Views of the Labor Movement [pp. 784-798]

792 Views of t/ie Labor Alovement.
The object of worldly association is of the burdens and pains of the poor
merdy to benefit its own members in in general. Every reader knows of
secular welfare. It has no outflow- many illustrations of this difference.
ing. It is a partnership for distribu- We need not mention particular cases.
tion of products, profits, pleasure, or Indeed, the very nature of Chrisknowledge among the members, con- tian charity precludes the limiting of
tributors, or co6perators only. Thus benefits to the members of a society.
it was with the Essenes. The princi- Therefore, the moment any company
ple and purpose of their cammm~ity resolves to contribute or work for the
of~goods was not the extension of its purpose of a division among its own
benefits to the neighbor. They had members exclusively, it can have no
and enjoyed their wealth among daim to be acting on the principle of
themselves exclusively. Their asso- charity. Charity ignores any such
ciations were just as selfish as any distinction; she tends toward all men
individual; the only difference being indiscriminately; sbe feels for them
that in one case it is a single person all alike, as brethren and neighbors;
and in the other a company that is she sympathizes with all; she is sponselfish, and clannishly withholds its taneous, she is expansive, she radiown from the rest of the world. They ates. She loves; and her love overdid not practise true charity, that cha- flows: then runs in diverging rills to
rity which goes beyond home. The every door.
communication of the Essenes be- Associatida recommends itself to
gan and endcd at home. It did the Christian from other consideranot, therefore, resemMe the Chris- tions than those of economy, security
tian charity described by St. Paul; against want, multiplication of prothey had no idea of it. Modern so ductions, and increase of wealth. He
ciety has many examples of participa- enters into association to increase his
tion like that of the Essenes. The power with God, to attract grace, to
free-masons and other mutual aid so- set up a common defence against sin
cieties are of this kind. to have the strength of union against
Of course, reciprocity or coo~pera- Satan, to have more time and opportion existed in the apostolic commu- tunity to do good, and to do it more
nity; but this was only incidental and efficiently. The fundamental motive
secondary. One of the main elements of the Christian throughout is love
of charity is its universality, and there- of God and man, piety and mercy.
fore it extends far beyond mere mu- It is the spirit of sacrifice; it is actuality. It gives-it is not a contract tuated by no prospect of self-advanof exchange or insurance. Associa- tage; or, at worst, it expects personal
tions of the Christian kind do not advantage only through and under
limit themselves to themselves. Be- the universal good. This was the
sides mutual help, they give help to absolute sdf~abnegation and exubeany and all men. Indeed, most fre- rance of love out of which the aposquently Christian charitable institu- tolic community spontaneously sprang.
tions entirely lose sight of any mutu- It is an error to suppose that the
ality. The members, as it were, for- primitive Christians abandoned their
get themselves individually, think of community of things upon their first
no restitution, and have their whole dispersion or flight from persecution.
attention and sentiments, with those (Acts viii. I.) It continued long afterof the company, fixed beyond their ward, as we learn from the fathers of
own wants and upon the alleviation the church. Justin Martyr, (AAol. C. 2,)