\'Ihavefollowedthewholediscussionwithamazementanddisgust。Iamdisgustedwithyougentlemen,membersofmyclass。Youhavebehavedlikefoolishlittleschoolboys,whatwithintrudingethicsandthethunderofthecommonpoliticianintosuchadiscussion。Youhavebeenoutgeneralledandoutclassed。Youhavebeenverywordy,andallyouhavedoneisbuzz。Youhavebuzzedlikegnatsaboutabear。Gentlemen,therestandsthebear\'（hepointedatErnest）,\'andyourbuzzinghasonlytickledhisears。
\'Believeme,thesituationisserious。Thatbearreachedouthispawstonighttocrushus。HehassaidthereareamillionandahalfofrevolutionistsintheUnitedStates。Thatisafact。Hehassaidthatitistheirintentiontotakeawayfromusourgovernments,ourpalaces,andallourpurpledease。That,also,isafact。Achange,agreatchange,iscominginsociety;but,haply,itmaynotbethechangethebearanticipates。Thebearhassaidthathewillcrushus。Whatifwecrushthebear？\'
Thethroat—rumblearoseinthegreatroom,andmannoddedtomanwithindorsementandcertitude。Theirfacesweresethard。Theywerefighters,thatwascertain。
\'Butnotbybuzzingwillwecrushthebear,\'Mr。Wicksonwentoncoldlyanddispassionately。\'Wewillhuntthebear。Wewillnotreplytothebearinwords。Ourreplyshallbecouchedintermsoflead。Weareinpower。Nobodywilldenyit。Byvirtueofthatpowerweshallremaininpower。\'
HeturnedsuddenlyuponErnest。Themomentwasdramatic。
\'This,then,isouranswer。Wehavenowordstowasteonyou。Whenyoureachoutyourvauntedstronghandsforourpalacesandpurpledease,wewillshowyouwhatstrengthis。Inroarofshellandshrapnelandinwhineofmachine—gunswillouranswerbecouched。*Wewillgrindyourevolutionistsdownunderourheel,andweshallwalkuponyourfaces。Theworldisours,weareitslords,andoursitshallremain。Asforthehostoflabor,ithasbeeninthedirtsincehistorybegan,andIreadhistoryaright。AndinthedirtitshallremainsolongasIandmineandthosethatcomeafterushavethepower。Thereistheword。Itisthekingofwords—Power。NotGod,notMammon,butPower。Pouritoveryourtonguetillittingleswithit。
Power。\'
*Toshowthetenorofthought,thefollowingdefinitionisquotedfrom\'TheCynic\'sWordBook\'（1906A。D。）,writtenbyoneAmbroseBierce,anavowedandconfirmedmisanthropeoftheperiod:\'Grapeshot,n。AnargumentwhichthefutureispreparinginanswertothedemandsofAmericanSocialism。\'
\'Iamanswered,\'Ernestsaidquietly。\'Itistheonlyanswerthatcouldbegiven。Power。Itiswhatweoftheworkingclasspreach。Weknow,andwellweknowbybitterexperience,thatnoappealfortheright,forjustice,forhumanity,canevertouchyou。Yourheartsarehardasyourheelswithwhichyoutreaduponthefacesofthepoor。Sowehavepreachedpower。Bythepowerofourballotsonelectiondaywillwetakeyourgovernmentawayfromyou—\'
\'Whatifyoudogetamajority,asweepingmajority,onelectionday？\'Mr。Wicksonbrokeintodemand。\'Supposewerefusetoturnthegovernmentovertoyouafteryouhavecaptureditattheballot—box？\'
\'That,also,haveweconsidered,\'Ernestreplied。\'Andweshallgiveyouananswerintermsoflead。Poweryouhaveproclaimedthekingofwords。Verygood。Poweritshallbe。Andinthedaythatwesweeptovictoryattheballot—box,andyourefusetoturnovertousthegovernmentwehaveconstitutionallyandpeacefullycaptured,andyoudemandwhatwearegoingtodoaboutit—inthatday,Isay,weshallansweryou;andinroarofshellandshrapnelandinwhineofmachine—gunsshallouranswerbecouched。
\'Youcannotescapeus。Itistruethatyouhavereadhistoryaright。
Itistruethatlaborhasfromthebeginningofhistorybeeninthedirt。Anditisequallytruethatsolongasyouandyoursandthosethatcomeafteryouhavepower,thatlaborshallremaininthedirt。I
agreewithyou。Iagreewithallthatyouhavesaid。Powerwillbethearbiter,asitalwayshasbeenthearbiter。Itisastruggleofclasses。Justasyourclassdraggeddowntheoldfeudalnobility,soshallitbedraggeddownbymyclass,theworkingclass。Ifyouwillreadyourbiologyandyoursociologyasclearlyasyoudoyourhistory,youwillseethatthisendIhavedescribedisinevitable。Itdoesnotmatterwhetheritisinoneyear,ten,orathousand—yourclassshallbedraggeddown。Anditshallbedonebypower。Weofthelaborhostshaveconnedthatwordovertillourmindsarealla—tinglewithit。Power。Itisakinglyword。\'
AndsoendedthenightwiththePhilomaths。
CHAPTERSIX。
Adumbrations。
ITWASABOUTTHISTIMETHATthewarningsofcomingeventsbegantofallaboutusthickandfast。Ernesthadalreadyquestionedfather\'spolicyofhavingsocialistsandlaborleadersathishouse,andofopenlyattendingsocialistmeetings;andfatherhadonlylaughedathimforhispains。Asformyself,Iwaslearningmuchfromthiscontactwiththeworking—classleadersandthinkers。Iwasseeingtheothersideoftheshield。IwasdelightedwiththeunselfishnessandhighidealismIencountered,thoughIwasappalledbythevastphilosophicandscientificliteratureofsocialismthatwasopeneduptome。Iwaslearningfast,butIlearnednotfastenoughtorealizethentheperilofourposition。
Therewerewarnings,butIdidnotheedthem。Forinstance,Mrs。
PertonwaitheandMrs。Wicksonexercisedtremendoussocialpowerintheuniversitytown,andfromthememanatedthesentimentthatIwasatoo—forwardandself—assertiveyoungwomanwithamischievouspenchantforofficiousnessandinterferenceinotherpersons\'affairs。ThisI
thoughtnomorethannatural,consideringthepartIhadplayedininvestigatingthecaseofJackson\'sarm。Buttheeffectofsuchasentiment,enunciatedbytwosuchpowerfulsocialarbiters,I
underestimated。
True,Inoticedacertainaloofnessonthepartofmygeneralfriends,butthisIascribedtothedisapprovalthatwasprevalentinmycirclesofmyintendedmarriagewithErnest。ItwasnottillsometimeafterwardthatErnestpointedouttomeclearlythatthisgeneralattitudeofmyclasswassomethingmorethanspontaneous,thatbehinditwerethehiddenspringsofanorganizedconduct。\'Youhavegivensheltertoanenemyofyourclass,\'hesaid。\'Andnotaloneshelter,foryouhavegivenyourlove,yourself。Thisistreasontoyourclass。Thinknotthatyouwillescapebeingpenalized。\'
Butitwasbeforethisthatfatherreturnedoneafternoon。Ernestwaswithme,andwecouldseethatfatherwasangry—philosophicallyangry。Hewasrarelyreallyangry;butacertainmeasureofcontrolledangerheallowedhimself。Hecalleditatonic。Andwecouldseethathewastonic—angrywhenheenteredtheroom。
\'Whatdoyouthink？\'hedemanded。\'IhadluncheonwithWilcox。\'
Wilcoxwasthesuperannuatedpresidentoftheuniversity,whosewitheredmindwasstoredwithgeneralizationsthatwereyoungin1870,andwhichhehadsincefailedtorevise。
\'Iwasinvited,\'fatherannounced。\'Iwassentfor。\'
Hepaused,andwewaited。
\'Oh,itwasdoneverynicely,I\'llallow;butIwasreprimanded。
I！Andbythatoldfossil！\'
\'I\'llwagerIknowwhatyouwerereprimandedfor,\'Ernestsaid。
\'Notinthreeguesses,\'fatherlaughed。
\'Oneguesswilldo,\'Ernestretorted。\'Anditwon\'tbeaguess。Itwillbeadeduction。Youwerereprimandedforyourprivatelife。\'
\'Theverything！\'fathercried。\'Howdidyouguess？\'
\'Iknewitwascoming。Iwarnedyoubeforeaboutit。\'
\'Yes,youdid,\'fathermeditated。\'ButIcouldn\'tbelieveit。Atanyrate,itisonlysomuchmoreclinchingevidenceformybook。\'
\'Itisnothingtowhatwillcome,\'Ernestwenton,\'ifyoupersistinyourpolicyofhavingthesesocialistsandradicalsofallsortsatyourhouse,myselfincluded。\'
\'JustwhatoldWilcoxsaid。Andofallunwarrantedthings！Hesaiditwasinpoortaste,utterlyprofitless,anyway,andnotinharmonywithuniversitytraditionsandpolicy。Hesaidmuchmoreofthesamevaguesort,andIcouldn\'tpinhimdowntoanythingspecific。Imadeitprettyawkwardforhim,andhecouldonlygoonrepeatinghimselfandtellingmehowmuchhehonoredme,andalltheworldhonoredme,asascientist。Itwasn\'tanagreeabletaskforhim。Icouldseehedidn\'tlikeit。\'
\'Hewasnotafreeagent,\'Ernestsaid。\'Theleg—bar*isnotalwaysworngraciously。\'
*Leg—bar—theAfricanslavesweresomanacled;alsocriminals。ItwasnotuntilthecomingoftheBrotherhoodofManthattheleg—barpassedoutofuse。
\'Yes。Igotthatmuchoutofhim。Hesaidtheuniversityneededeversomuchmoremoneythisyearthanthestatewaswillingtofurnish;
andthatitmustcomefromwealthypersonageswhocouldnotbutbeoffendedbytheswervingoftheuniversityfromitshighidealofthepassionlesspursuitofpassionlessintelligence。WhenItriedtopinhimdowntowhatmyhomelifehadtodowithswervingtheuniversityfromitshighideal,heofferedmeatwoyears\'vacation,onfullpay,inEurope,forrecreationandresearch。OfcourseI
couldn\'tacceptitunderthecircumstances。\'
\'Itwouldhavebeenfarbetterifyouhad,\'Ernestsaidgravely。
\'Itwasabribe,\'fatherprotested;andErnestnodded。
\'Also,thebeggarsaidthattherewastalk,tea—tablegossipandsoforth,aboutmydaughterbeingseeninpublicwithsonotoriousacharacterasyou,andthatitwasnotinkeepingwithuniversitytoneanddignity。Notthathepersonallyobjected—oh,no;butthattherewastalkandthatIwouldunderstand。\'
Ernestconsideredthisannouncementforamoment,andthensaid,andhisfacewasverygrave,withaltherewasasombrewrathinit:
\'Thereismorebehindthisthanamereuniversityideal。SomebodyhasputpressureonPresidentWilcox。\'
\'Doyouthinkso？\'fatherasked,andhisfaceshowedthathewasinterestedratherthanfrightened。
\'IwishIcouldconveytoyoutheconceptionthatisdimlyforminginmyownmind,\'Ernestsaid。\'Neverinthehistoryoftheworldwassocietyinsoterrificfluxasitisrightnow。Theswiftchangesinourindustrialsystemarecausingequallyswiftchangesinourreligious,political,andsocialstructures。Anunseenandfearfulrevolutionistakingplaceinthefibreandstructureofsociety。
Onecanonlydimlyfeelthesethings。Buttheyareintheair,now,to—day。Onecanfeeltheloomofthem—thingsvast,vague,andterrible。Mymindrecoilsfromcontemplationofwhattheymaycrystallizeinto。YouheardWicksontalktheothernight。Behindwhathesaidwerethesamenameless,formlessthingsthatIfeel。Hespokeoutofasuperconsciousapprehensionofthem。\'
\'Youmean……？\'fatherbegan,thenpaused。
\'Imeanthatthereisashadowofsomethingcolossalandmenacingthatevennowisbeginningtofallacrosstheland。Callittheshadowofanoligarchy,ifyouwill;itisthenearestIdareapproximateit。
WhatitsnaturemaybeIrefusetoimagine。*ButwhatIwantedtosaywasthis:Youareinaperilousposition—aperilthatmyownfearenhancesbecauseIamnotableeventomeasureit。Takemyadviceandacceptthevacation。\'
*Though,likeEverhard,theydidnotdreamofthenatureofit,thereweremen,evenbeforehistime,whocaughtglimpsesoftheshadow。JohnC。Calhounsaid:\'Apowerhasrisenupinthegovernmentgreaterthanthepeoplethemselves,consistingofmanyandvariousandpowerfulinterests,combinedintoonemass,andheldtogetherbythecohesivepowerofthevastsurplusinthebanks。\'
Andthatgreathumanist,AbrahamLincoln,said,justbeforehisassassination:\'Iseeinthenearfutureacrisisapproachingthatunnervesmeandcausesmetotrembleforthesafetyofmycountry……Corporationshavebeenenthroned,aneraofcorruptioninhighplaceswillfollow,andthemoney—powerofthecountrywillendeavortoprolongitsreignbyworkingupontheprejudicesofthepeopleuntilthewealthisaggregatedinafewhandsandtheRepublicisdestroyed。\'
\'Butitwouldbecowardly,\'wastheprotest。
\'Notatall。Youareanoldman。Youhavedoneyourworkintheworld,andagreatwork。Leavethepresentbattletoyouthandstrength。Weyoungfellowshaveourworkyettodo。Aviswillstandbymysideinwhatistocome。Shewillbeyourrepresentativeinthebattle—front。\'
\'Buttheycan\'thurtme,\'fatherobjected。\'ThankGodIamindependent。Oh,Iassureyou,Iknowthefrightfulpersecutiontheycanwageonaprofessorwhoiseconomicallydependentonhisuniversity。ButIamindependent。Ihavenotbeenaprofessorforthesakeofmysalary。Icangetalongverycomfortablyonmyownincome,andthesalaryisalltheycantakeawayfromme。\'
\'Butyoudonotrealize,\'Ernestanswered。\'IfallthatIfearbeso,yourprivateincome,yourprincipalitself,canbetakenfromyoujustaseasilyasyoursalary。\'
Fatherwassilentforafewminutes。Hewasthinkingdeeply,andI
couldseethelinesofdecisionforminginhisface。Atlasthespoke。
\'Ishallnottakethevacation。\'Hepausedagain。\'Ishallgoonwithmybook。*Youmaybewrong,butwhetheryouarewrongorright,I
shallstandbymyguns。\'
*Thisbook,\'EconomicsandEducation,\'waspublishedinthatyear。Threecopiesofitareextant;twoatArdis,andoneatAsgard。Itdealt,inelaboratedetail,withonefactorinthepersistenceoftheestablished,namely,thecapitalisticbiasoftheuniversitiesandcommonschools。Itwasalogicalandcrushingindictmentofthewholesystemofeducationthatdevelopedinthemindsofthestudentsonlysuchideasaswerefavorabletothecapitalisticregime,totheexclusionofallideasthatwereinimicalandsubversive。Thebookcreatedafuror,andwaspromptlysuppressedbytheOligarchy。
\'Allright,\'Ernestsaid。\'YouaretravellingthesamepaththatBishopMorehouseis,andtowardasimilarsmash—up。You\'llbothbeproletariansbeforeyou\'redonewithit。\'
TheconversationturnedupontheBishop,andwegotErnesttoexplainwhathehadbeendoingwithhim。
\'Heissoul—sickfromthejourneythroughhellIhavegivenhim。I
tookhimthroughthehomesofafewofourfactoryworkers。Ishowedhimthehumanwreckscastasidebytheindustrialmachine,andhelistenedtotheirlifestories。ItookhimthroughtheslumsofSanFrancisco,andindrunkenness,prostitution,andcriminalityhelearnedadeepercausethaninnatedepravity。Heisverysick,and,worsethanthat,hehasgotoutofhand。Heistooethical。Hehasbeentooseverelytouched。And,asusual,heisunpractical。Heisupintheairwithallkindsofethicaldelusionsandplansformissionworkamongthecultured。HefeelsitishisboundendutytoresurrecttheancientspiritoftheChurchandtodeliveritsmessagetothemasters。Heisoverwrought。Soonerorlaterheisgoingtobreakout,andthenthere\'sgoingtobeasmash—up。WhatformitwilltakeIcan\'tevenguess。Heisapure,exaltedsoul,butheissounpractical。He\'sbeyondme。Ican\'tkeephisfeetontheearth。AndthroughtheairheisrushingontohisGethsemane。Andafterthishiscrucifixion。Suchhighsoulsaremadeforcrucifixion。\'
\'Andyou？\'Iasked;andbeneathmysmilewastheseriousnessoftheanxietyoflove。
\'NotI,\'helaughedback。\'Imaybeexecuted,orassassinated,butI
shallneverbecrucified。Iamplantedtoosolidlyandstolidlyupontheearth。\'
\'ButwhyshouldyoubringaboutthecrucifixionoftheBishop？\'I
asked。\'Youwillnotdenythatyouarethecauseofit。\'
\'WhyshouldIleaveonecomfortablesoulincomfortwhentherearemillionsintravailandmisery？\'hedemandedback。
\'Thenwhydidyouadvisefathertoacceptthevacation？\'
\'BecauseIamnotapure,exaltedsoul,\'wastheanswer。\'BecauseIamsolidandstolidandselfish。BecauseIloveyouand,likeRuthofold,thypeoplearemypeople。AsfortheBishop,hehasnodaughter。Besides,nomatterhowsmallthegood,neverthelesshislittleinadequatewailwillbeproductiveofsomegoodintherevolution,andeverylittlebitcounts。\'
IcouldnotagreewithErnest。IknewwellthenoblenatureofBishopMorehouse,andIcouldnotconceivethathisvoiceraisedforrighteousnesswouldbenomorethanalittleinadequatewail。ButI
didnotyethavetheharshfactsoflifeatmyfingers\'endsasErnesthad。HesawclearlythefutilityoftheBishop\'sgreatsoul,ascomingeventsweresoontoshowasclearlytome。
ItwasshortlyafterthisdaythatErnesttoldme,asagoodstory,theofferhehadreceivedfromthegovernment,namely,anappointmentasUnitedStatesCommissionerofLabor。Iwasoverjoyed。
Thesalarywascomparativelylarge,andwouldmakesafeourmarriage。AndthenitsurelywascongenialworkforErnest,and,furthermore,myjealousprideinhimmademehailtheprofferedappointmentasarecognitionofhisabilities。
ThenInoticedthetwinkleinhiseyes。Hewaslaughingatme。
\'Youarenotgoingto……todecline？\'Iquavered。
\'Itisabribe,\'hesaid。\'BehinditisthefinehandofWickson,andbehindhimthehandsofgreatermenthanhe。Itisanoldtrick,oldastheclassstruggleisold—stealingthecaptainsfromthearmyoflabor。Poorbetrayedlabor！Ifyoubutknewhowmanyofitsleadershavebeenboughtoutinsimilarwaysinthepast。Itischeaper,somuchcheaper,tobuyageneralthantofighthimandhiswholearmy。Therewas—butI\'llnotcallanynames。I\'mbitterenoughoveritasitis。Dearheart,Iamacaptainoflabor。I
couldnotsellout。Iffornootherreason,thememoryofmypooroldfatherandthewayhewasworkedtodeathwouldprevent。\'
Thetearswereinhiseyes,thisgreat,strongheroofmine。Henevercouldforgivethewayhisfatherhadbeenmalformed—thesordidliesandthepettytheftshehadbeencompelledto,inordertoputfoodinhischildren\'smouths。
\'Myfatherwasagoodman,\'Ernestoncesaidtome。\'Thesoulofhimwasgood,andyetitwastwisted,andmaimed,andbluntedbythesavageryofhislife。Hewasmadeintoabroken—downbeastbyhismasters,thearch—beasts。Heshouldbealiveto—day,likeyourfather。
Hehadastrongconstitution。Buthewascaughtinthemachineandworkedtodeath—forprofit。Thinkofit。Forprofit—hislifebloodtransmutedintoawine—supper,orajewelledgewgaw,orsomesimilarsense—orgyoftheparasiticandidlerich,hismasters,thearch—beasts。\'
CHAPTERSEVEN。
TheBishop\'sVision。
\'THEBISHOPISOUTOFHAND,\'Ernestwroteme。\'Heisclearupintheair。Tonightheisgoingtobeginputtingtorightsthisverymiserableworldofours。Heisgoingtodeliverhismessage。Hehastoldmeso,andIcannotdissuadehim。To—nightheischairmanoftheI。P。H。*,andhewillembodyhismessageinhisintroductoryremarks。
*Thereisnoclewtothenameoftheorganizationforwhichtheseinitialsstand。
\'MayIbringyoutohearhim？Ofcourse,heisforedoomedtofutility。Itwillbreakyourheart—itwillbreakhis;butforyouitwillbeanexcellentobjectlesson。Youknow,dearheart,howproudIambecauseyouloveme。AndbecauseofthatIwantyoutoknowmyfullestvalue,Iwanttoredeem,inyoureyes,somesmallmeasureofmyunworthiness。Andsoitisthatmypridedesiresthatyoushallknowmythinkingiscorrectandright。Myviewsareharsh;thefutilityofsonobleasoulastheBishopwillshowyouthecompulsionforsuchharshness。Socometo—night。Sadthoughthisnight\'shappeningwillbe,Ifeelthatitwillbutdrawyoumorecloselytome。\'
TheI。P。H。helditsconventionthatnightinSanFrancisco。*Thisconventionhadbeencalledtoconsiderpublicimmoralityandtheremedyforit。BishopMorehousepresided。Hewasverynervousashesatontheplatform,andIcouldseethehightensionhewasunder。ByhissidewereBishopDickinson;H。H。Jones,theheadoftheethicaldepartmentintheUniversityofCalifornia;Mrs。W。W。Hurd,thegreatcharityorganizer;PhilipWard,theequallygreatphilanthropist;
andseverallesserluminariesinthefieldofmoralityandcharity。
BishopMorehousearoseandabruptlybegan:
*IttookbutafewminutestocrossbyferryfromBerkeleytoSanFrancisco。These,andtheotherbaycities,practicallycomposedonecommunity。
\'Iwasinmybrougham,drivingthroughthestreets。Itwasnight—time。NowandthenIlookedthroughthecarriagewindows,andsuddenlymyeyesseemedtobeopened,andIsawthingsastheyreallyare。AtfirstIcoveredmyeyeswithmyhandstoshutouttheawfulsight,andthen,inthedarkness,thequestioncametome:
Whatistobedone？Whatistobedone？Alittlelaterthequestioncametomeinanotherway:WhatwouldtheMasterdo？Andwiththequestionagreatlightseemedtofilltheplace,andIsawmydutysun—clear,asSaulsawhisonthewaytoDamascus。
\'Istoppedthecarriage,gotout,and,afterafewminutes\'
conversation,persuadedtwoofthepublicwomentogetintothebroughamwithme。IfJesuswasright,thenthesetwounfortunatesweremysisters,andtheonlyhopeoftheirpurificationwasinmyaffectionandtenderness。
\'IliveinoneoftheloveliestlocalitiesofSanFrancisco。ThehouseinwhichIlivecostahundredthousanddollars,anditsfurnishings,books,andworksofartcostasmuchmore。Thehouseisamansion。No,itisapalace,whereintherearemanyservants。I
neverknewwhatpalacesweregoodfor。Ihadthoughttheyweretolivein。ButnowIknow。Itookthetwowomenofthestreettomypalace,andtheyaregoingtostaywithme。Ihopetofilleveryroominmypalacewithsuchsistersasthey。\'
Theaudiencehadbeengrowingmoreandmorerestlessandunsettled,andthefacesofthosethatsatontheplatformhadbeenbetrayinggreaterandgreaterdismayandconsternation。AndatthispointBishopDickinsonarose,andwithanexpressionofdisgustonhisface,fledfromtheplatformandthehall。ButBishopMorehouse,oblivioustoall,hiseyesfilledwithhisvision,continued:
\'Oh,sistersandbrothers,inthisactofmineIfindthesolutionofallmydifficulties。Ididn\'tknowwhatbroughamsweremadefor,butnowIknow。Theyaremadetocarrytheweak,thesick,andtheaged;theyaremadetoshowhonortothosewhohavelostthesenseevenofshame。
\'Ididnotknowwhatpalacesweremadefor,butnowIhavefoundauseforthem。ThepalacesoftheChurchshouldbehospitalsandnurseriesforthosewhohavefallenbythewaysideandareperishing。\'
Hemadealongpause,plainlyovercomebythethoughtthatwasinhim,andnervoushowbesttoexpressit。
\'Iamnotfit,dearbrethren,totellyouanythingaboutmorality。I
havelivedinshameandhypocrisiestoolongtobeabletohelpothers;butmyactionwiththosewomen,sistersofmine,showsmethatthebetterwayiseasytofind。TothosewhobelieveinJesusandhisgospeltherecanbenootherrelationbetweenmanandmanthantherelationofaffection。Lovealoneisstrongerthansin—strongerthandeath。IthereforesaytotherichamongyouthatitistheirdutytodowhatIhavedoneandamdoing。Leteachoneofyouwhoisprosperoustakeintohishousesomethiefandtreathimashisbrother,someunfortunateandtreatherashissister,andSanFranciscowillneednopoliceforceandnomagistrates;theprisonswillbeturnedintohospitals,andthecriminalwilldisappearwithhiscrime。
\'Wemustgiveourselvesandnotourmoneyalone。WemustdoasChristdid;thatisthemessageoftheChurchtoday。WehavewanderedfarfromtheMaster\'steaching。Weareconsumedinourownflesh—pots。WehaveputmammonintheplaceofChrist。Ihavehereapoemthattellsthewholestory。Ishouldliketoreadittoyou。Itwaswrittenbyanerringsoulwhoyetsawclearly。*ItmustnotbemistakenforanattackupontheCatholicChurch。Itisanattackuponallchurches,uponthepompandsplendorofallchurchesthathavewanderedfromtheMaster\'spathandhedgedthemselvesinfromhislambs。Hereitis:
*OscarWilde,oneofthelordsoflanguageofthenineteenthcenturyoftheChristianEra。
\'ThesilvertrumpetsrangacrosstheDome;
Thepeoplekneltuponthegroundwithawe;
AndborneuponthenecksofmenIsaw,LikesomegreatGod,theHolyLordofRome。
\'Priest—like,heworearobemorewhitethanfoam,And,king—like,swathedhimselfinroyalred,Threecrownsofgoldrosehighuponhishead;
InsplendorandinlightthePopepassedhome。
\'MyheartstolebackacrosswidewastesofyearsToOnewhowanderedbyalonelysea;
Andsoughtinvainforanyplaceofrest:
\"Foxeshaveholes,andeverybirditsnest,I,onlyI,mustwanderwearily,Andbruisemyfeet,anddrinkwinesaltwithtears。\"\'
Theaudiencewasagitated,butunresponsive。YetBishopMorehousewasnotawareofit。Heheldsteadilyonhisway。
\'AndsoIsaytotherichamongyou,andtoalltherich,thatbitterlyyouoppresstheMaster\'slambs。Youhavehardenedyourhearts。Youhaveclosedyourearstothevoicesthatarecryingintheland—thevoicesofpainandsorrowthatyouwillnothearbutthatsomedaywillbeheard。AndsoIsay—\'
ButatthispointH。H。JonesandPhilipWard,whohadalreadyrisenfromtheirchairs,ledtheBishopofftheplatform,whiletheaudiencesatbreathlessandshocked。
Ernestlaughedharshlyandsavagelywhenhehadgainedthestreet。
Hislaughterjarreduponme。Myheartseemedreadytoburstwithsuppressedtears。
\'Hehasdeliveredhismessage,\'Ernestcried。\'Themanhoodandthedeep—hidden,tendernatureoftheirBishopburstout,andhisChristianaudience,thatlovedhim,concludedthathewascrazy！Didyouseethemleadinghimsosolicitouslyfromtheplatform？Theremusthavebeenlaughterinhellatthespectacle。\'
\'Nevertheless,itwillmakeagreatimpression,whattheBishopdidandsaidto—night,\'Isaid。
\'Thinkso？\'Ernestqueriedmockingly。
\'Itwillmakeasensation,\'Iasserted。\'Didn\'tyouseethereportersscribblinglikemadwhilehewasspeaking？\'
\'Notalineofwhichwillappearinto—morrow\'spapers。\'
\'Ican\'tbelieveit,\'Icried。
\'Justwaitandsee,\'wastheanswer。\'Notaline,notathoughtthatheuttered。Thedailypress？Thedailysuppressage！\'
\'Butthereporters,\'Iobjected。\'Isawthem。\'
\'Notawordthatheutteredwillseeprint。Youhaveforgottentheeditors。Theydrawtheirsalariesforthepolicytheymaintain。
Theirpolicyistoprintnothingthatisavitalmenacetotheestablished。TheBishop\'sutterancewasaviolentassaultupontheestablishedmorality。Itwasheresy。Theyledhimfromtheplatformtopreventhimfromutteringmoreheresy。Thenewspaperswillpurgehisheresyintheoblivionofsilence。ThepressoftheUnitedStates？
Itisaparasiticgrowththatbattensonthecapitalistclass。Itsfunctionistoservetheestablishedbymouldingpublicopinion,andrightwellitservesit。
\'Letmeprophesy。To—morrow\'spaperswillmerelymentionthattheBishopisinpoorhealth,thathehasbeenworkingtoohard,andthathebrokedownlastnight。Thenextmention,somedayshence,willbetotheeffectthatheissufferingfromnervousprostrationandhasbeengivenavacationbyhisgratefulflock。Afterthat,oneoftwothingswillhappen:eithertheBishopwillseetheerrorofhiswayandreturnfromhisvacationawellmaninwhoseeyestherearenomorevisions,orelsehewillpersistinhismadness,andthenyoumayexpecttoseeinthepapers,couchedpatheticallyandtenderly,theannouncementofhisinsanity。Afterthathewillbelefttogibberhisvisionstopaddedwalls。\'
\'Nowthereyougotoofar！\'Icriedout。
\'Intheeyesofsocietyitwilltrulybeinsanity,\'hereplied。
\'Whathonestman,whoisnotinsane,wouldtakelostwomenandthievesintohishousetodwellwithhimsisterlyandbrotherly？True,Christdiedbetweentwothieves,butthatisanotherstory。