Text
jforb
VoL. I.
No, 4.
ANOTHER
lball ·jfelks
January 19, 1913.
IMPROVEMENT
GESTED,
SUG-
Slowly, but surely, we are finding
our constituency, Elven now many of
our friends have not discovered that
we are issuing a publication, Frequently, in this place and that place,
I have a subscription for the balance
of the season handed to me by someone who cannot now come to the meetings very often but who wants to
know all about them and ls delighted
to find that a bulletin is being issued
every week.
Then there are other friends who
have come to see that there is no better way of extending the influence of
the Ford Hall meetings than to send
copies of /l'ord IJall /l'o//,& far and wide,
Some of these friends buy extra copies
every Sunday night; another one, a
member of the Baptist Social Union,
has sent us a check for five dollars to
enable us to send out free copies
where they will do the most good,
•
Our first two issues have just about
paid expenses, a trifle over on the
first issue and a trifle under on th.e
second. We shall need to do· better
than that in order to provide against
e.mergencies. One arose in connection
with the printing of the third number
, , that will cost two or three dollars extra very likely, We ought to make a
surplus every week of five or ten dollars in order to provide for unexpected slumps in sales and unusual
expenditures and also so that we can
have a margin with which to do little
stunts now and (!Jen that would improve the paper,
In our meeting of Ford Hall Folks
Sunday afternoons, we have consid,
ered whether there is any satisfactory
way of distributing tickets for admis
Price Ten Cents.
sion to the Ford Hall Meetings on
Sunday evenings and so do away with
some of the disadvantages of standing
in line fo1' an hour, more or less, before the doors are opened. The objection is that such a method would involve additional expense, The diffl.
culty ls· in distributing the tickets to
ljle right people. And (lie danger is
in interfering with the free and democratic method of admission. 'l'ickets
might be sold, especially· preferred
seats. You already know tile disadvantage of standing in line, Can a
ticket scheme be devised that will
beat the present method? How ,vould
it do to print a coupon in every issue
of the F'urd Hall Pulk1s which, when
detached, could be presented as a
ticket entitling the holder to a seat?
tr~~
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER.
'
I
_.Joseph Fels, the ardent single taxer,
will ..address us, next Sunday evening,
on Just Taxation the Hope of the
World." Here's your chance to leal'II
just what Lloyd George has and hasn't
clone In the way of adequately taxing
the large English estates, For Mr.
Fels Is fresh from England and has
especially studied this question there.
1·
2
FORD HALL FOLKS
THE PRAYER.
'
(Preceding Miss Scudder's AddresG.)
We do not pray to be freed from all
struggle. '\Ve ask for wisdom, strength
and courage that out of our str11ggles
may come development and progress,
May we be clrnered and upheld in the
midst of conflict by the real17,atlon that
all that we most cherish has come as the
fruit of struggle, Help us to accept
this fact for ourselves, for our class,
for our race, for our nation, as the way
which 'l'hou hast ordained whereby
mankind moves on to better things,
But we do pray with all' our hearts
for the hastening of the day when the
struggle with our fellowman, individually and In groups and divisions, will
be in mutual good will and for the welfare of all concerned, bringing In its
train joy and satisfaction instead of
fear and discontent.
We pray, 0 God, that in the great
struggle of this day and hour, we may
light valianlly and endure heroically
without malice and without bitterness.
confident that truth and justice will
prevail. Amen.
THE MORAL, ASSETS OF THE
CLASS S.TRUGGLE,
Address of Miss Vida D. Scudder at
the Ford Hall Meetings, January
12, 1913.
I suppose there has been nothing
more remarkable in the United States
during the last 25 years than the general demand for social justice and the
active movement toward a considerable degree of that justice which is to
be seen In our philanthrovlc and legislative agencies, We are all glad ancl
proud of it. We hail with amazement
and thanlrnglvlng the advent in politics
of the programme of remedial action
fol' which the social workers· and the
philanthropists of the United Stales
have been working for over a quarter
of a century, Many of us, myself included, read with enthusiasm and with
,
a deep Interest the speeches of our
president-elect; we notice the growth
of the great convent.ions of churches
and great assemblies of people such
as we· held In Boston at Christmas
time for the discussion of economic
justice and there is often a positive
law passed to insure social welfare.
Here in Massachusetts we can boast
during the last year of a Minimun1
Wage law. Now, all that makes me
very happy and all of you very happy
-I think we are all full of elation and
thanksgiving as we see the great general movement on the part of the big
Republic of the United States to dcma11d economic freedom and social
just.ice as the first necessity to a just
living. That thing is accomplished:
but I.hat vast movement which centers
In tlie activity of the workers themselves-1110 effort of the working class
to achieve their own salvation-to de,
mand for themselves economic freedom and social welfare ls still regarded with suspicion, hesit.atibn, and fear
in many quarters. Some people regard
with great Rympnthy the general
movement of nmoliorntion on !he part
of churches nnd on !he part of legislative assemblies, and find it easy lo fool
an inten$e sympathy with all that !a
being done for !he working people, but
· as soon as the working people themselves begin to nrise ancl say there
are concliticns they will not endure
and to organize to protest against
those conditions then the gene1·al public, and I am sorry to say, large sections of the religious public, begin to
be a little alarmed and_ a little full of
suspicion of the struggle of the organized workers for economic freedom
and against Eoclal oppre~sion.
'l'here are new, alarming revolutionary forms of orgaplzatlon which are
really holdini. all of New England In
1rnsplcion at present; the question,
therefore, which I think it behooves
us nil to consider is how we can best
give support to the workers in what
we call the class struggle. That Is a
question to which ( invit
tion ton lgh t.
I used lo think that it ,
ble to lndorse that move1
indeed, to be very much •
for I began to regard th
the demand of Americ
women to better their co
the philanthropic sicle.
to give enthusiastic alle
settlement moYement, wl
me on the whole the mo
form of philanthropy. D1
Jong I became cllssatlsll
the settlement movemell'
realize that I neecled soi
complete to satisfy my n
came interested In Soc
and very soon became
Socialist.
NeverthelesR
unable lo endorse the n
Socialist movemelll on n
doctrine of the class sl 1
count of the feeling, der
in me from my Christin
that the world must art<>
by voluntary sacrifice ti
through meekness, 1.hrou
, through the pure pol
through the rnagnanimo
privilege and not thro111
Ing of privilege on lJJP
class. We Christinn ll'
with Intensity that the
which are making for R
be the forces that givr
mand--that they must. b1
voluntary self-abnegatio1
on the part of the uppr
that we are afraid of
afraid of greed, afraid
afraid of criticism. Thi
me Rhrink from the Soc
I knew It and I think ti
is still deep-ingr.ained ii
the religious world and
the chief reason ,~ by
world remains aloof fr
socialism. When the
great labor war move1
tenlfled-it sees plcke•
abusive language, it '
.
FORD HALL FOLKS
ill terest the speeches of our
l-dect; we notice the growth
l'!sat conventions of churches
l assemblies of people suclt
dd in Boston at Christmas
1!le discussion of economic
1Hl there is often a positive
,·<l to insure social welfare.
,lassachusetts we can boast
,e last year of a Minimum
Now, all that makes me
y and all of you very happy
11·,o are all full of elation and
11g as we see the great gen111ent on the part of the big
,( the United States to dc11nm ic freedom and social
1 l1e llrst necessity to a just
u,t thing is accomplished;
,;l movement which centers
i1 ily of the workers them.,ffort of the working class
lileir own salvation-Ufde,
1l,ernselves economic free,·ial welfare is still regard- •
11 icion, hesitation, and fear
, rters. Some people regard
sympnlhy the general
,r amelioration on the part.
:111d ou the part of Jegisla" 'S, au<I /ind it easy to feel
;ymvathy with all that ia
11r the working people, bnl
111 e working people themto arise and say there
11s they will not endnre
11iize to protest against
,11s then the general pub' sorry to say, large sec1l'liglons public, begin to
,rn1ed nnd_n lilile full or
!1e slrnggle of lhe organfor economic freedom
, ucial oppression.
,.,w, alarming revolutionorganization which are
all of New England In
preseHt; the question,
id1 I think it behooves
ider is how we can bes!
10 lh-i workel'B in what
"ss s! ruggle. 'rhat Is a
question to which I invite your attention tonight.
, I used lo think that it was not posslbl~ to iudorse th.at movement. I used,
indeed, lo be very much opposed to it,
for I began to regard the question of
tho demand of American men and
women to better their conditions from
the philanthropic side. Then I came
lo give enthusiastic allegiance to the
settlement mo,·ement, which seems to
me on the whole the most democratic
form of philanthropy, But before very
Jong I beeame dissatisfied even witli
the settlement movement. I began to
realize that I needed something more
complete to satisfy my mind and I became interested in Socialistic books
and very soon bedame a convinced
Social isl.
Nevertheless I remainecl
unable lo endorse the active political
Socialist movement on account of the
doctrine of the class struggle-on account of .the feeling, deeply ingrained
in me from my Christian inheritance,
that the world must after all !Je savecl
by voluntary sacrince through mercy,
through meekness, 1.hrough obedience,
through the pure power of lovfl,
through the magnanimous sharing ot
privilege and not through the clutching of privilege on lhe part of any
class. We Christian people all feel
with intensity that the nobler forces
which are making for salvation must
pe the forces that give and not dernand-lhat they must be the forces of
yo)1mtary self-abnegatlon of privilege
on the part of the upper classes and
I hat we are afraid of self-assertion,
afraid of greed, afraid of violence,
nfrnld of criticism, TJ1is terror made
me shrink from the Socialist varty as
I knew it and I think that this terrnr
is still deep-ingrained in the heart of
the religions world and I -think it is
the chief reason ,v hy the religious
world remains aloof from organized
socialism. 'When the public sees a
great lal.Jor war movement on it is
terrified-It sees picketing, ·a hears
abusive language, it watches stub-
3
borness, it watches violence. Now,
am not going to attempt to defend
violence either in speech or action-I
am shocked at violence, I believe, as
I fancy that all of us here tonight be•'
lieye, that destrnction of either property or life is a hideous crime and
when one sees such destruction
brought to justice we must rejoice, as
in the conviction of the dynamiters lu
the last month. The worst of any
violence on the part of the workers is
that, socially speaking, it retards the
emancipation of the people, The dynamiters have strengthened the hands
of capitalism unspeakably-the blow
that they have struck has rebounclecl
to the cause which they sought lo
serve. A II wild sveeches do the same;
but even when we discount all these
things the very call of the class strnggle is devotional to a great many people. \Vhen I got over my compunctions I discavered that, after all, the
class struggle has in it a wholly re- •
ligious aspect; I then found myselt' to
be u11conscionsly changii\g to the Socialist Party, goiug over to the side or
the class that is struggling for social
freedom. So I now hold my red card! ·
(Applause). I tha11k you for clapping
that rod card. (Applause). I am going to ask you to clap once more because we doubled our vote in the last
elect.Ion, (Applause).
But I don't change my old position
as much as you might suppose because I hold my red card and love it.
I have, however, come to be reconciled
to the class struggle. In the ti rst
place I discovered tllat I didn't invent
it. ·(Applause). Struggle is the essence of life everywhere, The assertion qf the right to live is a holy ancl
a sacred thing. It is manifest every,
where, it is manifest in the struggle
for existence all the way up. It is
sacred, the desire for more life, Life
is in Itself a dim desire on the part of
man to be rnore lllled with Dlely-to
reach a fuller measure of likeness to
the Infinite, and wherever one finds a
4
FORD HAL,L FOLKS
demand for life it Is Intrinsically holy.
Then 'there Is that other great and
sacred thing-the right to sacrifice.
It is In sacrifice that life is most holy,
'rhe greatest spiritual leader of the
race has said "Only he who lays down
his life shall find It." In that scrip•
ture we find the real 1:1pirit of life, the
principle that life, real life, can only
be had through sacrifice. But we
must gain life ere we can give. it in
sacrificial service and the trouble with
the working class today is that it
doesn't have enough life to sacrifice;
our modern industrial conditions prevent it from having enough life and
the object of the class struggle Is to
secure that life which must precede
the sacrificial life. I have come to see
that the gaining of more fullness of
life is the great sacred duty incumbent on the workers-that the class
strnggle mmit exist just as much as
the great surging impulse to reach
the tomb of the Saviour led to the
great Crusades In the Middle Ages!
Aftm considering all these things I
came to ask myself: What is tlvi
tnoral gain to the workers from this
r;truggle? Can the class struggle reHult in any moral advantage or Improvement, or development to the
working classes? And secondly: Does
lhe class struggle present ~ny great
tnoral opportunity to the privileged
classes? Those are the two ways In
which we are now going to consider
the qneRtion. You see I am occupied
entirely with the question of the moral
results of the struggle; that is the
only thing to care about in the world,
that the soul should have a free
chance. Personally I do not care what
happens to men's bodies except as
what happens to their bodies mny affect their souls, I do not object to
poverty as poverty, r do not object to
starvation, or slow murder, I do not
object to any of these things if they
are good for the soul. The one question I ask about the economic condition Is, is .It favorable to character?
Is character likely to develop under
those conditions as well as it would
under other conditions?
As I look on the working class
and .see, what happens as it develops
class consciousness and merges In to
a great collective struggle for economic freedom I see a great many
th1;1gs that interest me very much. I
see perfectly clearly that it is distinctly good for any working man or
woman to be rnused to the sense of
an interest for· co-operative struggle,
I thin!{ that the development of class
consciousness and class solidarity is
one of the most Important missions
today of the education of the working
man and woman. For from a pretty
considerable experience among them I
have observed that there are two ardent Impulses in the class struggle-a
desire to fight for the freedom of the
workers, and a lofty Christian idealism willing to endure to the end. That
is the thing I have observe<!. In my
experience among the workers, I have
seen that the organization of labor
into groups _appears, generally speaking, to increase the morale of the
working class. That's what I have
discovered mi.cl it is not strange that.
'it should be so for association an<!
fellowship are very holy things. Some
say we should have a great feeling for
our church or that we might unite
with some great political party, Why
isn't it enough for a working man,
they as!{, to feel himself a member ot
the church? Well, I can only · say
from experiences of my own that union loyalty Is so valuable a thing we
cannot discard it.
The unions of
workers in the same line seem to me
a splendid and beautiful thing for us
to regard. Their spirit is educfltlnr,an<l uplifting; ror the bond In a trade
union Is e!:lpecially the bond of a common human interest. I observe that
whether lh time of labor war or in
time of peace the working classes lend
aid to those below them in a splendid
fashion.
Now about self-assertion as· the dun.
ger of the class struggle. It is always
helng said that people cannot endorse
the class straggle be!)ause they do not
like the self-assertion brought· out;
but It seems to me that the man who
Is striving to get economic freedom
for, his fellows is more to be applauded
.J
I
I
I
lhan he who is'slmp
self and his immed
l see In the Labt
generally is an iJ
earners for the grr
of love and sollcltu
Any especial distn
justice makes then
dent glow of figh
this land-fightin1
They an, not fig\
present. They lo
they make fearful
Jd10w they are 111.
condition In a r1
that reason indust
to me better than
ism, and I think
when the older un
all their sober qu
be permeated willl
and its lofty ide
unskilled. The A
working bocly wl
Labor dwdt a gn
tion and inlliat\011
senllment ancl I
mcnt or the Kn
1he chivalric spir
skilled by the ski
all for the sulrn
are some peoplr
lah0r movement
is shocking to th
delica.tely-n urtur1
aloof from th13
beautHul things :
♦ Ing pictures. T
•folly materialist
L'9 engaged in s
these people wl
any attention to
I always try to
1he absolute spi
for which tlw
ment is struggli
wa.<;es m1d hour
means more cl
· · hence a chanct'
For vou cnnnot
except under
von have woll-1
hodv :ieeds to
the ·soul may 11
the body may
abode.
The question
sire for more II
ual thing; the ,
ntcd on a pe
(a11plause). It
and was mean
equally c1lvidec
done all she c
socialism but ,
"
FORD HALL FOLKS
uevelop under
_dl as it would
working class
as It develops
1d merges into
1ggle for econa great many ,
, very much. I
that it Is dis:urking man or
u the sense of
ra ti ve struggle.
, p 111011 t of class
>iH i,olidarily is
,rtunt missions
of the working
from a pretty
,• among thrTU I
•re are two \1•l:,ss struggle__:._&. •
freedom of the '< 'hristian 'ideal" the euu. Thal
,.,0.rveu. In my
11 orltern, I have
1.:dion of labor
·, nerally speak1,1orale of the
" what I have
Ill strange that.
:i,;sociat ion and
ly things. Some
:.real feeling for
1 ,. might unite
·:tl J)arly, Why
working man,
Ii' a member ot
can only say
,y own that un' Ide a thing we
The unions of
111e seem lo me
i',il thing for us
tit is edncalinr
1,011<1 in a trade
1,ond of a comI observe that
"1,or war or in
i11g classes lend
111 in a splendid
I ion as the dan1l'. It is alwayi;
cannot endorse
111,;e they do not
1 brought out;
:ti the man who
,11omlc freedom
to be applauded
5
than he who is simply fighting for himtime-we all have to live the same
self and ,bis Immediate family. What
kind of a day; we all have the same
I see In the Labor War movement·
number of hours and whether or not
generally ls an incentive to wagewe are all in the same social condition
earners for the growth of the feeliug
we all have to depend upon the same
of Jove and solicitude for one another.
average length of life. One of the
Any especial distress or type of Ingreatest sins of Capitalism is that it
justice makes them feel the great arhas established a "corner" on time and
dent glow or fighting for others In
said that only a few privileged people
this land-fighting for the future.
shall have time and that the working
They ar6 not fighting just t'or the
people shall not have time. In depresent. They know perfectly well
manding more leisure time for the en!hey make fearful sacrifices, but they
joyment of life and in seeking to gain
ki10w they are fighting for a better
It I think the workers are fighting for
condition in a remote future.
I~or
a purely spiritual victory.
that reason industrial unionism seems
What about the advantage of the
to me better than the old craft union~lass struggle to the workei:s and what
ism, and I think the time is coming
does it give? Discipline In obedience,
when the older unions while retaining
discipline In self-a,bnegatlon and suball their sober qualities are going to
ordination. The development of solidbe permeated with the social unionism
arity among the workers means that
and its lofty ideal of schooling the
they must obtain ·a more disinterested
unskilled. Th1: A. F. of L. is a good
r1asslon for the common cause. They
working body where the Knights of
must also learn to obey the laws; they
. Labor dwelt a great deal on organization and initiation; but after all I love . must learn the great mysterious art of
social and collect! ve action.
sentiment and the one great sentl'I'he best discipline that can be found
mr1:t of the Knights of Labor was
today Is found through the solidarity
lhe chivalric spirit of training the unof labor in the great social movement.
skilled by Urn Hkilled and the unity of
'l'he people always come out of a strike
all for the sake of progress. There
better men and women than they went
are some ·people who say that this
in-they have learned that in order to
lab('lr movement is so materialistic it
succeed they have got to obey laws,
is shocking to them, but these are the
make concessions, and they have had a
delicately-nurtured people who stand
good object lesson In an Important
aloof from the world thinking very
public affair-they have had that disbeautiful things and looking at charmcipline they could not get in any other
Ing pictures. They think it is fearway. So we must reckon with the class
fully materialistic for the workers to
struggle as a thing of value; I believe
be engaged in struggle for freedomclass consciousness is a tremendously
lhl'se J)eople who never haye to pay
important steJ) in modern American
any attention to the material! Well,
democracy.
I always try to bring home to them
1he absolute spirituality of the things
Once before, In the l~rench Revolution, the worhers rose to submerge and
for which the class-conscious movement is struggling. If Is a question of
overthrow civilization. Even then I
wa~es and hours lo be sure. But that
believe that among th~m were to be·
means more chance · for health, and
found a number of the world's leaders
hence a chance to be more religious.
who held the key to the future, but
For :vou cannot be religious, I believe,
they had at that time gained no self0xcept under great difficulty unless
control-thcre had been no long, deft-.
you hnve wcll-nomished bodies. The
nite class-conscious movement precedbody :10eds to be well-nurtured that
ing that revolutionary upheaval and
the soul mny havl' a chance and that when the power vassed into their hands
the body may be a truly religious . they proved themselves incoherent, Inabode.
capable. Today we are being prepared
'!'he qu(;lstlon for shorter hours Is a defor the time when the balance ot power
sire for more time, and time Is a splrltIn the United States shall pass Into the
hands of the working people. I believe
11al thing; the one thing that Is distrlbnted on a perfectly socialistic basis
they shall some day have the full product of their labor and I believe that
(applause). It Is a spiritual possession
and was meant to he free to all and
the time Is coming yet In a co-operaequally divided among all. Nature has
tive system of government when they
be called upon to take the lead In
done all she. can to establish not only
socialism but communism in regard to
the socializing of industry.
will
6
FORD HALL FOLKS
I know there are a great many of
you here who are members of the
Christian Church, and I know there are
a great many here who are entirely unchurched; but 1 also Imo,~ that If there
had not been a Christian Chmch there
would not have been any Ford Hall
meetings and I think we are all glad
t lrnt there are such meetings and I
know I can expect from· all of you
courtesy while I speak. as a church
woman and to church peo11le. It Is a
varadoxlcal and lamentable fact that
the church today Is largely made up of
the members of the governing class.
Now I consider that to be the great
1mradox of modern times-I consider it
to be the most lamentable phenomenon
in religion. But It shows an extrnordmary transformation of Christianity.
Once It was tho rel'.gion of the slavesor the working veo11le-and it spread
its way from all that great 111Hlerwol'ld
of the Roman Emplrn appealing to the
disinherited, to the dispossessed, to the
servile population.
Now it is a religion no Jongor of
slaves bnt of masters; a religion of I.he
11 P11er classes who get together to tliscnss how to win back again tho workIng classes!
Christianity first spread to lhe disinherited and oppressed and it had no
trouble in commending itself to thein
l'or the virtues which it taught were
I.he virtues with which I.hoy w.ere
obllgocl to be familiar. When IL
preached meekness, submission, nonresistance and humility it was preaching virtues natural to a servile population-virtues of the slaves and workIng people and the 01111ressed and dlsinherllecl of the earth and, of course,
the people were pleased to listen lo
the assertion of the supreme worth
of these qualities; for they were their
qualities and to be told that they
meant salvation was to them extremely gratifying, Pretty soon Christianity was adopted by the rulers and ther
proceeclecl to subdue the nations under
them and baptise them wholesale and
then fight other nations and baptise
them at the point of the sword.
.Jesus believed that riches imperil
the soul and preached the Importance
of meekness. Yet his religion became
the religion of the ruling class! 'I'hm1e
who 11rofess today, the religion of
meekness and poverty are, generally
speaking, neither 11oor nor meek-a
very curious [act (laughter).
I think there ls great 011110rtunlly
now for the members of the governing
classes to prove the reality of their re-
ligion. How? In Oils way: Dy identifying themselves with the workers In
the class struggle, Already we are beginning to do it. It ls said that in
England the Socialist party depends
very largely upon the church vote am!
that it Is that which is rapidly putting
nower into· their hands. If we c·an
demonstrate the· spirituality of the
aims of the Socialist party I believe
that the members of the Christian
churches will jolh us almost in a body
and so put power into the hands of
the worker.
Jesus, you will notice, very rarely
told us to be good to the poor. He had
very little to say about charity-extraordinarily little. He told us lo
Identify ourselves with the poor. I
hunger to see a true disinterestedness,
I hunger to see a voluntary abnegation
of privilege. That would indeed be a
revelation of religion as .a supernatural power and this is the chance
In my opinion that the class struggle
offers us. If we refuse it-we religious
people-I believe that we will be refusing the only chance that modern
life gives,
To the workers the class struggle •
brings a wlclenlug devotion, disinterestedness and allegiance; to the privileged it offers the greatest chance they
ever had to prove the reality of their
religion. Auel from this Industrial
struggle ls destined to come forth a
more perfect understanding than we
have ever had before of the great purposes of God.
A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS.
f
Q, You speak In strong criticism of
the dynamiters and their effect upon
the Labor Unions; should you not also
condemn the conditions that drove
these men to such desperation as was
exllibited in their dynamiting?
A. I certainly should. The dynamiters were under great provocation
and provocation Incites crime; but it
does not excuse crime.
Q. Is not violence an essential element in all struggle and does it not
better the condition of the oppressed.
The questioner refers especially to the
violence of the dynamiters and of
,John Brown of Osawatomie.
A. I do think that violence above
board Is at times necessary, but I
think that a fight Is one thing and
conspiracy another and that dynamite
affair was a conspiracy. Now, my
answer to the second part of your
7
FORD HALL FOLKS
n;,
s way:
!dent h the workers in
!ready we are beis said lhnt in
,l party depends
, d1urch vote antl
ia rapidly putting
nds. If we can
1rituality of the
I party I believe
or the Christian
almost In a llody
, lo the hands of
l
,t ice, very rarely
I he poor. He had
1,out charity-ex! le told us lo
i I h the 1mor. I
ii isinterestedness,
111 l ary abnegation
,rnld indeed \Je u
011 us a .. quver1ia is lhe chance
he class struggle
,,, it-we religious,.
I we will \Je re-"'
1we that modern
, " class struggle
, ,l'otion, disinter11,·e; to the privi:11 est chance they
,, reality or their
this industrial
I u come forth a
landing than we
of the great pm·-
qUES'l'IONS.
rnng criticism of
11,eir effect upon
r11tld you not also
ions that drove
·;;pcrallon as was
,,amitlng?
,11 Id.
'!'he dyna•,1'<'.at Jll'OVOCation
,,s crime; Jrnt it
t
(',
an essential ele:llld does It not
i,f l he OJ]J]ressed.
,,specially to the
,amllcrs and of
,,tomie,
t violence above
111'cessary, but I
; one thing and
111 that dynamite
racy, Now, my
d J)arl of your
question Is that I wish I were more Intimately acquainted with the story of
.John Brown's raid, llut as far as I remember it I do not see any J)ossible
J)oinl of connection.
Q, You hold up self-sacrifice as an
ideal and then you condemn the dynamiters l'or 11uttl11g themselves In a position whern they sacrificed their all.
A. I think so far as there was an
element of dislnlernsled self-sacrifice
in the work of the McNamaras there is
a call for sympathy and respect; but I
recognize the fact that while they ran
a certain rlsl, themselves they also
sacrificed the prnperty and lives of
others and I never unde1·stood that the
sacrifice of ethers was an ideal to be
appla.u<led,
Q. Can the working people trust
the capitalists who come over from
their sides Into the ranks of labor to
help?
A. Well, after all, we are all human
and· I think it depends upon the intilvidunl.
Q. How could a strike of the dimellsions of t,110 Lawrence 'l'extile
strike have been won without any
violence?
A. I don't know that I said it conic!
have been and I don't know that I
i;aid ail violcuce wai; wmug, I think
I was vrelty careful not lo say that
all violence was wrong,
Q. Do you not think that the trite
saying that lhe rnling churn will do
anything for the working clnss except get ol'f their bacl,s holds goodin :;plte of lhe lauor legislation we are
getting?
A, Of course, that is Tolslol's great
phrase! I am watching to see labor
Jegislnlion by the privileged class
touching the question of the distrillntion of pro11erly. When it does that
I will uelieve it is becoming disinter•
ested and I am hoping and praying to
see it.
Q, ·was the dynamite trial one of
misguided leaders 01· a trial of Organized Lal.Jar?
A, Misguided leaders in organized
labor; organized labor I think, Is not
responsible, for the dynamiters.
Q, What ls the Socialist definition of
the Privileged Class to a man who believes in following the Golden Rule?
A. I think that the privilegeJ class
of people are those who are living on
mo11ey that they have not directly
earned. (Applause.)
llllss ANGELA ~IOl!GAN
IN
MANY WAYS.
"God fulfills Himself in many ways
Lest one good custom should corrupt
the world."
'I'hose of us who believe very heartily in the Ford Hall Meetings' way of
quickening the social conscience of
our time sometimes fail lo realize
that the leaven is worldng lustily in
other llodies, also. The \Vomau's Clubs,
for instance! ·week before last the
Massachusetts I~ederation of ·women's
Clnh held a. co11fcrc11ce of its Literature Committee in the Lecture llall
of the Boston Public Lil)rary and, acting on the motion of the Secretary of
these meetings-who chanced lo be a
membe1· of the Committee-in-chargethe subject discussed was "'I'he Relation of Conlempornry Literature lo
Contemporary Life."
'I'o illustrate
this :Mrs. Lionel Maries (Josephine
Preston Peallody) rend her poem "'l'he
Singing l\Ian," and Mii;s Angela Morgan gave "'I'oday," which the audience here has already heard and enjoyed,
Mrs. Marks promised,· after
that meeting, to come to us at an
early date with her poignant cele\Jration of that joyous day when man
sang of his work aud her prophetic
visioning of a time when happly he
will sing agaiu. Miss Morgan's poem
(copyrighted) we are herewith re,
printing through the kind permission
of the Cosmopolitan Magazine.
·what we started out to say, however, was that those clubwomen applauded these stirring social poems
just as vigorously as If they had one
and all been Ford Hall Folirn. Two
years ago, even, this wouldn't have
happened. For then Shakespeare or
Browning would have been given on
FORD HALL FOLKS
8
\he Literature aflernoon and it would
ueyer have occurred lo anybody to re•
late \he truths they might he:ir with
their ears to life as It is being lived
today.
TO-DAY.
By Angela Morgan.
To be alive in such an age!
With every year a lightning page
Turned In ( he world's great wonclerb:Jok
Whereon the leaning nations look.
When men speak strong for brotherhood,
For peace and universal good;
vVhen miracles are everywhere,
And every inch of common air
Throbs a tremendous prophecy
Of greater marvels yet to be.
Oh, thrilling age!
Oh, willing age!
When steel and stone and rail and rod
Become the avenue of GodA trump to shout his thunder through
To crown lhe work tint man may do.
To be alive in s12ch an age!
When mun, impatient of his cage,
'rhrills to the soul's imE1orlal rage
For conquest-reaches goal on goal,
•rravels the earth from pole to pole,
Garners the tempests and the tides,
And on a dream triumphant rides.
When, hid within a. lnmp of clay,
A light more terrible than day
Proclaims the presence of that Force
Which hurls the planets on their
course.
Oh, age with wings!
Oh, age that flings
A challenge to the very sky
Where endless realms of conquest lie!
vVhen earth, on tiptoe, strives to hear
The message of a sister sphere,
Yearning to reach the cosmic wires
,rlrnt flash Inllnity's desires.
To be alive in such an age!
That thunders forth its discontent
With fulile creed and sacrament,
Yet craves to utter God's intent,
Seeing beneath the world's unrest
Creation's huge, untiring quest,
And through Tradition's broken crust
The flame of 'l'ruth's triumphant
thrust;
Below the seething thought of man
The push of a stupendous plan.
Oh, age of strife!
Oh, age of life!
When Progress rides her chariot high
And on the borders of the sky
'l'he signals of the century
Proclaim the things that are to beThe rise of woman to her place,
The coming of a nobler race.
To be alive in such an age!
To JI ve to It!
To give lo it!
Ilise, soul, from thy despairing knees.
What if thy lips have drunk the lees?
The passion of a larger claim
Will put thy puny grief to shame.
Fling forth thy sorrow to the wind
And link thy hope with humankind;
Breathe the world-thought, do the
world·deed,
Think hugely of thy brother's need.
And what thy woe, and what thy
weal?
Look to the work the times reveal!
Give thanks with all thy flaming
heartCrave but fo have in it a part.
Give thanks and clasp thy heritage.
To be alive in such an age!
OVERHEARD IN THE LINES.
".Just the thing Ford Hall needed
to spread its wings."
"A neat-looking magazine."
"I wouldn't help to enrich other peo•
pie by buying it."
"Please let me have five copies.
want lo send them to my friends."
"Here is a subscription for a friend'
of mine who attended a Ford Hall
Meeting a short time ago and who is
now residing in Washington."
*
*
i:,:
*
*
Keep talking
That's the idea.
about J•'onl /Tall f1'0/ks.
Did you buy a copy last Sunday?
Have you subscribed or received
any subs~rijitions as yet?
SUBSCRIPTION BLANK
Na111e .....•....·...................... •······· •···································
1-\dc11·ess ....................................................... , ... ••,. ••••, •••••· · · · · · · · · · · ~ ·
Atnonnt Enclosed ...................................................................... .
( S11111s of $ 1 oo or more;
the paper costs len cents per issue.)
[Remit to J. S. London, Room 707, Ford Building, Boston.]
~B"IS
r
I
l
VoL. I.
No, 4.
ANOTHER
lball ·jfelks
January 19, 1913.
IMPROVEMENT
GESTED,
SUG-
Slowly, but surely, we are finding
our constituency, Elven now many of
our friends have not discovered that
we are issuing a publication, Frequently, in this place and that place,
I have a subscription for the balance
of the season handed to me by someone who cannot now come to the meetings very often but who wants to
know all about them and ls delighted
to find that a bulletin is being issued
every week.
Then there are other friends who
have come to see that there is no better way of extending the influence of
the Ford Hall meetings than to send
copies of /l'ord IJall /l'o//,& far and wide,
Some of these friends buy extra copies
every Sunday night; another one, a
member of the Baptist Social Union,
has sent us a check for five dollars to
enable us to send out free copies
where they will do the most good,
•
Our first two issues have just about
paid expenses, a trifle over on the
first issue and a trifle under on th.e
second. We shall need to do· better
than that in order to provide against
e.mergencies. One arose in connection
with the printing of the third number
, , that will cost two or three dollars extra very likely, We ought to make a
surplus every week of five or ten dollars in order to provide for unexpected slumps in sales and unusual
expenditures and also so that we can
have a margin with which to do little
stunts now and (!Jen that would improve the paper,
In our meeting of Ford Hall Folks
Sunday afternoons, we have consid,
ered whether there is any satisfactory
way of distributing tickets for admis
Price Ten Cents.
sion to the Ford Hall Meetings on
Sunday evenings and so do away with
some of the disadvantages of standing
in line fo1' an hour, more or less, before the doors are opened. The objection is that such a method would involve additional expense, The diffl.
culty ls· in distributing the tickets to
ljle right people. And (lie danger is
in interfering with the free and democratic method of admission. 'l'ickets
might be sold, especially· preferred
seats. You already know tile disadvantage of standing in line, Can a
ticket scheme be devised that will
beat the present method? How ,vould
it do to print a coupon in every issue
of the F'urd Hall Pulk1s which, when
detached, could be presented as a
ticket entitling the holder to a seat?
tr~~
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER.
'
I
_.Joseph Fels, the ardent single taxer,
will ..address us, next Sunday evening,
on Just Taxation the Hope of the
World." Here's your chance to leal'II
just what Lloyd George has and hasn't
clone In the way of adequately taxing
the large English estates, For Mr.
Fels Is fresh from England and has
especially studied this question there.
1·
2
FORD HALL FOLKS
THE PRAYER.
'
(Preceding Miss Scudder's AddresG.)
We do not pray to be freed from all
struggle. '\Ve ask for wisdom, strength
and courage that out of our str11ggles
may come development and progress,
May we be clrnered and upheld in the
midst of conflict by the real17,atlon that
all that we most cherish has come as the
fruit of struggle, Help us to accept
this fact for ourselves, for our class,
for our race, for our nation, as the way
which 'l'hou hast ordained whereby
mankind moves on to better things,
But we do pray with all' our hearts
for the hastening of the day when the
struggle with our fellowman, individually and In groups and divisions, will
be in mutual good will and for the welfare of all concerned, bringing In its
train joy and satisfaction instead of
fear and discontent.
We pray, 0 God, that in the great
struggle of this day and hour, we may
light valianlly and endure heroically
without malice and without bitterness.
confident that truth and justice will
prevail. Amen.
THE MORAL, ASSETS OF THE
CLASS S.TRUGGLE,
Address of Miss Vida D. Scudder at
the Ford Hall Meetings, January
12, 1913.
I suppose there has been nothing
more remarkable in the United States
during the last 25 years than the general demand for social justice and the
active movement toward a considerable degree of that justice which is to
be seen In our philanthrovlc and legislative agencies, We are all glad ancl
proud of it. We hail with amazement
and thanlrnglvlng the advent in politics
of the programme of remedial action
fol' which the social workers· and the
philanthropists of the United Stales
have been working for over a quarter
of a century, Many of us, myself included, read with enthusiasm and with
,
a deep Interest the speeches of our
president-elect; we notice the growth
of the great convent.ions of churches
and great assemblies of people such
as we· held In Boston at Christmas
time for the discussion of economic
justice and there is often a positive
law passed to insure social welfare.
Here in Massachusetts we can boast
during the last year of a Minimun1
Wage law. Now, all that makes me
very happy and all of you very happy
-I think we are all full of elation and
thanksgiving as we see the great general movement on the part of the big
Republic of the United States to dcma11d economic freedom and social
just.ice as the first necessity to a just
living. That thing is accomplished:
but I.hat vast movement which centers
In tlie activity of the workers themselves-1110 effort of the working class
to achieve their own salvation-to de,
mand for themselves economic freedom and social welfare ls still regarded with suspicion, hesit.atibn, and fear
in many quarters. Some people regard
with great Rympnthy the general
movement of nmoliorntion on !he part
of churches nnd on !he part of legislative assemblies, and find it easy lo fool
an inten$e sympathy with all that !a
being done for !he working people, but
· as soon as the working people themselves begin to nrise ancl say there
are concliticns they will not endure
and to organize to protest against
those conditions then the gene1·al public, and I am sorry to say, large sections of the religious public, begin to
be a little alarmed and_ a little full of
suspicion of the struggle of the organized workers for economic freedom
and against Eoclal oppre~sion.
'l'here are new, alarming revolutionary forms of orgaplzatlon which are
really holdini. all of New England In
1rnsplcion at present; the question,
therefore, which I think it behooves
us nil to consider is how we can best
give support to the workers in what
we call the class struggle. That Is a
question to which ( invit
tion ton lgh t.
I used lo think that it ,
ble to lndorse that move1
indeed, to be very much •
for I began to regard th
the demand of Americ
women to better their co
the philanthropic sicle.
to give enthusiastic alle
settlement moYement, wl
me on the whole the mo
form of philanthropy. D1
Jong I became cllssatlsll
the settlement movemell'
realize that I neecled soi
complete to satisfy my n
came interested In Soc
and very soon became
Socialist.
NeverthelesR
unable lo endorse the n
Socialist movemelll on n
doctrine of the class sl 1
count of the feeling, der
in me from my Christin
that the world must art<>
by voluntary sacrifice ti
through meekness, 1.hrou
, through the pure pol
through the rnagnanimo
privilege and not thro111
Ing of privilege on lJJP
class. We Christinn ll'
with Intensity that the
which are making for R
be the forces that givr
mand--that they must. b1
voluntary self-abnegatio1
on the part of the uppr
that we are afraid of
afraid of greed, afraid
afraid of criticism. Thi
me Rhrink from the Soc
I knew It and I think ti
is still deep-ingr.ained ii
the religious world and
the chief reason ,~ by
world remains aloof fr
socialism. When the
great labor war move1
tenlfled-it sees plcke•
abusive language, it '
.
FORD HALL FOLKS
ill terest the speeches of our
l-dect; we notice the growth
l'!sat conventions of churches
l assemblies of people suclt
dd in Boston at Christmas
1!le discussion of economic
1Hl there is often a positive
,·<l to insure social welfare.
,lassachusetts we can boast
,e last year of a Minimum
Now, all that makes me
y and all of you very happy
11·,o are all full of elation and
11g as we see the great gen111ent on the part of the big
,( the United States to dc11nm ic freedom and social
1 l1e llrst necessity to a just
u,t thing is accomplished;
,;l movement which centers
i1 ily of the workers them.,ffort of the working class
lileir own salvation-Ufde,
1l,ernselves economic free,·ial welfare is still regard- •
11 icion, hesitation, and fear
, rters. Some people regard
sympnlhy the general
,r amelioration on the part.
:111d ou the part of Jegisla" 'S, au<I /ind it easy to feel
;ymvathy with all that ia
11r the working people, bnl
111 e working people themto arise and say there
11s they will not endnre
11iize to protest against
,11s then the general pub' sorry to say, large sec1l'liglons public, begin to
,rn1ed nnd_n lilile full or
!1e slrnggle of lhe organfor economic freedom
, ucial oppression.
,.,w, alarming revolutionorganization which are
all of New England In
preseHt; the question,
id1 I think it behooves
ider is how we can bes!
10 lh-i workel'B in what
"ss s! ruggle. 'rhat Is a
question to which I invite your attention tonight.
, I used lo think that it was not posslbl~ to iudorse th.at movement. I used,
indeed, lo be very much opposed to it,
for I began to regard the question of
tho demand of American men and
women to better their conditions from
the philanthropic side. Then I came
lo give enthusiastic allegiance to the
settlement mo,·ement, which seems to
me on the whole the most democratic
form of philanthropy, But before very
Jong I beeame dissatisfied even witli
the settlement movement. I began to
realize that I needed something more
complete to satisfy my mind and I became interested in Socialistic books
and very soon bedame a convinced
Social isl.
Nevertheless I remainecl
unable lo endorse the active political
Socialist movement on account of the
doctrine of the class struggle-on account of .the feeling, deeply ingrained
in me from my Christian inheritance,
that the world must after all !Je savecl
by voluntary sacrince through mercy,
through meekness, 1.hrough obedience,
through the pure power of lovfl,
through the magnanimous sharing ot
privilege and not through the clutching of privilege on lhe part of any
class. We Christian people all feel
with intensity that the nobler forces
which are making for salvation must
pe the forces that give and not dernand-lhat they must be the forces of
yo)1mtary self-abnegatlon of privilege
on the part of the upper classes and
I hat we are afraid of self-assertion,
afraid of greed, afraid of violence,
nfrnld of criticism, TJ1is terror made
me shrink from the Socialist varty as
I knew it and I think that this terrnr
is still deep-ingrained in the heart of
the religions world and I -think it is
the chief reason ,v hy the religious
world remains aloof from organized
socialism. 'When the public sees a
great lal.Jor war movement on it is
terrified-It sees picketing, ·a hears
abusive language, it watches stub-
3
borness, it watches violence. Now,
am not going to attempt to defend
violence either in speech or action-I
am shocked at violence, I believe, as
I fancy that all of us here tonight be•'
lieye, that destrnction of either property or life is a hideous crime and
when one sees such destruction
brought to justice we must rejoice, as
in the conviction of the dynamiters lu
the last month. The worst of any
violence on the part of the workers is
that, socially speaking, it retards the
emancipation of the people, The dynamiters have strengthened the hands
of capitalism unspeakably-the blow
that they have struck has rebounclecl
to the cause which they sought lo
serve. A II wild sveeches do the same;
but even when we discount all these
things the very call of the class strnggle is devotional to a great many people. \Vhen I got over my compunctions I discavered that, after all, the
class struggle has in it a wholly re- •
ligious aspect; I then found myselt' to
be u11conscionsly changii\g to the Socialist Party, goiug over to the side or
the class that is struggling for social
freedom. So I now hold my red card! ·
(Applause). I tha11k you for clapping
that rod card. (Applause). I am going to ask you to clap once more because we doubled our vote in the last
elect.Ion, (Applause).
But I don't change my old position
as much as you might suppose because I hold my red card and love it.
I have, however, come to be reconciled
to the class struggle. In the ti rst
place I discovered tllat I didn't invent
it. ·(Applause). Struggle is the essence of life everywhere, The assertion qf the right to live is a holy ancl
a sacred thing. It is manifest every,
where, it is manifest in the struggle
for existence all the way up. It is
sacred, the desire for more life, Life
is in Itself a dim desire on the part of
man to be rnore lllled with Dlely-to
reach a fuller measure of likeness to
the Infinite, and wherever one finds a
4
FORD HAL,L FOLKS
demand for life it Is Intrinsically holy.
Then 'there Is that other great and
sacred thing-the right to sacrifice.
It is In sacrifice that life is most holy,
'rhe greatest spiritual leader of the
race has said "Only he who lays down
his life shall find It." In that scrip•
ture we find the real 1:1pirit of life, the
principle that life, real life, can only
be had through sacrifice. But we
must gain life ere we can give. it in
sacrificial service and the trouble with
the working class today is that it
doesn't have enough life to sacrifice;
our modern industrial conditions prevent it from having enough life and
the object of the class struggle Is to
secure that life which must precede
the sacrificial life. I have come to see
that the gaining of more fullness of
life is the great sacred duty incumbent on the workers-that the class
strnggle mmit exist just as much as
the great surging impulse to reach
the tomb of the Saviour led to the
great Crusades In the Middle Ages!
Aftm considering all these things I
came to ask myself: What is tlvi
tnoral gain to the workers from this
r;truggle? Can the class struggle reHult in any moral advantage or Improvement, or development to the
working classes? And secondly: Does
lhe class struggle present ~ny great
tnoral opportunity to the privileged
classes? Those are the two ways In
which we are now going to consider
the qneRtion. You see I am occupied
entirely with the question of the moral
results of the struggle; that is the
only thing to care about in the world,
that the soul should have a free
chance. Personally I do not care what
happens to men's bodies except as
what happens to their bodies mny affect their souls, I do not object to
poverty as poverty, r do not object to
starvation, or slow murder, I do not
object to any of these things if they
are good for the soul. The one question I ask about the economic condition Is, is .It favorable to character?
Is character likely to develop under
those conditions as well as it would
under other conditions?
As I look on the working class
and .see, what happens as it develops
class consciousness and merges In to
a great collective struggle for economic freedom I see a great many
th1;1gs that interest me very much. I
see perfectly clearly that it is distinctly good for any working man or
woman to be rnused to the sense of
an interest for· co-operative struggle,
I thin!{ that the development of class
consciousness and class solidarity is
one of the most Important missions
today of the education of the working
man and woman. For from a pretty
considerable experience among them I
have observed that there are two ardent Impulses in the class struggle-a
desire to fight for the freedom of the
workers, and a lofty Christian idealism willing to endure to the end. That
is the thing I have observe<!. In my
experience among the workers, I have
seen that the organization of labor
into groups _appears, generally speaking, to increase the morale of the
working class. That's what I have
discovered mi.cl it is not strange that.
'it should be so for association an<!
fellowship are very holy things. Some
say we should have a great feeling for
our church or that we might unite
with some great political party, Why
isn't it enough for a working man,
they as!{, to feel himself a member ot
the church? Well, I can only · say
from experiences of my own that union loyalty Is so valuable a thing we
cannot discard it.
The unions of
workers in the same line seem to me
a splendid and beautiful thing for us
to regard. Their spirit is educfltlnr,an<l uplifting; ror the bond In a trade
union Is e!:lpecially the bond of a common human interest. I observe that
whether lh time of labor war or in
time of peace the working classes lend
aid to those below them in a splendid
fashion.
Now about self-assertion as· the dun.
ger of the class struggle. It is always
helng said that people cannot endorse
the class straggle be!)ause they do not
like the self-assertion brought· out;
but It seems to me that the man who
Is striving to get economic freedom
for, his fellows is more to be applauded
.J
I
I
I
lhan he who is'slmp
self and his immed
l see In the Labt
generally is an iJ
earners for the grr
of love and sollcltu
Any especial distn
justice makes then
dent glow of figh
this land-fightin1
They an, not fig\
present. They lo
they make fearful
Jd10w they are 111.
condition In a r1
that reason indust
to me better than
ism, and I think
when the older un
all their sober qu
be permeated willl
and its lofty ide
unskilled. The A
working bocly wl
Labor dwdt a gn
tion and inlliat\011
senllment ancl I
mcnt or the Kn
1he chivalric spir
skilled by the ski
all for the sulrn
are some peoplr
lah0r movement
is shocking to th
delica.tely-n urtur1
aloof from th13
beautHul things :
♦ Ing pictures. T
•folly materialist
L'9 engaged in s
these people wl
any attention to
I always try to
1he absolute spi
for which tlw
ment is struggli
wa.<;es m1d hour
means more cl
· · hence a chanct'
For vou cnnnot
except under
von have woll-1
hodv :ieeds to
the ·soul may 11
the body may
abode.
The question
sire for more II
ual thing; the ,
ntcd on a pe
(a11plause). It
and was mean
equally c1lvidec
done all she c
socialism but ,
"
FORD HALL FOLKS
uevelop under
_dl as it would
working class
as It develops
1d merges into
1ggle for econa great many ,
, very much. I
that it Is dis:urking man or
u the sense of
ra ti ve struggle.
, p 111011 t of class
>iH i,olidarily is
,rtunt missions
of the working
from a pretty
,• among thrTU I
•re are two \1•l:,ss struggle__:._&. •
freedom of the '< 'hristian 'ideal" the euu. Thal
,.,0.rveu. In my
11 orltern, I have
1.:dion of labor
·, nerally speak1,1orale of the
" what I have
Ill strange that.
:i,;sociat ion and
ly things. Some
:.real feeling for
1 ,. might unite
·:tl J)arly, Why
working man,
Ii' a member ot
can only say
,y own that un' Ide a thing we
The unions of
111e seem lo me
i',il thing for us
tit is edncalinr
1,011<1 in a trade
1,ond of a comI observe that
"1,or war or in
i11g classes lend
111 in a splendid
I ion as the dan1l'. It is alwayi;
cannot endorse
111,;e they do not
1 brought out;
:ti the man who
,11omlc freedom
to be applauded
5
than he who is simply fighting for himtime-we all have to live the same
self and ,bis Immediate family. What
kind of a day; we all have the same
I see In the Labor War movement·
number of hours and whether or not
generally ls an incentive to wagewe are all in the same social condition
earners for the growth of the feeliug
we all have to depend upon the same
of Jove and solicitude for one another.
average length of life. One of the
Any especial distress or type of Ingreatest sins of Capitalism is that it
justice makes them feel the great arhas established a "corner" on time and
dent glow or fighting for others In
said that only a few privileged people
this land-fighting for the future.
shall have time and that the working
They ar6 not fighting just t'or the
people shall not have time. In depresent. They know perfectly well
manding more leisure time for the en!hey make fearful sacrifices, but they
joyment of life and in seeking to gain
ki10w they are fighting for a better
It I think the workers are fighting for
condition in a remote future.
I~or
a purely spiritual victory.
that reason industrial unionism seems
What about the advantage of the
to me better than the old craft union~lass struggle to the workei:s and what
ism, and I think the time is coming
does it give? Discipline In obedience,
when the older unions while retaining
discipline In self-a,bnegatlon and suball their sober qualities are going to
ordination. The development of solidbe permeated with the social unionism
arity among the workers means that
and its lofty ideal of schooling the
they must obtain ·a more disinterested
unskilled. Th1: A. F. of L. is a good
r1asslon for the common cause. They
working body where the Knights of
must also learn to obey the laws; they
. Labor dwelt a great deal on organization and initiation; but after all I love . must learn the great mysterious art of
social and collect! ve action.
sentiment and the one great sentl'I'he best discipline that can be found
mr1:t of the Knights of Labor was
today Is found through the solidarity
lhe chivalric spirit of training the unof labor in the great social movement.
skilled by Urn Hkilled and the unity of
'l'he people always come out of a strike
all for the sake of progress. There
better men and women than they went
are some ·people who say that this
in-they have learned that in order to
lab('lr movement is so materialistic it
succeed they have got to obey laws,
is shocking to them, but these are the
make concessions, and they have had a
delicately-nurtured people who stand
good object lesson In an Important
aloof from the world thinking very
public affair-they have had that disbeautiful things and looking at charmcipline they could not get in any other
Ing pictures. They think it is fearway. So we must reckon with the class
fully materialistic for the workers to
struggle as a thing of value; I believe
be engaged in struggle for freedomclass consciousness is a tremendously
lhl'se J)eople who never haye to pay
important steJ) in modern American
any attention to the material! Well,
democracy.
I always try to bring home to them
1he absolute spirituality of the things
Once before, In the l~rench Revolution, the worhers rose to submerge and
for which the class-conscious movement is struggling. If Is a question of
overthrow civilization. Even then I
wa~es and hours lo be sure. But that
believe that among th~m were to be·
means more chance · for health, and
found a number of the world's leaders
hence a chance to be more religious.
who held the key to the future, but
For :vou cannot be religious, I believe,
they had at that time gained no self0xcept under great difficulty unless
control-thcre had been no long, deft-.
you hnve wcll-nomished bodies. The
nite class-conscious movement precedbody :10eds to be well-nurtured that
ing that revolutionary upheaval and
the soul mny havl' a chance and that when the power vassed into their hands
the body may be a truly religious . they proved themselves incoherent, Inabode.
capable. Today we are being prepared
'!'he qu(;lstlon for shorter hours Is a defor the time when the balance ot power
sire for more time, and time Is a splrltIn the United States shall pass Into the
hands of the working people. I believe
11al thing; the one thing that Is distrlbnted on a perfectly socialistic basis
they shall some day have the full product of their labor and I believe that
(applause). It Is a spiritual possession
and was meant to he free to all and
the time Is coming yet In a co-operaequally divided among all. Nature has
tive system of government when they
be called upon to take the lead In
done all she. can to establish not only
socialism but communism in regard to
the socializing of industry.
will
6
FORD HALL FOLKS
I know there are a great many of
you here who are members of the
Christian Church, and I know there are
a great many here who are entirely unchurched; but 1 also Imo,~ that If there
had not been a Christian Chmch there
would not have been any Ford Hall
meetings and I think we are all glad
t lrnt there are such meetings and I
know I can expect from· all of you
courtesy while I speak. as a church
woman and to church peo11le. It Is a
varadoxlcal and lamentable fact that
the church today Is largely made up of
the members of the governing class.
Now I consider that to be the great
1mradox of modern times-I consider it
to be the most lamentable phenomenon
in religion. But It shows an extrnordmary transformation of Christianity.
Once It was tho rel'.gion of the slavesor the working veo11le-and it spread
its way from all that great 111Hlerwol'ld
of the Roman Emplrn appealing to the
disinherited, to the dispossessed, to the
servile population.
Now it is a religion no Jongor of
slaves bnt of masters; a religion of I.he
11 P11er classes who get together to tliscnss how to win back again tho workIng classes!
Christianity first spread to lhe disinherited and oppressed and it had no
trouble in commending itself to thein
l'or the virtues which it taught were
I.he virtues with which I.hoy w.ere
obllgocl to be familiar. When IL
preached meekness, submission, nonresistance and humility it was preaching virtues natural to a servile population-virtues of the slaves and workIng people and the 01111ressed and dlsinherllecl of the earth and, of course,
the people were pleased to listen lo
the assertion of the supreme worth
of these qualities; for they were their
qualities and to be told that they
meant salvation was to them extremely gratifying, Pretty soon Christianity was adopted by the rulers and ther
proceeclecl to subdue the nations under
them and baptise them wholesale and
then fight other nations and baptise
them at the point of the sword.
.Jesus believed that riches imperil
the soul and preached the Importance
of meekness. Yet his religion became
the religion of the ruling class! 'I'hm1e
who 11rofess today, the religion of
meekness and poverty are, generally
speaking, neither 11oor nor meek-a
very curious [act (laughter).
I think there ls great 011110rtunlly
now for the members of the governing
classes to prove the reality of their re-
ligion. How? In Oils way: Dy identifying themselves with the workers In
the class struggle, Already we are beginning to do it. It ls said that in
England the Socialist party depends
very largely upon the church vote am!
that it Is that which is rapidly putting
nower into· their hands. If we c·an
demonstrate the· spirituality of the
aims of the Socialist party I believe
that the members of the Christian
churches will jolh us almost in a body
and so put power into the hands of
the worker.
Jesus, you will notice, very rarely
told us to be good to the poor. He had
very little to say about charity-extraordinarily little. He told us lo
Identify ourselves with the poor. I
hunger to see a true disinterestedness,
I hunger to see a voluntary abnegation
of privilege. That would indeed be a
revelation of religion as .a supernatural power and this is the chance
In my opinion that the class struggle
offers us. If we refuse it-we religious
people-I believe that we will be refusing the only chance that modern
life gives,
To the workers the class struggle •
brings a wlclenlug devotion, disinterestedness and allegiance; to the privileged it offers the greatest chance they
ever had to prove the reality of their
religion. Auel from this Industrial
struggle ls destined to come forth a
more perfect understanding than we
have ever had before of the great purposes of God.
A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS.
f
Q, You speak In strong criticism of
the dynamiters and their effect upon
the Labor Unions; should you not also
condemn the conditions that drove
these men to such desperation as was
exllibited in their dynamiting?
A. I certainly should. The dynamiters were under great provocation
and provocation Incites crime; but it
does not excuse crime.
Q. Is not violence an essential element in all struggle and does it not
better the condition of the oppressed.
The questioner refers especially to the
violence of the dynamiters and of
,John Brown of Osawatomie.
A. I do think that violence above
board Is at times necessary, but I
think that a fight Is one thing and
conspiracy another and that dynamite
affair was a conspiracy. Now, my
answer to the second part of your
7
FORD HALL FOLKS
n;,
s way:
!dent h the workers in
!ready we are beis said lhnt in
,l party depends
, d1urch vote antl
ia rapidly putting
nds. If we can
1rituality of the
I party I believe
or the Christian
almost In a llody
, lo the hands of
l
,t ice, very rarely
I he poor. He had
1,out charity-ex! le told us lo
i I h the 1mor. I
ii isinterestedness,
111 l ary abnegation
,rnld indeed \Je u
011 us a .. quver1ia is lhe chance
he class struggle
,,, it-we religious,.
I we will \Je re-"'
1we that modern
, " class struggle
, ,l'otion, disinter11,·e; to the privi:11 est chance they
,, reality or their
this industrial
I u come forth a
landing than we
of the great pm·-
qUES'l'IONS.
rnng criticism of
11,eir effect upon
r11tld you not also
ions that drove
·;;pcrallon as was
,,amitlng?
,11 Id.
'!'he dyna•,1'<'.at Jll'OVOCation
,,s crime; Jrnt it
t
(',
an essential ele:llld does It not
i,f l he OJ]J]ressed.
,,specially to the
,amllcrs and of
,,tomie,
t violence above
111'cessary, but I
; one thing and
111 that dynamite
racy, Now, my
d J)arl of your
question Is that I wish I were more Intimately acquainted with the story of
.John Brown's raid, llut as far as I remember it I do not see any J)ossible
J)oinl of connection.
Q, You hold up self-sacrifice as an
ideal and then you condemn the dynamiters l'or 11uttl11g themselves In a position whern they sacrificed their all.
A. I think so far as there was an
element of dislnlernsled self-sacrifice
in the work of the McNamaras there is
a call for sympathy and respect; but I
recognize the fact that while they ran
a certain rlsl, themselves they also
sacrificed the prnperty and lives of
others and I never unde1·stood that the
sacrifice of ethers was an ideal to be
appla.u<led,
Q. Can the working people trust
the capitalists who come over from
their sides Into the ranks of labor to
help?
A. Well, after all, we are all human
and· I think it depends upon the intilvidunl.
Q. How could a strike of the dimellsions of t,110 Lawrence 'l'extile
strike have been won without any
violence?
A. I don't know that I said it conic!
have been and I don't know that I
i;aid ail violcuce wai; wmug, I think
I was vrelty careful not lo say that
all violence was wrong,
Q. Do you not think that the trite
saying that lhe rnling churn will do
anything for the working clnss except get ol'f their bacl,s holds goodin :;plte of lhe lauor legislation we are
getting?
A, Of course, that is Tolslol's great
phrase! I am watching to see labor
Jegislnlion by the privileged class
touching the question of the distrillntion of pro11erly. When it does that
I will uelieve it is becoming disinter•
ested and I am hoping and praying to
see it.
Q, ·was the dynamite trial one of
misguided leaders 01· a trial of Organized Lal.Jar?
A, Misguided leaders in organized
labor; organized labor I think, Is not
responsible, for the dynamiters.
Q, What ls the Socialist definition of
the Privileged Class to a man who believes in following the Golden Rule?
A. I think that the privilegeJ class
of people are those who are living on
mo11ey that they have not directly
earned. (Applause.)
llllss ANGELA ~IOl!GAN
IN
MANY WAYS.
"God fulfills Himself in many ways
Lest one good custom should corrupt
the world."
'I'hose of us who believe very heartily in the Ford Hall Meetings' way of
quickening the social conscience of
our time sometimes fail lo realize
that the leaven is worldng lustily in
other llodies, also. The \Vomau's Clubs,
for instance! ·week before last the
Massachusetts I~ederation of ·women's
Clnh held a. co11fcrc11ce of its Literature Committee in the Lecture llall
of the Boston Public Lil)rary and, acting on the motion of the Secretary of
these meetings-who chanced lo be a
membe1· of the Committee-in-chargethe subject discussed was "'I'he Relation of Conlempornry Literature lo
Contemporary Life."
'I'o illustrate
this :Mrs. Lionel Maries (Josephine
Preston Peallody) rend her poem "'l'he
Singing l\Ian," and Mii;s Angela Morgan gave "'I'oday," which the audience here has already heard and enjoyed,
Mrs. Marks promised,· after
that meeting, to come to us at an
early date with her poignant cele\Jration of that joyous day when man
sang of his work aud her prophetic
visioning of a time when happly he
will sing agaiu. Miss Morgan's poem
(copyrighted) we are herewith re,
printing through the kind permission
of the Cosmopolitan Magazine.
·what we started out to say, however, was that those clubwomen applauded these stirring social poems
just as vigorously as If they had one
and all been Ford Hall Folirn. Two
years ago, even, this wouldn't have
happened. For then Shakespeare or
Browning would have been given on
FORD HALL FOLKS
8
\he Literature aflernoon and it would
ueyer have occurred lo anybody to re•
late \he truths they might he:ir with
their ears to life as It is being lived
today.
TO-DAY.
By Angela Morgan.
To be alive in such an age!
With every year a lightning page
Turned In ( he world's great wonclerb:Jok
Whereon the leaning nations look.
When men speak strong for brotherhood,
For peace and universal good;
vVhen miracles are everywhere,
And every inch of common air
Throbs a tremendous prophecy
Of greater marvels yet to be.
Oh, thrilling age!
Oh, willing age!
When steel and stone and rail and rod
Become the avenue of GodA trump to shout his thunder through
To crown lhe work tint man may do.
To be alive in s12ch an age!
When mun, impatient of his cage,
'rhrills to the soul's imE1orlal rage
For conquest-reaches goal on goal,
•rravels the earth from pole to pole,
Garners the tempests and the tides,
And on a dream triumphant rides.
When, hid within a. lnmp of clay,
A light more terrible than day
Proclaims the presence of that Force
Which hurls the planets on their
course.
Oh, age with wings!
Oh, age that flings
A challenge to the very sky
Where endless realms of conquest lie!
vVhen earth, on tiptoe, strives to hear
The message of a sister sphere,
Yearning to reach the cosmic wires
,rlrnt flash Inllnity's desires.
To be alive in such an age!
That thunders forth its discontent
With fulile creed and sacrament,
Yet craves to utter God's intent,
Seeing beneath the world's unrest
Creation's huge, untiring quest,
And through Tradition's broken crust
The flame of 'l'ruth's triumphant
thrust;
Below the seething thought of man
The push of a stupendous plan.
Oh, age of strife!
Oh, age of life!
When Progress rides her chariot high
And on the borders of the sky
'l'he signals of the century
Proclaim the things that are to beThe rise of woman to her place,
The coming of a nobler race.
To be alive in such an age!
To JI ve to It!
To give lo it!
Ilise, soul, from thy despairing knees.
What if thy lips have drunk the lees?
The passion of a larger claim
Will put thy puny grief to shame.
Fling forth thy sorrow to the wind
And link thy hope with humankind;
Breathe the world-thought, do the
world·deed,
Think hugely of thy brother's need.
And what thy woe, and what thy
weal?
Look to the work the times reveal!
Give thanks with all thy flaming
heartCrave but fo have in it a part.
Give thanks and clasp thy heritage.
To be alive in such an age!
OVERHEARD IN THE LINES.
".Just the thing Ford Hall needed
to spread its wings."
"A neat-looking magazine."
"I wouldn't help to enrich other peo•
pie by buying it."
"Please let me have five copies.
want lo send them to my friends."
"Here is a subscription for a friend'
of mine who attended a Ford Hall
Meeting a short time ago and who is
now residing in Washington."
*
*
i:,:
*
*
Keep talking
That's the idea.
about J•'onl /Tall f1'0/ks.
Did you buy a copy last Sunday?
Have you subscribed or received
any subs~rijitions as yet?
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