt to do so is an important factor in accelerating racial degeneration. In the scramble, hurry, and excitement of public life women deplete their reserves of vitality, and bear in consequence defective offspring. The New Woman is a debilitator of posterity; though, since she is illogical and a believer in paradoxes, to tell her so is to excite her incredulity and incur her resentment. She is impatient of criticism, denounces all such as filial disloyalty; for is she not the mother of men! Neither is her conduct strictly reprehensible, inasmuch as woman acts more as the unconscious instrument of Providence, perhaps, than from deliberate purpose in
. An each naw day ahall gently beckon And bid na journey yet another mile, . We hope that tear and Borrow, fear and shadow, '■ Will ba forgotten for a little while; -thus unsexing herself. Instead of indomitable mass-ambition, cosmic forces are irresistibly drawing her; she is responding to a subconscious urge; a divine Golden-Age impulse is stirring in her, not to transpose the. sexes, but to merge them. The present effect is discord and the “sex war”; .the ultimate purpose is uniformity and harmony. Gradually sex-distinctions will disappear; for the Holy Scriptures seem to indicate that finally there will exist none in the kingdom.
LOGIC OF EVENTS
We may regret the metamorphosis of woman’s character, but we are constrained to submit to the logic of events. Since the elimination * of sex is contrary to human experience, it is difficult to adjust our preconceptions .to admit its likelihood. Sex is one of the basic facts of life as we know life. All life is regulated by two fundamental impulses; alleviation of hunger, and reproduction.. We have no experience of life disassociated from either. Existence is a sequence of birth and death, of growth and decay; and it is well-nigh impossible for the human mind to grasp any contrary conception. -
Yet the Scriptures inform’us that in the age to come death and decay will cease, the ancient balance of growth and decay will cease; there will be no necessity for reproduction. Meanwhile, the powers of evil pervert the metamorphosis of woman in order to promote confusion. Women are no more wicked than are men, though some of their sins are peculiarly their own. The evil associated with the change in woman’s character is merely a symptom of the reign of unrestrained evil soon to commence in the world.
The man or the woman of today, with only a retrospective view of human experience, naturally conceives of a world without the contrast of manhood and womanhood as a world in which all romance and all the consolations of life would be absent. But doubtless there will be compensations that will extinguish regret for the present imperfect system — 'things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.”— 1 Corinthians 2:9. ‘
For God la wlaa and good, and all things blessed Will surely coma to us. some soon, some lat%
If we but learn each morning's boly lesson Ami th the evening smile and hope and watt.
Why Men’s Hearts are Failing Them
AS WE look around the world, that is, the part of the earth’s surface which is inhabited by what are termed civilized nations, we see trouble and strife. Every man’s hand seems tobe against his brother; greed, selfishness, hatred—all are combined to make bitterness of spirit and thoughts of strife in every man’s mind. The main topic of conversation among thinking men and women is: “When and where is this going to end?” And no one can find a logical answer to the question.
POLITICAL SITUATION
< Looking at the political situation, the great 'thinkers of today can find no solution to the social, and labor problems that confront them. In Great Britain the power and. influence of money has been tried; the* unemployment insurance scheme was hailed as the panacea for* all labor troubles, but the strife between capital and labor has been fought with greater intensity during the past three years than ever before in the history of the country, and this notwithstanding the fact that fifty million pounds sterling have been doled out to those out of work, whether legally so or as strikers.
The British Government was and is between “the devil and the deep blue sea”; had they not continued this insurance policy it meant revolution, and so the money was given prodigally until the fund now is declared insolvent, and yet unemployment is worse than ever. And now this wonderful government has gone to the other extreme and is retrenching as foolishly as it has been extravagant
The worker has refused to lie down and be docile as in the past, but has the temerity and audacity to say that he intends to have his share in the good things of this world, and does notx mean to let the other fellow stand in his way, and that he is looking for the time when a labor government shall be in power, and imagines that then things will be satisfactory. Poor fellow, a great disappointment is in store for him. No human government can find the remedy for the troubles of today. It is not until the Golden Age comes into being that the world will know what perfect happiness is.
RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS
The church, as constituted in the various denominations that comprise so-called Christendom, tells us she can cure all our ills, both tem-
By George J. Dunn-poral and spiritual, if we only have patience and give her time. But she has been doing hftr best, or worst, for 1900 years and we are further from the cure than ever; she seems to make a wrong diagnosis of the malady every -time.
We know that in the early days of the nominal church, when Constantine, the emperor of pagan Rome, became converted and Christianized (?), owing to his influence the Roman Catholic system wielded great authority; in fact, it was the fourth and greatest empire that had ever ruled the world; to it was given power to make and unmake kings -and- rulers, and it used that power drastically, as history shows, but its power was used solely for one purpose, that is, to keep in subjection the common people, the workers, and to exalt the aristocratic or ruling classes.
The ecclesiastical princes, cardinals, bishops, etc., vied with the princes of civil powers, in the extravagance of their living, making a great show of wealth and authority to overawe the common herd; and so on through.the centuries' ' we read that the people, kept in subjection and in the darkness of ignorance, were allowed small.privileges-providing they could pay the price, but never allowed the opportunity to get above one common level.
Did they wish to know anything of the Word of God as set forth in His holy Book, whence cometh all knowledge? Well, the information could be bought at so much per line. Indulgences were sold, which allowed freedom for *, vice and crime. Murder and practically every, other crime in the calendar could be indulged in, if one had enough money. The effect of all this was to hold the people in leash. <
THE REFORMATION
The church, however, made a big step forward when Luther saw the fallacy of the system under which he, in common with millions more, was suffering, and by the guidance of God ha. was shown the light then due and started the Reformation. This was the first great blow to the “Holy” Roman Catholic system; and, by the way, it started exactly on time, in accordance with Jehovah’s great plan for the redemption of mankind from the bondage of the evil one, and is designated by the apostle Peter in Acts 3:21 as "the time of restitution,
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spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began.”
The people eagerly grasped the chance to rid themselves of the bands and bonds of ecclesi-asticism; and the Reformation movement made great strides, though we can see today that un- fortunately it did not continue as at first to r strive to place a pure religion before the people.
The Reformers soon began to split up*into parties, each holding different views as to how the Word of God should be preached; and now, about 400 years later, we see many different denominations calling themselves Christendom, i. e., Christ’s kingdom. But Christ refuses to recognize this kingdom and has named it “Babylon” (confusion); and well the name fits when we consider the jargon of creeds and superstitions by which they are ruled.
The endeavors of the church up to now have not been for the betterment of the people, but always for her own aggrandizement What is she doing, today? Ask the man in the street— J not the man who employs others to work for . him; for almost without exception, he is a lead.... ing light in one dr other of these systems. Ask * the worker, who has to seek for something apart ' from his daily toil, what help he is getting. I . would not like to repeat the answer that some of them give. * '
While I was talking on the street one Monday morning lately to an acquaintance who is a first-class mechanic out on strike, he told me that he had been to church the day before, which was Sunday, and on coming out was met by one of the employers of his craft, who is a leading light in this particular church. The gentleman promptly began a tirade on the presumption of workers’ organizations, unions and ’ the economic situation in general from his viewpoint I asked my friend if in the church of his choice they taught, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and thy neighbor as thyself’; and he replied: “They don’t preach anything like that in there; it is all about church union.”
We cannot blame any individual or corporation for being selfish and self-centered if those who are supposed to be their shepherds and to lead their thoughts into the ways of righteousness do not fulfill their obligations. The wonderful love which sent our Lord to this earth as a than, to sacrifice His life for our sakes, the Just for the unjust, is being preached less and less from the rostrums of Babylon.
LOOKING FOB M0NBY
How then can the masses of the people look for any solution of their manifold troubles from the ecclesiastical leaders of Christendom? They are all bound up in their own schemes and self- __ ■ ish pursuits. Money is the one thing they preach ' for; and anyone who has this commodity in his possession is sure of a warm welcome into any church, no matter what his moral character may be. .
The. commoner garden variety of church . member is showing signs of weariness, and is grumbling at the ever increasing demands for money, and is beginning to investigate as to what he is -getting in return. Some like to get their religion cheap. The whole system of church' finances is often commented upon and frequently satirized in the press. One skit appeared recently in a poetic effusion aimed at the parsimonious giving of some, and ran as-follows: _
. “He placed a penny in the plate, -Then meekly raised his eyes. -
His weekly rent, he felt, was paid ' For his mansion in the skies.” "
As a matter of fact church-giving is not considered a serious matter except to a few. This goes to show the fallacy of a system which does not energize its followers enough to mate them ' draw from their pockets the wherewithal to pay their ministers a living wage. We cannot wonder that it is getting harder and harder to fill the vacant pulpits of the various denominations.
The Interchurch World Movement, which was started in 1919 with a bombastical pyrotechnical display of advertising, and flowery persiflage of oratory, is no more. Millions of dollars were spent and hundreds of millions promised; for the promotors of this scheme said: “Give us enough money and we will Christianize the whole world.” They performed one good act in the interest of the worker, and that one act killed the scheme. They ran counter to the ideas of their multi-millionaire adherents; so the supplies were cut off and, as their faith could look no farther than a dollar bill multiplied many times, they have had to admit de-' feat. _
Had they indeed been animated with a desire to serve Jehovah, through His Son, the
Savior of mankind, and endeavoring to follow in the footsteps of the Master, nothing could have stopped them, providing it was the Lord’s work. But the fact of their failure and the means used to bring it about show plainly that the prince of this world is their master, the one they serve.
Some serve Satan unknowingly; for their eyes are blinded by the god of this world and they do not see beyond earthly things. “His watchman are blind” is Jehovah’s indictment as given through His prophet (Isaiah 56:10,11); yet these same men read and do not understand. There are some however to whom it is given to understand these things, even as at our Lord’s first advent. Then it was the humble fishermen who recognized Him and His message; so today it is . those who seek Him in true humility who are privileged to understand the great plan of the heavenly Father.
These are ordained to giver^out the message of the kingdom at this time, a message of comfort to suffering humanity—one that will heal the broken-hearted. “Millions now living will never die” is as hard to understand as are most facts that are brought to our notice for the first time; yet this one is given on the authority of God’s holy Word, and the evidence is incontrovertible. It is backed up by the testimony of alljthe prophets of the Old and New Testaments, and clinched by the greatest of them all, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the trumpet call of Messiah’s kingdom. Soon all flesh will understand; and the time is drawing very near when no man will need to say to his neighbor: “Know ye the Lord.”
The apostle Peter puts this very plainly in Acts 3:21. In his great sermon delivered on the day of Pentecost he tells of “times of restitution, spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world began.”
The nominal church, as now constituted, has failed, failed miserably; for they have refused to teach the truth. In Isaiah 9:15 (the whole chapter deals with the ecclesiastical systems of today), it says: “The ancient and honorable he is the head, and the prophet that preacheth lies he is the tail ” Their actions through the centuries and more than ever today have fulfilled that prophecy.
BIG BUSINESS TO THE RESCUE
There is another class or system which has been making much fuss and noise about their great desire to help struggling mankind, and ? that is the big business or capitalistic, class., ?
This is in reality a system which has come into being during the past sixty years, and has grown so rapidly and used its power so drasti- | cally that it has practically placed itself at the t head of all the powers on earth; for all but a f
very few bow to the rule of money. Without' f
doubt in the past there have been those among ' \
the rich men who have tried to use their money . I to do good, and have endeavored to be just stewards. But today unfortunately the money is i-mostly tied up in corporations; and while the number of millionaires has increased by thousands during the past ten years, yet they either cannot or will not use their wealth to benefit £ humanity in the person of the worker. j;
The youths benefit in the endowment of col-leges and seats of learning; medical and surgi- ' cal cases benefit from the endowment of hospitals ; dogs, cats and horses benefit from the endowment of homes; but aU this does not mean any sacrifice to the giver.
When the worker began to wake up and to take notice, some seventy years ago, and asked why he was not allowed a share in some of the good things his labor brought forth, he was ' ■ ' promptly pushed back into his hole again. But he bobbed up once more and took a few more into his confidence, and they started labor unions, and were at once incarcerated in prisons . on the charge of conspiracy.
But the time was at hand when the worker was to enter into his own, the Laodiceairperiod of the history of Christendom was at hand. (Revelation 3:14) Laodicea means “Justice for the people”; and, as history plainly points out, education free to all was started around 1880, in the beginning of the Laodicean period. So v we can see that Jehovah permitted this state of things to come about; and the worker gradually began to rise, a fact which has brought him to his present position as a power to be reckoned with and to be feared by those of an autocratic nature, though he is not quite at the top yet.
SMASHING THE UNIONS
The big business interests have viewed this rise of labor with the deepest alarm; and though willing to give way on-most points, providing I their profits were not interfered with, yet today . with the purchasing price of commodities on the down grade, and the buying public refusing to
' * pay high prices any more, labor in general, especially among the skilled workers, is refusing to accept less for its toil
Capital has boosted labor along for its own end, to get the enormous profits which naturally came from high prices; and now that the bottom - has dropped out of most of these, it wants to ’ push labor back to what it calls normalcy. Labor refuses to retreat. So big business says: “There is only one thing for us to do; we must smash these unions and get back to the open shop.”
Now let us see what this means. Bishop Charles Williams of the Episcopal Church says, whilst speaking strongly on the side of the worker, and taking into consideration the campaign of capital against labor:
“The open-shop movement is to crush labor, right or wrong. The attempt is as futile as sitting on the crater of a volcano. It will inevitably turn into sudden revolution, because they attempt to stifle equality of oppor-tunity.”
« There we have the opinion of a man who is looking at-this question from a neutral stand-iC-- point, and we can see that the whole movement ' is one of fear on the part of capital; else why
. the combines, trusts, etc.T
Whenever the employers form an association or union, whatever one likes to call it (and we / see plenty of them—Rotarians, Kiwanis, Manufacturers Associations, Typothseteas, Builders - Associations; in fact every trade has its bosses’ union under some name or other) they tell us these are all organized for educational purposes.
But as soon as the worker organizes, or combines, it is a conspiracy; and they, big business, are asking and using all their influence to have ' *<' laws passed which shall take all economic power from the labor organizations. But Jehovah is always on the side.of the oppressed, and has promised to deliver them, for the common people are His heritage.
In James 5:3-5 the Lord declares that possessors of wealth are to be called to judgment for not seeking a plan "at their own cost” more equitable than the one in usage today for the uplift of struggling mankind. The law of love, which is perfect liberty, is ignored: selfishness predominates and uses power and liberty as its - servants. But according to the Word of God this will not always be the case; and now we eome to the why. Why this awful confusion f The sea is roaring—the restless masses of mankind heaving and straining, striving to throw off the bonds which are holding them down. The heavens are melting with fervent heat; the ecclesiastical powers are feeling the fire of the Lord’s anger, and their congregations are melt-ing.away before their eyes.
In Haggai 2:6,7, the Lord says: “Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.* The ecclesiastical heavens are to be shaken in the last days, and truly that shaking is taking place. The powers of spiritual control of Christendom are. trembling for their future. They know they are being found out No more can they hoodwink thinking men and women with their eternal punishment theory. Hell fire has no terrors for Ordinary individuals, especially those who went through the recent war, and who were preached into it by the very ones who should have been giving the message of peace.
The earth also is to be shaken; that is, organized society, the law-abiding citizens. This shaking is going on now; for those who may be' termed the middle classes have felt the pinch of high prices of commodities, as well as the necessity of having <o keep up an appearance of prosperity, to hold the respect of their class, without the privilege of forcing more and larger salaries from the government or the corporation from which they derive their incomes.
Reorganization is being carried out, and many who thought their positions secure are being forced onto the street without relief in sight; for there are one hundred applications for any vacant position in business offices. So wages in each branch of toil are being forced down without a corresponding drop in living prices. _
The sea is to be shaken. This represents the great masses of mankind, who, like the sea in a storm, tossing and roaring, never at rest, are always looking for something better than they possess, are readily stirred up by agitators, and are ready to go the limit to obtain what they imagine is justice, but are always held in cheek by the forces of law and order in the persons of the organized forces of capital.
“And the dry land.” This represents the aristocrats, the wealthy class. They imagine that all is safe; they are on the dry land; they see the masses of-the people swaying back and forth, moved by feelings of anger and discontent at the workings of the system under which they are governed, one law for the rich, and another for the poor. But the wealthy think that they are perfectly safe; they have money and with that one can do anything, for it means food, clothing, luxuries, etc.
But are they safe! The Lord says, "No! I will shake them,” and shaken they will be; and that shaking has started. A-*Weilinown banker in London, England, is authority for the statement that owing to the unsettled state of the money market the British Government will in the near future-have to commandeer all cash in the banks. This doubtless refers to gold; but it shows how serious the situation is becoming and to what extent the financial powers are being shaken.
We have seen-credits stopped; small businesses are pushed to the wall, and large ones also, if the financial powers consider it necessary. No business man feels safe today; he is in the power of an autocracy which is new to the world and which is becoming known to many as the “League of Abominations.”
It would take an hour or two tp illustrate tins; but let us say this: This league is a combination of the three elements or powers of control in the world today, ecclesiastical, financial and political, and is striving to make itself into a world empire; it is hailed by the church as the “political expression of Christ’s kingdom on earth,” but it cannot succeed in its designs, for but five universal or world-wide kingdoms were -to rule this earth, according to prophecy. We have already had four, of which one is still endeavoring to reign. These four are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and the Roman or Holy Roman Empire.
The next one is to be Christ’s kingdom, and He is to reign a thousand years. His reign will be one of righteousness. Right then will triumph over wrong, good over evil; gone will be this travesty of law and order, these profiteers and these lying prophets and grafting politicians. Isaiah 65:19-25 tells what that kingdom will be like, and all the holy prophets tell of that glorious time that is the solution of the troubles of this old world. Then there will be no more need to ask why.
A • Hungry Dog By Joseph Greig
mHE leaders in our great industries are now on record as having invented some new terse proverbs to describe the labor situation. One of these is, “A hungry dog knows how to dig.” The other is, “A line of unemployed at the gate of the factory is the best incentive to production.” It seems not to have occurred to them that a hungry dog is not a safe dog to have around, and that an unemployed man is sometimes a desperate man.
Labor leaders, viewing the dog picture from another angle, in one of their publications, The New Day, have given vent to the following:
“Did you ever see a dog without fleas? If you did, you saw a happy, cheerful dog; a dog that lies in the shade of the old apple tree, dreaming of pork chops, jack rabbits and dog fights. Now, if we give this contented dog a handful of fleas, his dog nature will change immediately. Instead of dreaming about juicy pork chops, or how he would lick that brindle pup across the pike, or what he would do to the hind legs of that rabbit running through the underbrush, he sits up and notices things. Pointing a cold, melancholy nose toward heaven, he stretches his neck and starts that peculiar up-and-down stroke characteristic to all flea-bitten dogs.
He has found a job now; he has found useful employment; he has something to scratch for. Now, suppose the flea should sit up on the nose of that dog and say: *Lo and behold me, the benefactor. I have given work to this poor pup. Without me this doggie would have no job. Without me he would have no incentive to scratch.’ Wouldn’t it be funny if the flea would make such an argument? And suppose the dog would vote for the flea on the strength of it, wouldn’t that be still funnier? Yet this is exactly what the working people have done for many, many years.”
The same writer satirically pays his compliments to another sort of flea to whom the aforesaid dog is supposed to gratefully look upward regularly once a month, for the privilege of having a kennel in which to live. He says:
“Then there is another lantern-jawed, slab-sided, hungry-looking individual, usually called a.renter; and he says: “What would people do without landlords? Don’t the landlord furnish the land for the renters? Nowadays a poor devil what ain’t got any land can always go to the landlord and get some.’ Anybody with a grain of sense knows that the landlord furnishes the land. If the landlord had never been born, there wouldn’t be any land; and if the landlord dies and goes to heaven, he takes the land down with him; and where
JVn 7, 1022
that nice farm used to be there is a big square hole in the ground, through which you can see the sun riae.”
The dog himself does not think he is such a useless dog. He says in the words of Budd L. MeKillips: '
I builded your ships, and I sailed them,
I worked in your factories and mines,
I builded the railroads you ride on, I crushed the ripe grapes for your wines.
I worked late at night on your garments, I gathered the grain for your bread, I builded the mansion you live in, I printed the books you have read.
. I linked two great oceans together, I spanned all your rivers with steel, I builded your towering skyscrapers, I builded your automobile.
Wherever there’s progress you’ll find me, Without me the world could not live, And yet you would seek to destroy me With the meager pittance you give.
Too long you have ground me in slavery.
Too long I have cringed at your throne, Today I have thrown off my fetters -
And stand forth to .claim what I own.
Injunctions and jails do not awe me, I fear not your grim prison wall;
.... . I fear neither you nor your tyrants, No more will I cringe at your call.
. You masters of field and of workshop, I am mighty and you are but few;
No longer I’ll bow in submission— I am Labor. I ask for my due.
For the adjustment of these conflicting interests, readers of The Golden Age are not looking to the arm of flesh, but rather to the great Mediator, who is soon to step forth in the plenitude of His power, and heal the breach between these irreconcilables. Moreover, the inspired Prophet foretold that every man would then have his own vine and fig-tree, with no one to make him afraid. Likewise the mighty king of terrors—Death—is thereafter to flee away before the rays of the Millennial Sun, rising to banish sorrow, pain, dying, crying and death, and bringing in their stead an abundance of life, with happiness and ever-increasing joy and overflow of blessing, from man’s best friend— the resurrected Christ!
For it is written as to the stability of those times, that the earth would be full of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the great deep. ’ In conclusion we would say that Mr. Henry Ford couldn’t borrow a dollar to start his first car twenty-four years ago; yet the Word of the Lord must be fulfilled, to the effect that many would run to and fro. Surely the above prophecy will be fulfilled as the Word of ah , immutable God of faithfulness and love. Indeed, may we not soon bear living testimony by wireless that will carry information to every part of the'globe? May this glorious hope inspire us to press onward to the better things, and help remove the sting of present inequality. “Wait on the Lord!”
Modern Charity By an Observer
MILADY was thinking deeply; an unusual occurrence; but the Professors lecture of the preceding evening had made quite a deep impression and had stirred the benevolent faculties of her mind to their very depths.
As she gazed into the reflection of light cast by the shining toe of her dainty slipper, a magazine fell unnoticed to the floor at her side. So deep was she in thought that she forgot to hold it; and one wonders what subject occupied her thoughts. Let us forget the luxurious surroundings, the spacious drawing-room, the cosy rocking-chairs and soft cushions, whilst we trace the thoughts which this Professor and advocate of poor, down-trodden humanity had aroused:
"The natives of the north country really do live a life of extreme hardship, barely able .to keep the wolf from the door, and are unable to secure many of the common necessities of food and raiment for their families, in spite of the fact that they toil hard, early and late. Really, it is too bad. Something ought to be done to help them. It is pitiful to think of those poor little babies dying for want of food or perishing from the cold because of lack of warm clothing. But then, what can I do to help them? Even a large sum of money would seem like nothing among’ so many; and really I haven’t any to spare, because, you see, I surely need a new fur coat this winter, and in the spring we certainly must have a new car. Ours is so terribly out of date that I’m ’getting quite ashamed of it.
“But something ought to be done for those poor people, as Mrs. Sympathetic said last night. Oh, now I have it! I know what we’ll do. We will start a sewing circle and make things for them. We could use up our old clothes and send lots of things we don’t need; and some could buy provisions, things that will keep, such as canned goods, etc. Then others could give money if they wish. I’ll get all my friends interested; and the ladies of our church' and perhaps the Professor would give us a little talk in my home, and I will serve afternoon tea. Yes, and then people will know what kind-hearted tendencies I have, and how I really do feel sorry for the poor and needy in this world. My husband will be so pleased; for he likes to have me show an interest in philanthropic work. It
' helps his business interests. Oh I it’s a capital idea; and I feel so excited about it that I want to start right away! Won’t it be fine if I can raise one thousand dollars worth of goods for those poor creatures!”
At this point Milady left the room to telephone Mrs. Sympathetic, Lady Kindness, Miss Helper and others. All these ladies at once expressed their approval of the idea and prom- , ised their support.
“The Benevolent Society and Sewing Circle for the Welfare of the North Country Natives with Milady as President have had a most flourishing season with well-attended meetings, and the results have been very gratifying so far. But the goal of one thousand dollars worth of goods has not quite been reached, and we need your assistance for the few remaining sessions.” Thus read the article in the Weekly News. So let us enter the Methodist Sunday School room which is kindly loaned for the purpose every Thursday afternoon. •
About a dozen ladies were present, not so many as we expected to see, but then it was a good crowd under the circumstances; for this was only a sewing afternoon, whereas last week the minister had given a short address and there were several musical items. Next week there is to be a special concert and a dance to get the young people interested, and incidentally a charge which would help sv^ell the Society’s funds. Over by the table stood Milady, inspecting some of the garments. Her expression was s trifle anxious and worried, and no wonder;
for it had been an arduous undertaking, and would be a great relief when closed for the summer months. Yet in spite of the fact that it was getting on her nerves, she felt very proud and happy at having accomplished so much; and the Professor was overjoyed. .
Mrs. Hustler was superintending the cutting-out, and had been a most useful member of the ‘ sewing-circle. In a corner, seated in easy-chairs, were Mrs. Hinders and Miss Donothing. Their conversation was very animated; and since it was held in rather loud tones, we could not help but hear it.
Mrs. Hinders: “I do hope we have a good attendance next week. I am so interested in this work that I have not missed a meeting. Not that I am of much use; but you know, dear, I wish to show some support of the movement. And then I attend for Milady’s" sake; she is so good and sweet. Will you be here next Thursday, Miss Donothing?”
Miss. Donothing: “Oh, yes! I have promised to give a cake towards the refreshments. These eats are a dreadful nuisance. I made a cake for the church last week and two the week before; and you know I am not an extra good cook. But I think I will get my maid .to make this one. You know I wouldn’t offend Milady for the world, especially after all the trouble she-has taken, when she didn’t need to bother her • head about these people at all. By the way, did you hear that Mrs. Industrious has knitted twenty pairs of stockings for the Society?”
Mrs..Hinders: “Yes; and she has six children and all her own work to do. I don’t know how she can do so much. She quite puts me to shame.”
Miss Donqthing: “Don’t you think Miss Worker looks tired?”
Mrs. Hinders: “No wonder, poor thing! She works hard all week, and then conies here on her half-holidays; and I am told that she takes work to do in the evenings.”
Miss Donothing: “Who is the shabbily dressed person just entering with that large bundle ?”
Mrs. Hinders: “Oh, that is Mrs. Generous. She has been a great help. You know they are very poor; but she takes sewing to do at home and has also aroused the interest of her children so that the boy who sells newspapers has been saving his coppers for our fund. Her little girl has not bought any candy in order that she could give her pennies.”
Just then Mrs. Busybody came bustling up to them, fairly bristling with excitement. “What do you think!” she cried in a tone of great indignation. “I met Miss Justice on the street a few minutes ago, and asked her why she never came to our meetings. And what do you think she said?”
Several others joined the group to hear the story, and Mrs. Busybody sank into a chair.
“Oh, do tell us, Mrs. Busybody!” they cried.
Mbs. Busybody: “Well, she said that she would not waste her time, efforts, and money on such a foolish business.”
Everyone looked shocked, and expressions like the following were heard on all sides:
“The idea!” “The horrid creature!” “Of all the mean things!” “Just fancy!” “Whatever made her say such a thing!”
Mbs. Busybody: .“Why, she said that only about one-third of all we gave ever reached those poor natives. The rest went in paying official salaries, and in a dozen different ways of graft; that the Professor wouldn’t be spending his time lecturing without getting well paid for it Even Milady was accused of having double motives, and in fact we all received a touch of her scorn. She wanted to know why Milady didn’t visit and help the poor in her own town, close to her doors; and why she did not do something for the unemployed of her husband’s factory. The clothing we send is never given to the natives, but sold or exchanged for their productions and often at exorbitant prices, so she informed me. But the climax of her objections was reached when she charged all business men, financiers, politicians, governments, rulers, leaders, clergy, and everybody that is anybody, with being responsible for the misery of those people ; for they did not receive adequate pay for their labors, but were the victims of a profiteering system. Milady’s husband gets his supply of raw materials from these people at a mere fraction of the price he receives for the finished goods, and therefore Milady’s charity is merely giving back a trifle of what is theirs by right— giving them a few coppers with the right hand, whilst robbing them of thousands with the left. 'Be just before you are generous,’ was her parting remark. I’m glad that I am not so mean!”
To this everyone heartily agreed, and all were of one mind in saying that if Miss Justice evet needed help she would have to look elsewhere for it
Slaves of Custom By Johh Buckley
MANY people have seen Boston Charlie, a pure blooded Seminole Indian, who used to, and perhaps still does, appear on the streets of Miami, Florida, wearing a derby hat, an immaculate starched white dress reaching to the knees, silken socks supported by Boston garters, and patent-leather shoes. He was looked .upon by most people as an amusing freak, from an inferior race. No one will venture to claim that he differed greatly from the white throng, except that he did not accept all of the fashions . of the white people, and omitted the tailor-made suit.
In the pictures at the movies, we see crowds, in different cities of the world; and if you do not read the signs, it will be difficult to determine where the picture was taken. In all of the views we see the same forms of dress, the same pattern in hats and in shoes. Paris or London makes a fashion, and the “civilized” world follows it
In the street-cars of our cities you see mechanics returning from their day’s work, wearing soiled and wilted collars that are neither sightly nor comfortable. The wearers know this: yet to fail to wear a collar would be to cany a serious handicap to success; and to wear a rubber or celluloid collar, that would be clean and retain its shape, would brand him as a “cheap skate,” and not of the upper ten, whose dress he does his best to imitate.
If Boston Charlie had tucked his skirts into a pair of trousers and had worn a belt, he would have passed as a well-dressed man, and would have been served at any hotel. But since he kept to the more comfortable skirt, he remained a barbarian. Should the workman appear without his collar, he would not be served in any first-class place.
Once while working in the home of a millionaire, I heard the servants talking of a servant that had been advanced to the position of houso-keeper. It was the general opinion that no selfrespecting servant could take orders from her, and that the family would not be able to find a butler that would take orders from her. The woman was capable and intelligent, but the servants must ape the snobbishness of their employers.
…