THE GREAT STRIKE.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7143, 3 September 1888, Page 6

THE GREAT STRIKE.

SERMON W.J. the East BeU Wesleyan evening delivered in the Theatre fiwr. sermon bearing on the strike now taking place among the colliers in NewcastS? W South Wales The preach™ chS his text from Matthew vii., 12,' Thereto*? all things whatsoever you would that mS should do to you do ye even 8 o to t£m , thl «» s th e law and the prophet? , , also, Phillipians ii 4; Colossians v* and iv., i. After opening hie eat , ject, he weut on to say that the strike was an event which caused feel how strong and close w*Z the ties by which these colonies we*. bound together, as a disaster that haZ pened to one of them was felt i n tZ effects all over the Southern world tt« pointed out the extent of the effects of the strike upon those directly and indirect]* concerned, and said that the whole histotv of strikes in England, America, and on the Continent ought to have been soffi. ciently alarm insj to lead us. in entering upon these new fields of settlement, to take the necessary steps to avoid them He then went on to trace out the cause of labor troubles, and pointed to ■ remedy for them, looking at the sub ject from the light of th* Gospel of Christ. The root of all labor troubles, he said Was selfishness. Charity had been hanollr denned as consideration for others aud it was the lack of sncli charity that'was at the bottom of such a social evil as that indicated by the great strike. Sir IL Parkes, whom the preacher did not look upon as the wisest friend of the worktna man, applauded these miners for refusine to work, and said the trouble had been brought about by the creed of the mine, owners—an impeachment of employers and capitalists in which he would com mand widespread sympathy. Without entering into the merits of that particular case, there could be no doubt the preacher contended, that the hard eelfUh and grinding spirit of too many employers of labor was responsible for much of the social disturbance of the present day. Nothing could be more foolish, and but few things mom wicked than a wholesale and indiscriminate fcfrada ayain-*t men of wealth. Many men of wealth, he thanked God, were atnomr the uoblest of their race, recognising Uwfr wealth as a talent to be used for the Rood of others. In thousands of instances, however, the possession of wealth served to lead men to regard those beneath them as convenient instruments for their own selfishness. How many employers of labor there were who apparently considered the men. women and children iv their employ as so mauy machines, out of whom they had to grind the largest possible amount of labor for the smallest possible pay. The meaning of Trades Unions, he held, was on the part with those who joined them, that they could not trust their employers to deal fairly by them, and he further contended that the alienation of numbers belonging to the working classes from the Church was because of their contempt for the religion professed by their employers. On the other hand, the seltishness of the laboring classes wag jointly responsible, for the mischief which we all deplored. The honest, steady, industrious, provident workman, as a rule, asked for nothing but to be left alone. Hie worth was Known and he could command his price. But there were men of opposite characters, who only did their duty when they could not possibly help it. His second grand proposition was, the preacher said, that the only remedy for labor troubles was found in the Gospel of Christ. He then went on to enlarge upon this portion of his subject, ■ pointing out that by following the examples and precepts of Jesus Christ, all occasion for each social disorders as strikes would be done away with. The sermon was listened to with great interest by a large congregation