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SI!P'1'EMBER
1,
1902
ZION'S
WATCH
TOWER
(275-27(,)
eousness,
knowing
that
in
our
imperfect
development
we
could
not
love
perfectly;
but
he
expects
us
to
grow
III
grace,
knowl
edge
and
love,
and
only
by
so
doing
can
we
abidc
in
his
love,
and
only
by
abiding
III
his
love
can
we
hope
to
attain
the
glorious
tlnngs
which
he
has
in
reservation
only
for
those
who
love
him.
-~----
YOLo
XXIII
ALLEGHENY,
P
A.,
SEPTEMBER
15,
1902
VIEWS
FROM
THE
WATCH
TOWER
1\0.
18
"THERE
WERE
GIANTS
IN
THOSE
DAYS"
Recently
'\Y.
F.
Clarke,
of
\Vilkesbalre,
Pa.,
addressed
to
President
Baer
of
the
Reading
R.
R,
appealing
to
him
on
religious
grounds
to
end
the
anthracite
roal
strike
Mr.
Baer'~
reply,
which
ha~
exrlted
general
critirism,
follow,,'-
".:\ly
dear
.:\lr.
Clal
k:
I
have
your
letter
of
the
16th
inst.
"I
do
not
know
who
vou
ar('.
1
"ep
that
vou
are
a
1"('
ligious
man,
but
you
are
evidentl)'
biased
in'
favor
of
the
right
of
the
workingmnn
to
control
a
hU~lI1ess
in
which
he
has
no
other
I11tel
('st
than
to
eerure
fnn
wages
for
the
work
he
doe
o
,
"I
beg
of
you
not
to
be
discouraged.
The
rights
an,l
in
terest~
of
the
laborin/o{
man
will
be
protected
and
cared
for
-not
by
the
la
hoI'
agitator~,
but
b)'
the
Chri~tian
men
to
whom
GO(l
in
His
infinite
wisdom
haR
given
the
control
of
the
property
intercRt~
of
the
countr)',
an
(I
upon
the
success
ful
management
of
whIch
so
much
dC'pends.
Do
not
be
dis
couragel1.
Pnl)'
earnestJy
that
I
ight
may
ttiumph,
aJwa)'s
f('mC'mllt'1
ing-
that
the
Lord
G()(l
omn:potent
still
reign~,
allLl
that
lTl~
Il·ign
i-:
OI!C'
of
law
an,l
on]pr,
,111<1
not
of
violence
and
('rilll('.
"Your~
truh',
"GEORGE
F.'
BAER,
PreRi,lent"
X
ow
tlw
t
the"
011,1
is
pas~ing
under
the
dominion
of
the
"giant~"
(trustR,
comhineR,
etc.),
it
shouJd
not
surpriRp
UR
to
fin,]
th('
rJaim
a(lvanced
that
the~e
are
of
divine
creation
amI
haY<'
divlnc
rights.
Mr.
Baer's
view
is
not
hypocritical,
in
our
opinion;
but
is
the
re,ult
of
failure
to
diRcern
th'lt
I"atan
is
the
"princ('
of
tJlis
world"
or
dispensation,
who
under
hi~
Jaw
of
seJfiohnl'RR
iR
pprmittpd
of
God
to
"dereive
the
whoJp
worhl:"
in
order
that
E'ventua]]y
all
may
~ee
to
what
Jengths
~pJfishnp"
wnuld
Jpa,]-u]timatph'
wrecking
the
present
order
-~ocial,
political.
finanriaJ
and
reJigiollR-an,]
tllU~
preparing
fo]'
tIl{'
p~tah]l~hmpnt
of
Chri~t'~
:\hIlenniaJ
kingdom
of
love
anll
I
i.g-hteoll~neRs
lIpon
thp
]
uinR
of
Ratan'"
dominion
and
thp
hin(lin!!
of
Ratan
that
he
may
"derpivp
the
nations
no
morp
llntil
th('
thouoanrJ
,par"
nrc
PIHl('(l."-TIpv.
20:1-4.
~('pin!!
111'p~(,1It
~omlition"
fordoJ,1
in
ScripturE',
"'I'
can
look
"ith
"'ympath\'
011
l,oth
partipo
to
thp
romllJ~
confhrt
\Ye
RPP
thp
hattIp
hdw!'('n
the
1
n
p1('al]v
~('t
forth
in
God'~
\\~0]'(1.
\Yp
R('p
hoth
p<1ltil'"
to
tlll1t
RtrllggJe
awak
p
to
rer
tain
trnthR
an,]
hlinlJ
to
parh
other'R
argumpnt".
From
our
vaningp
point
\Vp
~N'
hoth
right
antI
hoth
\\Tong-both
con
t('ntlin!!
con~pi('ntiou~]y
for
"right~",
)'et
hoth
mi~sing
tIl('
I
pal
~tanllan]
of
rig-ht.
h('rau"p
hlin']Pl]
hy
opJfiohnesR.
\Yp
op(,
that
th('
fault
lip~
JpS8
with
thp
]wopJp
on
both
RIdeR
of
thpop
('ontrov('roip-:,
alll]
morp
WIth
thp
fa]"p
selfi~h
~tanda],(]R
whIch
ronstitute'
thp
warp
and
woof
of
all
pre~ent
imtitu·
tion~'
~o
nll]('h
~o
that
it
rannot
he
patphed,
but
will
be
per
mIHp(]
of
t]l('
Lm
,]
to
work
ont
it~
0\\
n
de~tnl('tion.
aR
a
pI
pp
al
ation
for
tIl('
np,,'
o]'(](']'
of
thll1g~
prOnll-:Pl]
thp
groaning
('jeat-inn
1111(ler
th('
I.!Jorifie(]
GJll
iRt
an,l
hi~
kingdom.
The
New
YOlk
TIIIICS
rJpclar('~
that
Pre~ident
Ba('r'R
ut
t('rall{'p
"v('rg'p,1
,PI',\'
r]o~('
upon
unron~ciollo
b]asphemv."
The
Xpw
1'01
k
TrilJII
ne
dpc1arps:
..
~trif'l
·(>()llotrUf'l
lOn
tJlPO
]o~
1,1
ns
han'
hdorp
110\\'
in~iRt(>d
u]Jon
tJl('
1']O~P
ll'1atIOIl-:
hpt\~·('pn
Cah'ini~m
and
poal
It
10
~olllf'thing
Ill'\\',
ho\\
pv('r,
to
fiwl
a
han]headed
finanrier
settin,!!
up
aR
a
dOl'trin('
of
t1Ip
]llI"inE'o~
wor]rJ
thp
prel]('~tinati"n
of
the
Ppnn..,v]vanin
ronJ
nllnpo
to
the
all-wisr
control
of
Pre~i
(]pnt
Ba"r'
anll
hiR
fplJow
pl'('-i,]pnts
of
roal
rompanieR.
Doubt·
]pRo
goo,l
Calvini~t'l
han'
arreptel]
the
management
of
tIl('
coal
opplatorR,
like
evprything
pJ~('
that
is,
R'i
bping
~onlf'ho\\'
or
othpr
in
som('
mv~tpriou~
W>lV
in
harmon,
with
the
lIJtJ
matI'
,]p~iglls
of
a
CorJ
who
enrJllIpR
eVIJ
anrJ
makp"
even
thc
\\
rnth
of
n1('n
to
pl'ai~p
Him
But
fpw
of
thpm
have
reacherJ
the
point
of
ronRil]ering
the
so-raJIe,1
'ron
1
baronR,'
aR
Rhining
("mmpJp~
of
God'"
ppIfert
work,
in
which
HIR
loving'
design"
f01
thp
wp]farp
of
thp
"ho]('
human
rac('
Wf'I'(,
madp
malll
feot
It
Rpem~,
howrY('r,
that
iR
the
true
uortrine
which
aJl
rp]igiouR
mpn
~houJl]
hoJd,
.
'
..
"It
"iJl
tak('
a
load
from
the
ponopienrp"
of
many
1"11'
npot
ppopJe
to
hav('
thi"
authoritative
rJpelaratJon
that
God,
through
thp
kinl]ne~~
of
the
poal
O]WratorR,
will
be
allJp
to
manage
thi.;
~tnk('
in
arpo]'(lam'e
WIth
th('
dictateR
of
in
finitp
wi~,]om.
Thprp
have
hpen
ooml'
pC'r~onR
who
bpJipve
in
law
anll
mrJ('r,
anll
have
no
~Ympathv
with
l'iOtOUR
~trik
er!'
or
(lpmagogi('
a"itatoro,
wAo
have
not
hitherto
he('n
abJe
to
detert
infilllte
wihdom
siUlllg
at
any
of
the
roal
president~'
desks,
but
doubtless
thpy
were
mistaken.
In
their
blindnes..,
they
have
said
it
was
t'he
duty
of
the
operators
to
operate:
that
they
should
either
meet
their
men
half-way
anu
settle
the
difficulty,
or,
under
the
protection
of
the
State,
put
other
men
to
work
and
mine
coal.
TI1f'Y
ha\'c
had
a,
notion
that
Cod
put
the
roal
in
thc
earth
to
fUI'nish
heat
for
men's
needR,
aIHI
thought
there
was
some
~lip
in
the
cog~
of
the
universe
w]wn
they
rould
not
buy
coal
because
PresH]pnt
Baer,
God's
vicegerent
at
the
mine'S,
would
not
work
thplll,
But
if
it
I~
a
part
of
the
divine
order
that
\ve
shoul,l
all
pay
$10
a
tou
tIl]
the
surplm
stock
is
\vorked
off,
so
let
It
b,'.
Only
,vc
~hou],l
likc
to
aRk
a
qucstion
or
two.
Arc
the
cO<II
operator~
infallIbll'
individually,
or
onJy
when
they
are
gathered
to
gl'thl'r,
like
a
church
rouneil,
about
an
office
table
to
fix:
lates
anll
say
what
('arh
lctailer
must
sell
hi~
roal
for
on
]Jain
of
having'
his
God-given
supply
cut
off?
\Yas
the
agreement
of
two
years
ago,
Wlll('h
the
operators
Ra)'
was
so
llllWIRP
and
!las
madp
so
Illuc'h
trouble,
also
,hetatpd
In'
Ini1uite
wiRdnlll
'I"~
The
Kew
York
,lmcncan
al/iZ
,ToUl'iwl,
aJways
extremeJy
l',lll~tie
in
lefprring
to
lahor
troubles,
awl
cvidently
predi~,
po-c(l
to
scorp
the
\H'aJthy
to
the
p"trenw-<t
IllllLt,
u~c's
the
jol·
]0\\
ill!:l'
very
sevPI
e
language:-
THE
ASTOUNDING
BLASPHEMY
OF
A
MODERN
PIRATE
"'The
rights
and
intprests
of
the
laboring
mnn,'
Wl'ltf'~
PI
p~idellt
Baer,
of
the
Philadelphia
&
Reading
RaIlway
CO!1l'
pan)',
to
a
correspondent
who
appeaJed
to
him
a~
a
Christiall
to
pnd
the
coal
strike,
'will
he
protecte,l
and
cared
for,
not
h)'
the
labor
agitatoro,
but
by
the
C]n
istian
mcn
to
"hom
God
III
His
infinite
wisdom
ha.,
ginn
rontlOl
of
the
property
lll·
tprpsts
of
the
country.'
"""11'.
Baer,
aR
one
of
tIl('
1Il0~t
influpntia
1
mcm!lprs
of
thp
('oaJ
Tru~t.
no
,]oubt
~inrprely
fepl~
that
he
is
rsperwlly
COIll
mlRsioned
to
ran:\'
out
tJl('
clInne
will
as
a
proteI'
tor
of
JahO!
.11101
lJ1unag'('r
of
the
propel
ty
Il1telf'~ts
of
the
roulllry,
He
is
-0
happIly
ron~titutp,]
that
hc
can
~Cl'
uo
~atill'
in
the
oJd
-.\
llogihm.
"'The
earth
is
the
Lon]'"
an(l
the
fll]n{'~~
thf'reof.
Hi,
~.lInts
shall
inhl'rit
the
palth.
"'\Ye
arp
the
saints'
"
'ThpI
('foJ'('
"p
inhel
it
the
pa
rt
]1.'
"He'aven,
who~e
deputy
l\Ir.
Bapr
~o
ingenuously
anll
mod
p~t])'
l]('(]mes
himsplf
to
he,
while
endowing
him
\nth
:t
"hark'~
appehte
and
caparity
for
~eizing
thingR,
haR
merci
fnllv
(]pnlcd
hIm
ill<'
O('lISP
ot
]ll1111or
'fluh
io
lip
~J"ll'pd
th.,
(','ns('iouoness
of
Sill
"hcn
he
hlaRphemeR.
Indee.],
when
l\Ir
Ral'r
hJaRphe'lJ1e"
he
dop~
~o
Ro]"mnly,
with
a
WalllliJ1g'
and
uplifting
feeJing
that
h('
J.;
j1prforming
a
rdigious
ntp
a11<]
do
Illg
a
vlrtuOll.,
,]eel1.
T]d~
h]eR~ing
i~
vouchRafl'd
onl,\'
tn
t]IO~f'
who
in
all
thing'R
px('ept
lJ1onp)'-getting
are
den~e
lJPyonu
the
ul1'!f'rstl1nding
of
on]IIl,ll
y
m('II,
"'Not
,,1l1('('
]a~i
Fl'llTlHllV
hao
onp
of
tllp
]JiOll~
plnto/lan
~\vho
prot('('t
1h,'
'I
i~ht"
anI]
intpr('~tR
of
the
lahorill!!
man'
alHI
'to
whom
Go,l
in
HI~
infinite
wisl]om
has
givpn
th('
con
troJ
of
th('
I)]
opert,\'
int(,1
p"ts
of
thp
countl
)"-favo!'(',]
a
~Ilh
]l'l't
pl'ople
with
a
slwciuw11
ot
11
n"on~,'101h
1>l.1
~plH'mv
11.
t
a
11
:'Ipproaching
in
otur"IH]on~
ilho]f'IICe
amI
mon"tJous
SpIf·light.
pOlloneRo
that
of
Blotllf'r
Rl1f'!'
"It
\\a~
111
Fplllnarv
tll:,t
\'011ll"
.:\IJ.
Rockpfpllpl·.
hpi!'
apparent
to
the
Rtandanl
Oil
11;illiOllR,
informel]
thf'
Young
M('n's
Chri~tian
A~Rociation
of
Rrown
Umv('r"itv
that
thp
tnl~t~
are
God's
work-that
it
IR
by
th('
A]might~"s'dpRig'n
that
~lllalJ
cOl11petitor~
are
kill('t!
off
111
order
that
a
gJ('at
mo
nopolv
may
ari~e.
He
soarell
to
flower)'
Illustration,
ihll~:
"
'Thp
Am('rif'an
Bp:luty
ro~e
ran
be
pr0duc('l]
in
the
spl('n·
dol'
and
fra((ranep
which
hnn!!,
clH'pr
to
ltS
]H'ho]der
on
Iv
hv
oarIificing
the
early
buds
whirh
grow
up
around
it.
Thi"
i~
not
an
f'viI
tendenry
in
hURin('RR.
It
is
merpJv
the
working'
out
of
a
Jaw
of
natui-e
nnd
a
bw
of
Go,1.
There
is
no
real
differenre
]wtwpen
bu"illf'~R
ancI
the
I:hriRtian
life.'
"AIllI
thp
whoJe
hi~tory
of
the
Standard
Oil
monopoJy
i.;
th"
hiRtorv
of
a
('rImf'
,
"Broth(.r
Baer,
prorlail11e(1
hy
him~elf
an
agcnt
sent
of
God
to
takf'
pO~ReRoion
of
an(]
(',UP
for
thf'
prop('riv
of
th"
r('~t
of
US,
thoug'h
bJinrl
to
blasphpl11)'
in
himorlf,
has
douht
]p~~
a
hawk'~
eye
for
dder-ting
a
~a"riJpglOllo
~])Irit
III
others.
[3073]
ZION’S SEPTEMBER 1, 1902 eousness, knowing that in our imperfect development we could not love perfectly; but he expects us to grow in grace, know!edge and love, and only by so doing can we abide in his love, Vou. XXII WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, PA., SEPTEMBER 15, 1902 (275-276) and only by abiding in his love can we hope to attain the glorious things which he has in reservation only for those who love him. No. 18 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER ‘‘THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS’’ Recently W. F. Clarke, of Wilkesbaire, Pa., addressed to President Baer of the Reading R. R., appealing to him_on religious grounds to end the anthracite coal strike Mr. Baer’s reply, which has excited general criticism, follows :— “My dear Mr. Claik: I have your letter of the 16th inst. “I do not know who you are. I see that you are a religious man, but you are evidently biased in favor of the right of the workingman to control a business in which he has no other interest than to secure fair wages for the work he does, “T beg of you not to be discouraged. The rights and interests of the laboring man will be protected and cared for —not by the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in His infinite wisdom has given the control of the property interests of the country, and upon the successful management of which so much depends. Do not be discouraged. Pray earnestly that right may tiiumph, always remembering that the Lord God omn:potent still reigns, and that lis reign is one of law and order, and not of violence and crime. “Yours truly, “GeEorGE F. Barr, President ” Now that the world is passing under the dominion of the “giants” (trusts, combines, ete.), it should not surprise us to find the claim advanced that these are of divine creation and have divine rights. Mr. Baer’s view is not hypocritical, in our opinion; but is the result of failure to discern that Satan is the “prince of this world” or dispensation, who under his law of selfishness is permitted of God to “deceive the whole world:” in order that eventually all may see to what lengths selfishness would lead—ultimately wrecking the present order ——social, political, financial and religious—and thus preparing for the establishment of Christ’s Millennial kingdom of love and righteousness upon the iuins of Satan’s dominion and the hinding of Satan that he may “deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are ended.—Rey, 20:1-4. Seeing present conditions foretold in Scripture, we can look with sympathy on hoth parties to the coming conflict We see the battle between them clearly set forth in God's Word. We see both parities to that struggle awake to certain truths and blind to each other’s arguments. From our vantage point we see both right and both wrong—both contending conscientiously for “rights”, vet both missing the real standard of right. beeause blinded by selfishness. We see that the fault lies less with the people on both sides of these controversies, and more with the false selfish standards which constitute the warp and woof of all present institutions: so much so that it cannot be patched, but will be permitted of the Loid to work out its own destruction, as a preparation for the new order of things promised the groaning cleation under the glorified Christ and his kingdom, The New York Tunes declares that President Baer's utterance “verged very close upon unconscious blasphemy.” The New York Tribune declares: “Strict-construction theologians have before now insisted upon the close relations hetween Calvinism and coal It 19 something new, however, to find a hardheaded financier setting up as a doctrine of the business world the predestination of the Pennsylvania coal mines to the all-wise control of President Bacr and his fellow presidents of coal companies. Douhtless good Calvinists have accepted the management of the coal operators, like everything else that is, as being somehow or other in some mysterious way in harmony with the ultimate designs of a God who endmes evil and makes even the wrath of men to praise Him But few of them have reached the point of considering the so-called ‘coal barons,’ ag shining examples of God’s perfect work, in which His loving designs for the welfare of the whole human race were made manifest Tt seems, however, that is the true doctrine which all religious men should hold... . . “Tt will take a load from the consciences of manv ernest people to have this authoritative declaration that God, through the kindness of the coal operators, will be able to manage this strike in accordance with the dietates of infinite wisdom. There have heen some persons who _ believe in law and order, and have no svmpathy with riotous strikers or demagogic agitators, who have not hitherto heen able to detect infimte wisdom sitting at any of the coal president~ desks, but doubtless they were mistaken. In their blindnesthey have said it was the duty of the operators to operate: that they should either meet their men half-way and settle the difficulty, or, under the protection of the State, put other men to work and mine coal. They have had a notion that tod put the coal in the earth to furnish heat for men’s needs, and thought there was some slip in the cogs of the universe when they could not buy coal because President Baer, God’s vieegerent at the mines, would not work them. But if it 1s a part of the divine order that we should all pay $10 a ton till the surplus stock is worked off, so let it be. Only we should like to ask a question or two. Are the coal operators infallible individually, or only when they are gathered together, like a church council, about an office table to fix 1ates and say what each 1etailer must sell his coal for on pain of having his God-given supply cut off? Was the agreement of two years ago, which the operators say was so unwise and las made so much trouble, also dictated by infinite wisdom*” The New York American and Journal, always extremcly caustic in 1eferring to labor troubles, and evidently predisposed to seore the wealthy to the extremest limit, uses the tollowing very severe language :— THE ASTOUNDING BLASPHEMY OF A MODERN PIRATE “The rights and interests of the laboring man,’ writes Piesident Baer, of the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company, to a correspondent who appealed to him as a Christian to end the coal strike, ‘will be protected and cared for, not hy the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in His infinite wisdom hag given contiol of the property interests of the country.’ “Myr. Baer, as one of the most influential members of the Coal Trust. no doubt sincerely feels that he is especially commissioned to carry out the divine will as a protector of labor aml manager of the property iterests of the country. He is so happily constituted that he can see no satire in the old ~\ llogism . “‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof. saimts shall inherit the earth. “We are the saints: “Therefore we inherit the earth’ “Heaven, whose deputy Mr. Baer so ingenuously and modestly declares himself to be, while endowing him with a shark’s appetite and capacity for seizing things, has mercifully denied him the sense of humor Thus is he spared the ecnseiousness of sin when he blasphemes. Indeed, when Mr Baer blasphemes he does so solemnly, with a warming and uplifting feeling that he 1s performing a religious rite and doing a virtuous deed. This blessing is vouchsafed only to those who in all things except money-getting are dense beyond the understanding of ordimary men. “Not since Tast February has one of the pious plutecracy —who protect the ‘tights and interests of the laboring maw and ‘to whom God in His infinite wisdom has given the control of the property interests of the countiy’—favored a subject. people with a specimen ot unconscious blasphemy at all approaching in stupendous insolence and monstrous self-1ightcousness that of Brother Baer ‘Tt was ain February that voune Mi. Rockefeller. heir apparent to the Standard Oil millions, informed the Young Men’s Christian Association of Brown University that the trusts are God's work—that itis by the Almighty’s design that small competitors are killed off im order that a gieat monopolv mav arise. He soared to flowery illustration, thus: “<The American Beauty rose can be preduced in the splendor and fragrance which bring cheer to its beholder only bv caciificing the early buds which grow up around it. This is not an evil tendency in business. It is merely the working out of a law of nature and a law of God. There is no real difference between business and the Christian life.’ “And the whole history of the Standard Oil monopoly is the history of a erme! “Brother Baer, proclaimed by himself an agent sent of God to take possession of and care for the property of the rest of us, though blind to blasphemy in himself, has doubtless a hawk’s eye for detecting a sacrilegious spirit im others. His [3073]
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