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NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
“The Christ of Today and the Employees.” 
Manchester Pastor Preaches Sermon of Especial Interest to Working Men. Church Crowded Last 
Sunday Morning. Labor Unions Represented. 
At the Manchester Baptist church 
last Sunday morning Rev. Theodore 
Lyman Frost, the pastor, preached 
the first in a series of three labor 
sermons under the title of ‘‘The 
Christ of Today’’, the special theme 
being ‘‘The Christ of Today and the 
Employees’’. He was greeted by a 
arge congregation, a noticable fea- 
ture of the service being the appre- 
ciation shown by the various unions 
in town, which were well represent- 
ed. 
The pastor handled his subject in a 
very able and frank manner, such as 
would be possible only for one to do 
who understood thoroughly the ques- 
tion of labor organization and union- 
ism. 
The text: ‘‘I stand in your midst 
as one that serveth’’. Luke 22:27. 
Mr. Frost spoke in part as follows: 
Whom does the world select for 
universal fame today? The rich? 
No. The world selects today as one 
worthy of fame a poor servant, a 
carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. Men 
are all interested in Jesus of Nazar- 
eth. He looms up in history as one 
towards whom all eyes are turned. 
At various times people are interest- 
ed in various characteristics of Jesus 
Christ. Our day is interested in his 
relation towards the well being of 
society. Jesus Christ stands out in 
the world today as one who ean re- 
deem, purify and save society. We 
should not fail to emphasize Jesus 
Christ as the Savior from sin, his 
wonderful power in society and his 
interest in mankind. Jesus today is 
the social Christ; unless today we 
as individuals are interested in the 
social question we are living a nar- 
row life. Jesus Christ is the social 
Christ as well as the personal Christ. 
Jesus today stands in our midst in- 
terested in the industries of the 
world. We will consider (1) The 
conditions of the employee; (2) de- 
mands of labor; (3) Christ of today 
and his message to labor or em- 
ployees. 
I. Onee a working man always a 
working man, as the general rule. 
Capital is so highly organized, that 
it is almost impossible for an ordin- 
ary man or woman to start out in 
business for themselves. Tremendous 
power has been placed in the hands 
of a very few men. Giant corpora- 
tions can even put through acts in 
the legislature that are favorable to 
them own industrial activities. What - 
chance has a carpenter, painter or 
iron worker to rise from the ranks, 
when capital is so highly organized 
behind the bulwark of dollars. <A 
working man stands very little 
chance of being a captain of indus- 
try. With many working men, the 
chief motive for work is the fear of 
losing their job. Modern industry 
is a reign of fear. The modern work- 
ing man’s family is but a few weeks 
removed from destitution. Of course 
the carpenters, painters, ete., get 
larger wages in Manchester than 
some other poor workers. 
In 1900 the average working man’s 
wages were $480 a year, while the 
railroad employees averaged $546, 
and then there were many lost days. 
The lack of employment is the curse 
of the American working man. If 
his chance of a job were constant 
his position would be better. The 
introduction of modern machinery 
throws many out of employment. A 
working man is always in danger of 
losing his position; and as he gets 
older he is sure of losing his posi- 
tion. I know of one man not far 
from here, who, in his prime could 
do the work of three men. Today 
he is past the prime and because he 
can’t do three men’s work (not one 
mind you) there are long intervals 
when he is laid off. 
A good many working men are 
clean shaven today. Is it because 
it is fashionable? No! It is because 
they want to hold down the job, 
and when those grey hair’s come on 
the lip they shave them off. Grey 
hairs may be a sign of experience, 
but are nevertheless a handicap in 
industry. Wages stop with old age 
even after devoting his life to build- 
ing up his contractor’s business. 
Men and women depending on char- 
ity of their employers, when they 
should receive compensation for ser- 
vices in building up their contrac- 
tor’s business! Its about time some 
able men and women got busy about 
providing for working men’s old 
age. Often working men have been 
injured by machinery. We want 
people to take an interest in the or- 
dinary working man. Once more: 
Physical power of American man is 
‘spread. 
deteriorating. The American man is 
not as strong as he was years ago. 
The reason is, living in large cities 
in poor houses where diseases 
The rise in food prices, 
pushed up by large trusts which com- 
pelled him to buy cheaper food is at 
the expense of his health. God pity 
the men who have anything to do 
with making the rich richer at the 
expense of the American working 
man. 
Il.As for the demands of labor.— 
They demand a right to organize. 
Apart from organization today labor 
is helpless. Some people in Man- 
chester take the magnifying glass 
to look at the labor union, and take 
the wrong end of the opera glass to 
look at capitalists’ mistakes, which 
are very often much greater than 
mistakes of organized unions. I be- 
lieve in a square deal for employ- 
ers and employees. I do not believe 
in magnifying mistakes of a poor 
man, and patting on back the mis- 
takes of a miserable scoundrel of a 
capitalist. The right to organize a 
working man should have and must 
have. 
Another consideration is: Shorter 
hours of working. In Manchester 
the union man works eight hours a 
day and has Saturday afternoon off. 
A right thing, too, as it gives a man 
a chance to breathe and feel he is a 
man. Many in the Bethlehem Steel 
Works have worked 12 hours a day 
for seven days out of: the week. 
What chance has a man that works 
12 hours a day for the religious life. 
Does he feel much like going to 
church on Sundays? 
We are not perfect in Manchester. 
Look at the clerks in the stores dur- 
ing the summer months, how they 
work. Girls working 10 hours a 
day, every evening but possibly one, 
and no éxtra pay for it, just for the 
sake of hdlding their job. It is op- 
pression and a crime. Look at the 
teamsters’ and expressmen’s long 
hours. Such things are at the ex- 
pense of vitality and spiritual life. 
These conditions right here in Man- 
chester, and on the North Shore that 
should be remedied and _ speedily, 
too. 
Better wages.—Who is to have the 
Continued to page 24, 
