XXXV
The speaker paused, and turned; his gaze swept the platform, and
those seated on it. Said he: "You are the representatives of
organized labor. I do not know your organization, therefore I ask:
For what are you united? Is it to follow in the footsteps of your
masters, and bind others as they have bound you?"
He waited for an answer, and the chairman, upon whom his gaze was
fixed, cried, "No!" Others also cried, "No!" and the audience took
it up with fervor. Carpenter turned to them. "Then I say to you:
Break down in your hearts and in the hearts of your fellows the
worship of those base things which mastership has brought into the
world. If a man pile up food while others starve, is not this evil?
If a woman deck herself with clothing to her own discomfort, is not
this folly? And if it be folly, how shall it be admired by you, to
whom it brings starvation and despair?
"Before me sit young women of the working class. Say to yourselves:
I tear from my fingers the jewels which are the blood and tears of
my fellow-men; I wash the paint from my face, and from my head and
my bosom I take the silly feathers and ribbons. I dare to be what I
am. I dare to speak truth in a world of lies. I dare to deal
honestly with men and women.
"Before me sit young men of the working-class. I say to you: Love
honest women. Do not love harlots, nor imitations of harlots. Do not
admire the idle women of the ruling class, nor those who ape them,
and thereby glorify them. Do not admire languid limbs and pouting
lips and the signs of haughtiness and vanity, your own enslavements.
"A tree is known by the fruit it gives; and the masters are known by
the lives they give to their servants. They are known by misery and
unemployment, by plague and famine, by wars, and the slaughter of
the people. Let judgment be pronounced upon them!
"You have heard it said: Each for himself, and the devil take the
hindmost. But I say to you: Each for all, and the hindmost is your
charge. I say to you: If a man will not work, let him be the one
that hungers; if he will not serve, let him be your criminal. For if
one man be idle, another man has been robbed; and if any man make
display of wealth, that man has the flesh of his brothers in his
stomach. Verily, he that lives at ease while others starve has
blood-guilt upon him; and he that despises his fellows has committed
the sin for which there is no pardon. He that lives for his own
glory is a wolf, and vengeance will hunt him down; but he that loves
justice and mercy, and labors for these things, dwells in the bosom
of my Father.
"Do not think that I am come to bring you ease and comfort; I am
come to bring strife and discontent to this world. For the time of
martyrdom draws near, and from your Father alone can you draw the
strength to endure your trials. You are hungry, but you will be
starved; you are prisoned in mills and mines, but you will be walled
up in dungeons; you are beaten with whips, but you will be beaten
with clubs, your flesh will be torn by bullets, your skin will be
burned with fire and your lungs poisoned with deadly gases--such is
the dominion of this world. But I say to you, resist in your hearts,
and none can conquer you, for in the hearts of men lies the past and
the future, and there is no power but love.
"You say: The world is evil, and men are base; why should I die for
them? Oh, ye of little faith, how many have died for you, and would
you cheat mankind? If there is to be goodness in the world, some one
must begin; who will begin with me?
"My brothers: I am come to lead you into the way of justice. I bid
you follow; not in passion and blind excitement, but as men firm in
heart and bent upon service. For the way of self-love is easy, while
the way of justice is hard. But some will follow, and their numbers
will grow; for the lives of men have grown ill beyond enduring, and
there must be a new birth of the spirit. Think upon my message; I
shall speak to you again, and the compulsion of my law will rest
upon you. The powers of this world come to an end, but the power of
good will is everlasting, and the body can sooner escape from its
own shadow than mankind can escape from brotherhood."
He ceased, and a strange thing happened. Half the crowd rose to its
feet; and they cried, "Go, on!" Twice he tried to retire to his
seat, but they cried, "Go on, go on!" Said he, "My brothers, this is
not my meeting, there are other speakers--" But they cried, "We want
to hear you!" He answered, "You have your policies to decide, and
your leaders must have their say. But I will speak to you again
to-morrow. I am told that your city permits street speaking on
Western City Street on Sundays. In the morning I am going to church,
to see how they worship my Father in this city of many mobs; but at
noon I will hold a meeting on the corner of Fifth and Western City
Streets, and if you wish, you may hear me. Now I ask you to excuse
me, for I am weary." He stood for a moment, and I saw that, although
he had never raised his voice nor made a violent gesture, his eyes
were dark and hollow with fatigue, and drops of sweat stood upon his
forehead.
He turned and left the platform, and Old Joe and I hurried around to
join him. We found him with Korwsky the little Russian tailor whose
son he had healed. Korwsky claimed him to spend the night at his
home; the friend with the delivery wagon was on hand, and they were
ready to start. I asked Carpenter to what church he was going in the
morning, and he startled me by the reply, "St. Bartholomew's." I
promised that I would surely be on hand, and then Old Joe and I set
out to walk home.
"Well?" said I. "What do you think of him?"
The ex-centre-rush walked for a bit before he answered. "You know,
Billy boy," said he, "we do lead rotten useless lives."
"Good Lord!" I thought; it was the first sign of a soul I had ever
noted in Old Joe! "Why," I argued, "you sell paper, and that's
useful, isn't it?"
"I don't know whether it is or not. Look at what's printed on
it--mostly advertisements and bunk." And again we walked for a bit.
"By the way," said the ex-centre-rush, "before he got through, I saw
that aura, or whatever you call it. I guess I'm getting nutty, too!"
