Vi lie £3 -B/i CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DATE DUE 9^*-r« ter^'t InrWibrai i W^ ► CAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A. Cornell University Library BR115.E3 B11 Religion and business, olin 3 1924 031 035 912 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031035912 RELIGION AND BUSINESS ^^^^ THE MACMILLAN COMPANY KBW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., Limited LONDON - BOMBAY • CALCUTTA MELBOURHB THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ln*. TORONTO RELIGION AND BUSINESS BY ROGER W. BABSON Prcsic'ent at the Babson Statistical Organization ^eto |?orfe THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1922 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COPTBIGHT, 1920, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped. Publiabed, November l»20o FERRIS PRINTING COMPAN NEW YORK CITY DEDICATED TO MY DAUGHTER EDITH LOW BABSON PREFACE Some readers of this book may dislike the indis- criminate way in which the .Words "rcHgion,". "the Church," and "churches" are used. The result is not very satisfactory to the author himself, but he seems to be unable to improve the text by any changes. Surely the terms are not synonymous and should not be con- founded. The author clearly recognizes that religion is the great, important thing and must be something far nobler and more comprehensive than that which churches practise. He also recognizes that there is much real religion apart from the churches and that many lodges and other orga- nizations are as much dispensers of religion as are the churches themselves. The very fact that religion is so fundamental and com- prehensive makes it difficult to treat. Hence, the author refers to the churches which are concrete. Furthermore, the needed closer relationship between reHgion and busi- ness can surely be strengthened and developed through the vitalization of the churches. Therefore, although the end sought is to develop more religion, yet it is believed that this can be accomplished best by strengthening the churches, which were organized for that purpose. R. W. B. Wellesley Hills, Mass. September 1, 1920. RELIGION AND BUSINESS BY ROGER W. BABSON Published by The Macmillan Company CHAPTER I Business Men and the Chubch 3 CHAPTEE 11 EiCH Men's and Pooe Men's Churches 15 CHAPTER III Religion and the Wage Woekbe 26 CHAPTER IV Religion and the Employee 40 CHAPTER V Natural Law IJndeelies Jesus' Teachings 53 CHAPTEE VI Training Ous Childebn in Religion 62 CHAPTER VII The Gee a test op Undeveloped Rbsoueces — Faith.. 76 CHAPTER VIII Eeligton and Personal Efficiency 91 CHAPTER IX The Religion Which Will Finally Suetite 110 CHAPTER X The Inteechuech Movement 126 CHAPTER XI The Gkeat Oppoetitnitt foe Eeligion in Industry. . 143 CHAPTEE XII How We All Could Have Much More Than "We Have To-dat 160 CHAPTER XIII Can Eeligion Be Subsidized ? 176 CHAPTER XIV Immediate Problems Facing the Church 189 CHAPTER XV Conclusion 204 ADDENDA Statistics on Religious Groups 311 CHAPTER I BUSINESS MEN AND THE CHURCH Preachers and others connected with religious work should be very slow to criticize the business man. The very term "business man" signifies that he is a busy man. He is full of cares, perplexities, and doubts. Every one is trying to get the better of him. iWhen he is buying his raw material, merchandise, or labor, he is forced to seek the cheapest market or else go bankrupt. When he is selling his raw material, merchandise, or labor, he is forced to seek the highest market or else go bankrupt. Literally, the whole world is against the modern business man. He is the great buffer between the producer and the consumer. Both are pressing him from different angles. The business man must necessarily become cal- lous, like a toe rubbing constantly on the inside of a shoe. The business man must by nature be suspicious. Unless he looks carefully into every statement, he will soon lose his position and property. The business man is the watchdog for the community. He works in behalf of the community and in its interests. He, therefore, must watch out at every turn. The law of the survival of the fittest reigns in business. The conflict of business competition is even more severe than any conflict which rages in the jungle. The business man must continually be on his guard, not only for his own existence, but in the interest of the community as a whole. The survival of the business man depends wpon efR- 4 RELIGION AND BUSINESS ciency. A pair of shoes which sells to the retailer for several dollars, carries a profit of only a few cents a pair to the manufacturer. Although the profits in the steel industry, the beef industry, and the textile industry are very large in the aggregate, yet the percentage of profits to the total volume of business is very small. A difference of only two or three per cent, in the efficiency of the plant, or an error of two or three per cent, in the cost of raw material or in the selling price of the goods, may change success into failure. Hence the business man is forced to be efficient and is brought up to look askance at any group or industry which is inefficiently operated. INEFFICIENCY OF THE CHURCH It therefore is only natural that the church does not appeal to the business man as many of us might wish. The church represents the greatest industry in the world. It is .the oldest ; from it came education, medicine, art, agriculture, and most of the sciences. Modern civilization in all its branches owes its conception to the church and most of its industries were founded originally within the walls of some monastery. Even after the Protestant branch split from the Catho- lic, this same thing continued true. The greatest educa- tional institutions of to-day were started by the church. The great hospitals of our large cities are offshoots of the work of the church, and this, in a general way, applies to nearly all other good movements. The foundation of our own nation was directly due to the desire of the Pilgrim Fathers to worship God in their own way. Fur- thermore, nations which were based on other foundations or founded for other purposes have amounted to but BUSINESS MEN AND THE CHURCH 5 little. The spread of civilization over Europe, the growth of this nation, — indeed, the spread of civilization throughout the world, — are all due to the missionary spirit of the church, first started by the early Christians from Rome, then carried to America by the Pilgrim Fathers, then spread westward over the American con-, tinent, and finally over Asia and Africa. Furthermore, it is fair to say that the church repre- sents the greatest industry in the world to-day, as well as tlie oldest. It is estimated that there are invested in church property at the present time about 1800 millions of dollars; that there are about 200,000 paid preach- ers and about 500,000 lay workers. General statistics on church membership are given in another section of this book. Here it is desired only to emphasize the greatness of the industry ; and these figures do not include its many ramifications, which, if considered, would double or treble the amounts and numbers involved. Yet from the business man's point of view this industry is the most inefficiently operated of any industry in the world. Tlie great Protestant churches are open only a few days a week. None of their property is being utilized to lo per cent, of its utility. The methods of work are slack and unbusinesslike. The Sunday school, which should be the great training ground for the church, is most inefficiently operated. Religious education is twenty- five or fifty years behind other education. The majority of the teachers are untrained, many of them are altogether too young, and little system reigns in connection with the work. The business man cannot understand how we churchmen can believe that religion is the most important thing in the world and yet give less time to our children's religious education than we give to teaching them dancing 6 RELIGION AND BUSINESS and foreign languages. All this seems inconsistent to the average business man. He knows that no factory or other industry could survive if operated only a fevi^ hours a week or if carried on in such a slipshod and indifferent way. The very fact, however, that the church has survived all these centuries, notwithstanding its severe persecution during one period and its shameful inefficiency at another, shows that religion is a most vital thing and cannot be killed. Although I agree with business men when they criticize the church, the Sunday schools, and the various other allied movements, I always ask this question : "Do not these very facts demonstrate that the church has hold of something very much more important than appears on the surface? If the church survives and pros- pers under conditions which zvould kill any other institu- tion or industry, isn't this of itself proof that it has some- thing worth whilef" DENOMINATIONAL FIGHTS In another section of this book the question of denomi- nations is freely discussed. It is believed that there is a field for various denominations, and that, if all denomina- tions were exterminated to-day, it would be only a short time before the same great branches of the church would reappear. So long as people have different dispositions, there must be different denominations. So long as people have different tastes for food, color, music, and literature, so long may there continue to be different branches of the church. There are business men who talk about a union church and scoff at the idea of having different denominations. BUSINESS MEN AND THE CHURCH / Business men, however, who carefully look into the mat- ter agree that different denominations are not only advisa- ble but necessary. Hence, very few business men who have studied the subject criticize the various principles underlying the different branches of the Church. Business men, however, are disgusted at the petty fac- tions which exist in the average community. With one God and Master, it is inconceivable to the average busi- ness man how the different denominations can so fight among themselves. We all came from the same God, we all have to report to the same God, and yet we act as if we each had different Gods. We are apparently not only content to have different Gods but we want to build a fence around our own God and bring everybody else inside this particular enclosure. Although the church represents the greatest industry in the world, it knows little more about God and His ideas than it knew thousands of years ago. We know there is a God; we know there is power in prayer; we know some- thing about faith, love, and other attributes of religion; but we know little more about them than was known cen- turies ago. At least, this is the way the average business man looks at the subject; and yet there are people who claim that they know just what God is, just what God knows, and just what God wants. They truly act as if they had some inside information about God, His plans and hopes, which no one else possessed. Of course such people are very much mistaken, whether Catholics or Protestants, Baptists or Unitarians. We know no more about God than our ancestors did, and they knew nothing ataJl ii, however, we were content to think that we had this inside information about God and were then content to 8 RELIGION AND BUSINESS keep it to ourselves, it would not be so bad. But we are not so content ; we want to press our ideas on others ; to make every one believe as we believe and to make others see things as we see them. We spaid little time in creating new souls, but devote our energies to scrambling over the souls already existing. The Catholics want them in their fold; the Protestants want them in their fold, and the various branches of the Protestant Church want them in their respective folds. These denominational fights of preachers and church people among themselves regarding creeds, customs, etc., are very repugnant to the business man. He considers it bad enough for us church people to pretend that we our- selves know what God is, and what are His plans; but for us to try to force on others these things about which we know nothing is absolutely incomprehensible to the average business man. The business man has learned that we are in a world of constant change and that life is a process rather than a problem. The business man believes that what is right or wrong has been, is, and always will be the eternal question of the ages. The business man believes in relig- ion; he hungers and prays for religion. He is greatly interested in the church as an institution which will make him a more truly religious man. Business men, however, are not interested in theology or denominational fights. CHURCH CUSTOMS The inconsistency of us church people in connection with the teachings of Jesus is incomprehensible to many business men. For instance, Jesus preached a famous sermon on a mountain. In this "Sermon on the Mount" He stated many great fundamental truths. These truths Dusii-Miibb MTEIsr SNTTTTHE CHURCH 9 were based on the soundest physiological and psycho- logical principles. Some of these principles we will dis- cuss in a later chapter. In this sermon, He gave various commands such as the following: "Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil : but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would go to law with thee and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two." "Ye have heard that it was said. Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy; but I say unto you. Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you." "Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judg- ment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what meas- ure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you." "Be not therefore anxious, saying What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wlierewith shall we be clothed? . . . But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and these things shall be added unto you." It may be impossible to carry out some of these com- mands in the civilization that exists to-day. I do not admit this, but will grant it for the sake of argument. One command, however, "Judge not that ye be not judged," can still be obeyed without harm to any one and with great benefit to all. Jesus knew that gossip, unjust criti- cism, misunderstanding, and the like are at the root of most trouble. He knew that we can hurt one another by our tongues infinitely more than by physical violence. Therefore, Jesus laid great stress on the importance of trusting others, the importance of not judging others, and the importance of consideration for others. This command of Jesus is given very little attention 10 RELIGION AND BUSINESS by the church. In the average community there is more gossip and local strife among church people than in any other group. The women's societies of the churches have the name of being hot beds for judging and gossiping about others. Apparently these great commands of Jesus are forgotten or laid aside as impractical. But at another time, Jesus held a supper. It was the last supper before His death. At this supper, He suggested to His disciples that once in a while they get together in the same way, and hold such a supper in remembrance of Him. This custom has continued through the centuries and forms a very important part of the services of nearly all churches. The celebration of the Lord's Supper is looked upon by nearly all church people with great rever- ence because Jesus said : "This do in remembrance of Me." Business men looking on at the church from the out- side do not object to the celebration of the Lord's Sup- per by the church people, with such solemnity and regu- larity. The business man does not criticize the preacher or the members of the church for showing such great earnestness in the exact observance of this custom. The business man, however, cannot understand why we church people so carefully remember and obey this one sugges- tion of Jesus and treat so lightly His other demands and . requests. All the denominations are more or less keen on the question of baptism. One of the great denominations makes baptism almost its corner stone and goes so far as to believe that unless a person is wholly immersed he is not baptized. It may be the duty of us all to be baptized. It may be that the only form of baptism which is effectual Is total immersion. The business man does not object to b BUSINESS MEN AND THE CHURCH 11 groups of people believing in the importance of such forms. He, however, cannot comprehend why it is that people can be so particular about the observance of some such form and then utterly neglect the great fundamental principles of justice, generosity, and service which Jesus taught. The business man looks upon us church people the same as Jesus looked upon the Scribes and Pharisees, when He said: "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith; but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone." Another illustration is in the use of blasphemy. I do not swear and I do not want men with me who are ac- customed to swear. There is no defense of the use of swear words. The facts of the case are, however, that a church man could gossip about his neighbors and get away with it; he could cheat his fellow man and get away with it; he could divorce his wife and get away with it; he could refuse to negotiate with his workers and get away with it; he could gamble in stocks and commodities and get away with it ; he could do a score of other things infinitely worse than swearing and still retain his position as a church member. If, however, he picked up the habit of swearing, he would soon be excommunicated. Here, again, the business man offers no defense for swearing; but it is incomprehensible to him that we church people are so particular about a few incidentals while we let the really great questions settle themselves. The church takes a very positive stand on the Lord's Supper, baptism, blasphemy, and various other nonessentials, and is very loth to come out strongly on great funda- 12 RELIGION AND BUSINESS mental, social, labor, and political questions on which the health, happiness, and prosperity of the community abso- lutely rest. HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH The church to-day has no more hyprocisy in it than has any other organization. One out of twelve in Jesus' time was a traitor and I am sure the ratio is no greater at present. On the other hand, it is rather unfortunate that in many communities the richest man, and, in many cases the most hated man, is often a leader in the church. The other Sunday morning, I was addressing an audi- ence in one of our largest American cities. It was in the leading Episcopal church of that city. I sat behind the choir with one of the vestrymen. After the collection was taken, it was brought up the aisle by four finely- dressed gentlemen. The vestryman whispered to me : "Those are our four leading business men. One is the attorney who has just been fighting the prohibition law before the Supreme Court; another is the head of our steel company, who succeeded in crushing the late strike ; the third is our leading banker; and the fourth is the owner of our largest department store." In a general way, this condition is true of the leading church in almost every community. It is a splendid thing for these men to be connected with the church and use their influence in helping the church; but it is doubtful whether they help the church by holding such prominent positions. I sometimes wonder whether it was not with such in mind that Jesus told those rich men of Jerusalem not to let their left hand know what their right hand did, in giving alms. He perhaps was ashamed to have the BUSINESS MEN AND THE CHURCH 13 populace know that those rich bankers were connected with the church. For their own sake and for the sake of the community, He wanted them to give alms generously ; but, for the good reputation of the church. He wanted them to give anonymously and not to come into promi- nence. In the average New England small town — and the same applies to many communities throughout the coun- try — there are three prominent structures. There is the mill which furnishes employment to most of the people; there is the great house on the hill in which the owner of the mill lives; and there is the local church, in which the mill owner is the largest contributor and often the leading officer. In most instances, this man has been a real benefit to the community, and in many cases he is quite sincere and fairly unselfish. In many instances, however, he is looked upon as a hard-hearted skinflint. He often has mortgages on many of the homes ; he perhaps has a bad record as to the treatment of his labor; and he is gen- erally feared, if not hated, by the townspeople. The church suffers from such men. Not only do they dominate the minister and make life miserable for him, but they bring reproach on the whole church industry. In a later chapter, we will discuss the difficulty with the ministry to-day, but I here want to add that one great trouble is the desire of some of these leading men to dominate the preacher. Not content with running their own business and a good part of the town, these men are determined to run the church and the preacher. This keeps many good young men with self-respect out of the ministry. If these rich men really desired to help the church, they would follow Jesus' instruction and keep in the background and let the poor preacher alone. 14 RELIGION AND BUSINESS Even in this connection, however, there is something which we must all carefully consider. The fact which we have just stated is intensely interesting to me as a statistician. Statistics show that every incident can be analyzed and divided into two parts, the cause and the effect. When these facts just given are considered, one wonders which is the cause and which ^5 the effect. Is the man interested in the church because he is the leading man in the community, or is he the leading man in the community because he is so greatly interested in the church ? This is something worthy of most careful con- sideration and study. My own personal conclusions are that these leading men owe their success to their early religious training. Their intere^i in the church is the cause of their success, rather than the result of their suc- cess. Statistics show that the same qualities which make a man successful in business are the qualities which make him interested in religion. I refer to those fundamentals of faith, vision, courage, sympathy, thrift, and industry. These are fundamental characteristics which make a man successful in business and interested in religion. These investigations have led me to believe that religion is the great undeveloped resource of America to-day. These very things which we criticize as inconsistent and hypocritical are, upon examination, most wonderful testi- monies to the church and the religion for which the church stands. It is with this utilitarian thought in mind that I will go on and discuss religion in its various aspects with the hope of interesting more business men therein. CHAPTER II RICH men's and poor men's churches There are various kinds of churches from the business man's point of view. There are rich churches and poor churches. There are two kinds of rich men's churches : (i) There is the kind which preaches the productive Hfe; which teaches men to be meek, honest, thrifty, in- dustrious, and useful. This is the church which makes "Service" its watchword. Such a church cannot help being a rich man's church. The pastor who constantly preaches and practises these principles is sure to build up a prosperous congregation. The congregation that follows these principles is sure to become prosperous. (2) There is another form of rich men's churches which is of an entirely different nature. It is the church to which the wealthy people of the community have nat- urally gravitated. This is the church known as the most aristocratic and exclusive in the city. Most of the mem- bers of such churches have inherited their money. They have not won it through useful service to the community. They have been brought up in comfort and luxury, have not known what it is to struggle, and consequently are not well developed physically, intellectually, or spiritually. As they cannot excel in the worth-while things of the community, they naturally seek for distinction by wear- ing the best clothes, having expensive automobiles, or living in a large house with a lot of servants. This is the 15 16 RELIGION AND BUSINESS kind of rich men's church which worth-while people will avoid and with which worth-while preachers will dread to become connected. These churches not only result in smothering the high ideals of a few consecrated people within their membership, but they are truly a blot and handicap to the great religious movement of the nation. There are also two kinds of poor men's churches : (1) There is the mission church trying to teach un- fortunates how to live. This poor man's church is worthy of the greatest respect and of constant support. The priest or pastor of this church is teaching a life of faith, meekness, and reverence. He is urging his people to be honest, clean, and thrifty. He is following his Master in teaching the Life of Service, assuring his people that if they will lead such a life all the things that they need will be given unto them. Such a poor man's church becomes before long a rich man's church, at first of the type above described under paragraph (i) and then latex often of the type described under paragraph (2) above. The old saying, "It is only three generations from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves," is most commonly illus- trated in connection with the rise and fall of church con- gregations. First, in a young community, we have the struggling group which stands for thrift, honesty, teach- ableness, faith, and industry. This group starts in to till the soil, develop industries, and build up the community. With them, thrift, industry, and service are matters of religion. After a while they become prosperous. If they didn't, their religion would be no good. Then a second generation comes along who have not had to struggle and who have inherited the property created by their parents. The church then enters the second stage and becomes a rich man's church of the second class. RICH men's and poor MEn's CHURCHES 17 The second generation attends church; but it attends it in a perfunctory way. It does not feel the need of religion; it is depending on property rather than upon production; on protection rather than faith. Finally comes along the third generation, which has no interest in the church whatsoever. The church begins to wane for lack of interest; it needs repairs; it has a poorly paid and inefficient preacher; and, finally, drops into the class which I am about tO' describe, namely, the typical poor man's church which is so common to-day. (2) Yes, there is a poor man's church which should not be defended. It should either be galvanized into action or else should be exterminated. This poor man's church exists in various forms. Among the Protestant denominations it consists of those inefficient little churches where the pastor is struggling to exist on a meager salary; and where the people attend church merely from habit, without the least idea of getting any benefit. Thousands and thousands of such churches are scattered all over our land. They are a disgrace to re- ligion and handicap the entire religious industry. The movement as a whole would be far better off to-day if these inefficient and half-dead churches were eliminated. The Protestants are not alone guilty of running poor men's churches. The Catholic Church stands out con- spicuously as an example of poor men's churches. I believe that the Catholic Church has a distinct place in the economic program of the nation. If all churches were wiped out to-day, a strong Catholic Church would arise from the ruins just as truly as would a strong Protes- tant Church. The main thing that many have against the Catholic Church is not its theology or even its his- torical claims and traditions; but rather the fact that its 18 RELIGION AND BUSINESS people SO often continue poor. This is most strikingly illustrated when one travels in Europe, from a Protes- tant country to a Catholic country; or when one travels from California or Texas across the border into Mexico. Of course it can be said in rebuttal that God made the poor people and loves the poor people. Jesus himself was poor. Hence some church must take care of the poor people. TWO MAJOR SINS, A study of the teachings of Jesus shows clearly that He looked upon the two following as the great cardinal sins: ( 1 ) Disregard for the laws of God. When He told people to love God "with all their hearts" and seek to do His will, He simply meant that people should try to learn what is God's will and then conform thereto. In simple English, this means that we should seek to learn the laws oi health, the laws of production, the laws of nature in general and conform to them and capitalize them. If Jesus were here to-day, He would give His greatest rewards to the scientist, the inventor, the teacher, and those who are trying to make two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. These are the men who are truly seeking to learn God's will and, as they practise it and teach it to others, they are seeking to have God's will done on earth as it is in Heaven. It was in connection with this that Jesus urged people to avoid sensual gratification, useless expenditure, and wasteful efforts of all kinds. Drinking, gambling, dancing, and the various other so-called vices are or are not sinful according to whether they strengthen or weaken us. To RICH men's and poor MEn's CHURCHES 19 the extent that customs and practises develop us and make us more efficient, they are right. To the extent that our pleasures and amusements weaken us, physically, mentally, or spiritually, they are wrong. A vast amount of good could be done by frankly ex- plaining to people why a thing is right or wrong. Cer- tainly a thing is not right or wrong because some' one says so ; a thing is not right or wrong because we like or dislike it; a thing is not right or wrong because a major- ity of voters so decided it. A thing is right or wrong simply according to whether a thing is best or worst for us in the long run. If it is best for us to do in the long run, it is right; if it is harmful to us in the long run, it is wrong. "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." This is the slogan to which we all should rally. Let the preachers of our churches cease preaching sermons wholly on Bible texts, but rather base them on sound, economic teachings. The church will never come to its own until the theological schools give the best course in economics procurable, and until the preachers are the best informed economists in their communities. When Jesus said "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," He referred to those people who are teachable, not those who are pig-headed and think they know everything; but those who are willing and anxious to learn. These are the people who seek to know the will of God. These are the people with a scientific frame of mind who meekly seek the truth, who meekly preach the truth, and who meekly adapt their ways to the truth. Of course, such people will inherit the earth. Nothing else could happen. Just as truly as man by his superior intel- ligence has gained dominion over the animal world, so 20 RELIGION AND BUSINESS that group of humans who meekly seek to know God's will and who conform thereto, are bound to have do- minion over the rest of mankind. It couldn't work out in any other way. (2) Disregard for our fellow men. Hence in loving God with all one's heart Jesus also coupled a second command ; namely, We should love our neighbors as our- selves. In this Jesus simply put forward the fact which Kiphng two thousand years later stated in another form : "For the strength of the pack is the wolf. And the strength of the wolf is the pack." Jesus never suggested that we should put others be- fore ourselves ; for He knew that would simply mean our extermination. Jesus never asked anything unreason- able, from an economic or psychological point of view. Jesus simply emphasized the great truth that the scien- tist of himself is of no value. His strength comes only as he learns to work for and with others. Some one has said that the greatest barometer of civilization is the ability of people to co-operate. The basis of co-opera- tion is the consideration of the group as a whole rather than of any individual. This has already been developed in the family. No man is looked upon as a respectable member of society if he does not put the good of his family as a whole before the good of himself or any indi- vidual member. The strength, growth, and prosperity of families depend on this spirit of solidarity and co-opera- tion. A family to-day is not considered respectable unless it is observing the Golden Rule among its own members. When emphasizing this second great principle of pros- perity, that of considering our neighbors equally with ourselves, Jesus simply desired to extend to all members RICH men's and poor MEN'S CHURCHES 21 of the church this same principle that is applied and accepted in relation to families. History shows that the early church took Jesus very literally in this respect and they were practical communists, having a common treas- ury. This system failed, and wherever it has since been tried it has likewise failed again. Statistics, however, clearly indicate that there is a happy medium between the communist church of the early centuries and the indi- vidualistic churches of to-day. We do not take the earn- ings of our children and put them into a common pot and divide them equally among all. We know this would not work, and we know that no family could be operated on such a principle. Even the socialists and communists that preach this doctrine for the nation as a whole refuse to use it in connection with their own families, of which they are the head. There is no excuse for the com- munism, socialism, or any of the other "isms" that we hear preached about to-day by good, bad, or lazy people. The church, however, has gone to the other extreme and is now altogether too individualistic or indifferent: Indi- vidualism has run wild in both the Protestant and Catholic denominations. The future church will be operated more along the lines of the respectable family. E^ch man will have his own income and will be allowed to develop freely alono- his own lines, receiving the fruits of his initiative, thrift, imagination, and industry. On the other hand, he will recognize that his ultimate safety and success depends on having the other members of the group healthy, happy, and prosperous. He will recognize that an uneducated brother will simply be a drag on the group and if he is the only prosperous member of the community, this brother will be a drag upon him. He will see that if he 22 RELIGION AND BUSINESS has an ill sister who is weak and under-nourished, it is good business for him to get her built up physically and have her become a strong member of society. This is the position taken by every sane member of a family to-day. Each instinctively, in his own interests, wants to see his brothers educated, his sisters well married, and all the family healthy, happy, and prosperous. He knows that his health, happiness, and prosperity ultimately depend on having the whole family in the same condition. This is the spirit which the church of the future will adopt. The spirit which now applies only to families will be taken up by one of the present great church denomina- tions or by some new denomination and become the basis of a strong and prosperous people. To a small extent, this principle has been adopted by certain lodges and socie- ties, but the great big advance in civilization is coming when the church adopts the family principle and loves its neighbor as itself. wanted: more millionaires In view of these facts, it is very important that the church should be put in a proper light before the nation. As above described, there are many rich men's churches and there are many'poor men's churches which should be eliminated. Both of these classes of churches are a blot on the community and a disgrace to the religion for , which they stand. The pastors of these churches are, in many instances, merely drawing their existence out of these rich or poor congregations without giving them value in return. Business men are justified in condemn- ing such rich and poor churches which lack the vision, which perform no service, and whose people remain rich or remain poor in accordance with their environment. RICH men's and poor MEn's CHURCHES 23 On the other hand, criticism of the church by certain radicals and liberals because it is apart from the masses is unjustified. If I went to a community with only one church and found that church made up of only the poor people of the community, I would say that its religion was no good. The very fact that the church people of most communities are the more prosperous people of those communities is the great outstanding testimony of religion. It is of no credit to the church that \^Ane of our rich men's sons who have inherited their nraney are interested in the churches. In many instances it would be better to have the interest of these men k'^pt in the background rather than exhibited or advertised. The church, however, should be proud of the fact that these rich men's fathers, who created the industries and built up the fortunes, were churchmen. Moreover, the church should point with pride to the fact that its people are the; more prosperous people of the communities in which the active churches exist. Jesus continually preached that we should seek to do the will of God and should consider our fellow men equally with ourselves. He continually depreciated the many things like dress, pride, and certain pleasures, for which the world strives. He, however, never closed a talk without ending up with this thought: "If you will do the will of God and consider others with yourself, all the things which you seek, that are really worth while, you will get." There is much dangerous talk going about concerning the church because it is not allied more closely with "the masses." Many radicals point with derision to the church because it is allied with the property interests of the country. Most of us to avoid argument let these state- ments go unchallenged. This is a great mistake. These 24 RELIGION AND BUSINESS criticisms should be fearlessly answered. We should point with pride to the fact that most of the church people are prosperous and that most of the poor people are outside the church. We should be much more ashamed if the church were made up of poor people and the prosperous people were outside of the church. Then we truly would have something to fear. Then we should be ashamed to ask others to join us or become interested in religion. THE QUESTION OF INHERITANCES The only weakness in such arguments is involved in the question of inheritances. Many people are connected with the church who have inherited their property and who have not won it through industry, thrift, and other forms of service. To the extent that the church is oper- ated and supported by such people, the church is weak and subject to criticism. The inheritance of property develops weakness and cannot be defended on spiritual, economic, or scientific grounds. The only excuse for the present in- heritance laws is that man has yet been unable to devise a better system for disposing of property after death. Certainly government ownership would not be prefer- able to private ownership. Certainly it would not be a ^more efficient civilization if the state, rather than our children, inherited our property. The reason for this is self-evident. If our children do not take care of the prop- erty which we leave them, it soon passes into the hands of families who will take care of it. Here again the old saying that it is only three generations from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves comes into operation. If, however, our property should go to the state, it would continue to Kica MEN S AND POOR MEn's CHURCHES 25 remain in the hands of the state, irrespective of whether the state operated it efficiently or inefficiently. Under a free competitive system the acres naturally go to the men who are able to get the most out of them; the industries naturally come under the control of the men who are able to most efficiently operate them; and wealth naturally gravitates to those people who use it for the good of the community rather than to those who use it only to satisfy their own selfish and sensual desires. There is only one fly in the ointment; namely, the use of trusts and proxies. Both these are harmful to society, as they tend to hold property and power in the hands of the inefficient. With a free and honestly operated com- petitive system of inheritance, industry, power, and wealth will gradually but constantly come into the.hands of those best fitted to care for it. While under state ownership or under trusteeship the tendency is in another direction. This briefly is the case of the rich man and the poor man, so far as they relate to the church and religion. CHAPTER III RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER I SHALL not here defend either employers or wage workers. Both have a good case. The wage workers believe they have as much right to join a labor union as to join a church, and that the objection of their em- ployers thereto is due to fear and a feeling that their power is passing into other hands. The employers believe that the wage workers combine in order to secure through the use of force what they are unwilling to get by industry and thrift. iWe are in a most critical period. Unless both em- ployers and wage workers quickly come to their senses, we shall witness the greatest industrial and financial panic which this country has ever experienced. We are all sitting on a keg of powder. Only carefulness and saneness on the part of every one can prevent an explo- sion. The relation of the church to organized labor may be the straw to break the camel's back. Therefore it is well for all interested in either religion or business to consider the psychology underlying the problem. HUNGER FOR SELF-EXPRESSION Let me ask each reader to think when was the happiest time of his or her life. Was it during childhood? Was it during boyhood or girlhood ? Was it during early busi- ness career? When was it? Those of you readers who 26 RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 27 are men should think now and then of your days of courtship. When a young fellow you had always been thrown with girls. Some you liked, some you didn't like, and others meant nothing to you one way or the other. But one day a special girl came into your life. There was nothing remarkable about her. There were other girls brighter, other girls stronger, and other girls prettier. Your parents and many of your friends failed to under- stand why you were so crazy about this special one. They acknowledged that she was a good enough girl, but they couldn't see in her what you saw. You remember the great hold which she then had on you. You couldn't get her out of your thoughts. When with her, the hour hand of the clock went around so fast you could almost see it move. When you were waiting for her, every minute seenied an hour. CRAVING FOR SYMPATHY It is true that by the world's standards there was noth- ing remarkable about that girl of yours. By the world's standards there were thousands of abler, stronger, jollier, and prettier girls than yours. What was it about her that made you want to be with her every minute ? Let me tell you. Let us call the girl "Ann." Ever since you reached the adolescent period, when you quit making mother your confidante, you felt pent up. Your emotions and feelings were slowly but surely being dammed up like a great river. You did not feel free to express yourself to any one. Nobody understood you. You feared to be honest because people laughed at you. But somehow you became aware of the fact that 28 RELIGION AND BUSINESS Ann didn't laugh at you — that Ann understood you — that Ann even agreed with you — that Ann expressed some longings which for years had been in your heart. Gradually you told more and more of your feelings to Ann. You learned to trust and love her. She was your safety valve, your confidante, your everything. She be- came the great free world to you. To be with her was your idea of freedom, of living as God intended you should live. That's the reason you were then so happy with her. It was the first time since you were an inno- cent child and said what you pleased that you felt free to express yourself. Happiness comes only through self- expression. That is what Jesus meant when He said that He came to make men "free" — to give more life. That is the great purpose of the church services, the mid-week prayer meetings, and the various other organizations of the church. They enable people to express themselves, and, owing to such a privilege, these people come to love and cherish it. We love those who understand us, who are able to put our thoughts into language. This is what the labor union and its leaders have done for the wage workers, and this is why the wage workers feel so loyal toward the labor union and its leaders. If the churches had performed this service, the wage workers would have felt the same toward the churches. Happiness is only a reaction from self-expression, from sympathy, from working with others who see our point of view. Our children do not love us in accordance with what we do for them, but in accordance with what they do for us. A mother does not love her babe in pro- portion to what the babe does for her, but in proportion to what she does for her babe. When Jesus said : "It ii RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 29 more blessed to give than to receive," He spoke a great fundamental truth. It is more blessed. There is more joy and pleasure in it. Being happy ourselves is simply a reaction from making others happy. If you are unhappy to-day, it is because you are making some one else unhappy — a wife, a husband, a son, a daughter, a fellow workman, a partner in business, a customer, a friend, the man for whom you work, or the man who works for you. Your unhappiness is a reaction from his or her unhappi- ness. Change about. Make others happy and you'll be happy. But to return to those happy months of courtship. You were hungering for an opportunity for self-expression and that girl gave it to you. She personified the hopes and ambitions which had for years been smouldering in your soul. She was an oasis in the desert. You seized her all because you so hungered for the privilege of self-expres- sion. You didn't care for wages or hours when working for her ! You wanted no pay for serving her ! Your only thought regarding hours was that the old clock went around too fast. All because she understood and satisfied an inborn desire in your soul which others could not understand. This one thing made her everything to you, made you willing to risk all or give up all for her. This same psychological factor is the basis of the hold which the church has on millions of people. For any business man to attempt to ignore the church or its influence would be as useless as to attempt to ignore the sex impulse and the great physiological forces emanating therefrom. LABOR IS IN THE ADOLESCENT PERIOD Labor to-day is in the adolescent period. For years its emotions have been pent up; its natural desire for self- 30 RELIGION AND BUSINESS expression has been curbed; the hunger for freedom to go and do as it wished has been growing stronger and stronger. It is now breaking through. Yet the average employer is attempting to treat labor as our parents treated us in our 'teens. We, the employers, are arguing and threatening these wage workers. Did argument or threats ever do us any good? Did we give up the girl, quit playing ball, or lose a chance tO' swim because of our parents' arguments? The labor unions and their leaders are to the masses to-day what that girl was to you years ago, and what the church was to our mother. Much of their teaching is unsound. Much of it is uneconomic. Its force will to a great extent burn itself out; but just now these leaders are promising the masses that privilege of self-expres- sion for which they have so long sought. The question before us is, Shall we continue to dam the stream and risk a repetition in this country of what is taking place in Russia, or shall we give it some outlet? Shall we drive either our children or our employes away from us or shall we let them have the opportunity which they so much crave? Shall we recognize that the same desires for self-expression and freedom actuate our wage workers as actuate ourselves, or shall we attempt to crush these human and natural feelings ? If we do the latter, we shall simply puJl down the house upon our own heads. If, on the other hand, we willingly recognize these natural desires on the part of labor, we churchmen will approve of labor unions, collective bargaining, and any other rea- sonable request that our employes make. INBORN DESIRE FOR FREEDOM There also was another reason why those few months before your marriage were the happiest months of your RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 31 life. During those months there were no contracts or laws, and few conventionalities to bind you. Both you and your sweetheart were absolutely free to come or go as you wished. Before your engagement was announced, you were bound by conventionality; while after the mar- riage, you were bound by civil law. But during those few happy months you and she were bound only by your own consciences. Each of you gave your utmost to the other because you were anxious to hold each other. Neither of you asked too much of the other for fear of frightening the other away. Neither you nor she dared be cross, impatient, or unreasonable in those days. You knew you couldn't afford to be. After the marriage, the civil law came into action (and right it is that it should), but the civil law has its disadvantages as well as its advantages. The civil law made you careless. Uncon- sciously you argued that your wife could not leave you then, however cross you were. Gradually those true co- operative relations which existed during the courtship days disappeared and you became an ordinary drudge like your neighbors. There is nothing constructive in force. We can't make people like us. We can't force people to trust us. We can never legislate people to protect us. Unless we have the good will of our employes, their work is of little avail. GOOD WILL vs. LAWS My sympathies are very much with every employer of labor. If I am to be held responsible for a job, I want to know that those under me are to take their orders from me. I want only workers whom I can trust to obey me under any and all conditions. But can I get such service and loyalty better than by trusting people myself? In 32 RELIGION AND BUSINESS the last analysis, men are moved by their hearts and not by their agreements. Wouldn't you rather have one watchman in your store vfho loved you than a force of twenty who hated you? Affection and loyalty can never be secured with money, with law, with oaths or contracts. Both the banker and the lawyer are helpless to render us aid in getting another's affections. Trust is the reaction from trust Affection is the reaction from affection. Protection is the reaction from protection. We want our employes to work for us. The way for us to bring this about is for us to work for our employes — protect them in their unions and in their desire for self-expression. From this point of view, the teachings of Jesus are seen to bear a most inti- mate relationship to labor problems. LABOR UNIONS MAKE MANY MISTAKES The church cannot defend the labor unions in all they do. Many of their "acts are short-sighted and harmful. The present high cost of living is largely due to the short- sighted policy of the labor unions. All attempts tO' get richer by restricting production are both foolish and costly. Unless shorter hours and more pay result in making better men and women, such changes are of no avail. The church must not allow its sympathy to get the better of its economics. It might wish that two and two should make five, but wishes and statistics are very different things. The church should recognize these two facts: (i) The wage workers themselves are the chief suf- ferers from their own economic errors. The employer, whether merchant or manufacturer, passes on the in- RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 33 creased cost of living to the consumer. Labor itself is the great consumer. Those who own the land, factories, homes, and tools add the increases in taxes and wages to the selling price of the goods which the working people buy, to the interest rates for the money which the work- ing people borrow, and to the rents of the houses in which the working people live. The wage workers ultimately have to pay the freight and ultimately suffer for any mis- takes which have been made. (2) The labor unions are but the natural form of self- expression, inevitable at this age. Groups of wage work- ers are to-day at the same point industrially as you were physically when about sixteen years of age. You were then determined to strike out for yourself. Dad called it "sowing your wild oats"; but whatever it was, you could not be stopped. You had reached the stage of develop- ment which a bud reaches when ready to burst forth into the spring sunlight. That is the situation with labor to- day. Labor has been dormant a long time. It is now budding forth and no power on earth can stop it. One might as well try to destroy a ball of mercury by hitting it with a hammer, as to try to crush labor's desire for self-expression. If the church will provide labor with such an opportunity for self-expression, the wage work- ers will join the church; but otherwise, they will join only the union. Social movements thrive on persecu- tion. You can imprison a man; but not an idea. ARE LABOR UNIONS INEVITABLE? When you fell in love with that girl, would it have done any good if your father had forbidden you to "or- ganize" for that little home? Of course it would have 34 RELIGION AND BUSINESS done no good. For the same reason it will do no good to attempt to prevent our wage workers from organizing. The churches had better use their influence in helping labor to organize under religious leaders. The church should not want to dam the stream of progress; but the church should direct the flow of the stream. The actions of the union are open to much just criti- cism, but we do not blame an infant for crawling about aimlessly before it has learned the more efficient use of its legs. So we must not blame the first generation of union leaders if they make a bad mess of things. Their powers of reasoning must pass through the period of youth and must experience the phenomena of growth like all other functions. The sooner labor makes the experiment and "sows its wild oats," the sooner it will learn that real prosperity can exist only under a system which protects property as well as opportunity, under a system in which the greatest rewards shall go to those who render the greatest service. HOW MEN ARE CONTROLLED What foolish, short-sighted people we all are; both employers and wage earners! We business men think that the world is governed by intellect. It is not. We think people are controlled by their minds. They are not. Both employers and wage earners are controlled by their emotions; by love or hate; by sympathy or jealousy; by hope or fear. If this is so, it is evident that only religion can bring together employers and wage earners. We think the wage workers are striking for wages or hours. They are not. They are striking for self-expres- sion. They are actuated by the same desires for self- RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 35 respect, self-preservation, and self-propagation as actuate the employers. We think that employers are fighting for more profits. They are not. These employers know that houses, factories, stocks, and bonds don't make men happy. They now have everything that money can buy. It is not for money reasons that they are resisting the demands of the labor unions. These employers are actu- ated by the same desires of self-respect, self-preservation, and self-propagation as actuate the wage workers. Both are thinking of the same indefinite things, but in different terms. And, to return once more to the courtship illus- tration, the same means of persuasion are necessary to win men during industrial disputes as are needed to win a lover during the courtship days. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEELINGS What does this all mean? It means that the labor problem is really a question of religion rather than of economics. The problem can never be settled by the methods now being used by either side. It can be set- tled only by each side thinking more of the community and less of itself; only as the church takes an active part in the struggle. What would Jesus tell both sides of the labor conflict were He here to-day ? I think He would say what we read in the 38th tc 42nd verses of the fifth chap- ter of Matthew. "Ye have heard that it was said. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth ; but I say unto you. Resist not him that is evil; but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. If any man would go to law with thee and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; and whosoever shall compel thee to^ go one mile, go with him two." 36 RELIGION AND BUSINESS He would advise each side to win the other by loan- ing them the cloak also. The secret of success is to do more than is demanded. In advising His hearers to give up their cloak also, when some one sued them at law to take away their coat — to go an extra mile when compelled to go only one, Jesus emphasized a great psychological truth. Jesus understood that the Law of Equal Reaction applies to human relations as it applies to astronomy, chemistry, and mechanics. He knew that to get a bene- ficial reaction we must go the second mile. There is no power nor glory in doing only what we have to do. The glory comes with the second mile. THE REAL WINNERS The side which ultimately will win this labor conflict is the side which will voluntarily give up the most. We must win our wage workers or our employer as our mother won us, not by giving us only what she was com- pelled to give us, but by always doing more for us than we asked. That is why we love mother, that is why we would do anything for her to-day. That is why the tears come into our eyes as we think of her. Did you ever stop to analyze what is the difference between a boarding house and a home ? The boarding house is a place where they do for you only what they are compelled to do; but a home is where they do for you more than you ask. The basic difficulty with the labor situation to-day is that too many are, like Shylock, after the pound of flesh, trying to do as little as possible and to get as much as pos- sible. Prosperity cannot long exist where this continues to be the motive. Hence the prosperity of a nation is very closely allied with its religion. Hence religion bears RELIGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 37 an intimate relationship to business conditions. This is especially evident in connection with industrial and labor problems. CHRISTIANITY AND COMMERCIALISM It was Lincoln who said the nation cannot long con- tinue half slave and half free. During- the first great Liberty Loan drive, Mr. McAdoo applied this to democ- racy also. In the last analysis, this principle must be applied to religion. Surely we cannot long continue to have one standard of brotherhood for our home relations and another for our industrial and commercial relations. The home cannot always be operated by love and the business by jealousy. Both organization and competition have their uses; but both also have their abuses. Hence the aspirations of the average employer and wage workers are short- sighted and anti-Chrietian. So long as each side con- tinues to fight the other, we shall have higher prices and greater inefficiency, possibly ending in revolution. But religion is not urging us to go the second mile and to give up our cloak also, simply because Jesus said so. History shows conclusively that real influence comes only from going the second mile. When an employer or wage worker does only what he has to do, he ends up where he begins. The creation of influence and power comes from going the second mile. Real power comes as a reaction from patience, good will, and a divine willingness to do good to all, as God sends rain upon the just and the unjust. The teachings of the church in this regard are absolutely sound psychologically. No man ever saved any one or served any great cause 38 RELIGION AND BUSINESS who was not willing to forget indignities, love his ene- mies, and win by beating the other fellow to it! In a little book entitled "The Second Mile" Harry E. Fosdick quotes Stevenson's story of the four marines left over from the lifeboat of the British ship "Wager." The life- boat took all that it could, and pulled away, compelled to leave four men unsaved. What did these four men do? Did they sulk ? No. They gave "three cheers" when the boat pulled away and left them. This is the spirit which true religion develops. The need of the hour is this spirit in the hearts of all interests. The need of America to-day is more cheering for the other side. When the employers cheer for labor and try to help labor truly come to its own, and when the wage workers cheer for the employers, realizing all that they owe to them, then shall we have real prosperity, and this prosperity will be better protected than ever before. The solution of the labor problem will come about only as we all get more religion and apply this religion more to every-day life. The churches of America hold that religion is the only solution for America's industrial problems, for the fol- lowing reasons : ( 1 ) Labor must get back its desire to produce. (2) This desire is intangible and can be brought about only by winning the confidence of the workers. (3) To win the confidence of the workers, we must realize that the interests of labor are paramount to the interests of capital, and that the real purpose of industry shall be not to produce material things, but to develop human souls. (4) To so develop the workers, we must permit them to organize, must recognize their leaders, and must give Kiil-IGION AND THE WAGE WORKER 39 them full knowledge regarding the business, consulting them when they desire to be consulted. (5) We should strive to apply the same principles in dealing with our employes as we apply in dealing with our families. This is in accordance with the teachings of religion and the meaning of the Golden Rule. CHAPTER IV RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER We all remember how when boys we hated to carry water for mother, but stood in line for a chance to carry it for the elephants when the circus came to town. We know how to-day our children hate to help about house- work at home and yet are crazy to go to camp and work very much harder building fires, cooking, and keeping the camp clean. We see men who are languid and indifferent about their work in the factory, go out into the hot sun at noontime, pitch ball, and run the bases with life and vigor. All of these things show that it is not work, as such, that men and women want to avoid. People love to work when they are interested in the work. The trouble is that the masses are not interested in their work. Not being able to see the results of their labors, they are not stimu- lated by appreciation. They lack the desire to do things. The great need to-day is to revive in labor an interest in the work. When this is accomplished, labor problems will fade away, production will greatly increase, the cost of living will decline, and every one will be healthier, happier, and more prosperous. The factory system and the "master and servant" idea is resulting in castrating labor economically. Labor is becommg an economic eunuch. By nature man likes to 40 RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER 41 produce. He starts in by making mud pies, then he builds a hut, and then he makes other things. The boy by nature turns to his jacknife, and the girl by nature turns to her dolls. After, however, a man has been in a mill or factory a certain length of time that natural desire to produce leaves him. The labor problem will never be solved until the desire to produce is revived. For this revival we must depend upon religion. It will take more than higher wages or shorter hours to recreate in labor the desire to produce. There are doubtless many instances where higher wages and shorter hours are the first step in bringing about better relations and greater production. As a house is useless without a foundation, so it is useless to talk "co-operation" to a worker who is not earning enough to pay for the bare necessities of life. On the other hand, a foundation is of no use by itself; it becomes of value only as a building is erected upon it. In the same way, higher wages and shorter hours are of value only as they result in making people healthier, happier, and more prosperous. Statistics show clearly that many concerns have had better results from working their people eight hours than from ten hours. But there are many other concerns which are not getting such good results. Ultimately the question of wages and hours will be determined by the results obtained. If increased wages and shorter hours result only in proportionately increasing the cost of liv- ing, the wage workers themselves will turn to some other system. This turning is already taking place. The I. W. W., Bolshevist, and other radical movements have come into being because their members believe that they are accomplishing nothing by depending upon the trade unions and other conservative labor bodies. 42 RELIGION AND BUSINESS WHAT LABOR WANTS Labor does not want charity or welfare work, but rather more of real wages. Bonuses, profit-sharing schemes, and welfare work which does not increase the efficiency of the worker ultimately add their cost to the output, and, like increased money wages, are passed on to the consumer. Labor unions seldom secure real wage increases. They simply bring about a readjustment of prices and wages, to the true benefit of no one. Real wages are the kind which will supply to the wage worker more of the things which he wants. The wage worker is now fooling himself by dollar wages. An increase in real wages comes about only through improve- ments in manufacture and distribution which do not increase the cost of production, or through the reduction of taxation, or through the opening up of more land, natural resources, and other opportunities which arouse the ambitions of men. "Collective bargaining" and the "strike" are the union's weapons for obtaining a "loan" or a temporary increase in wages. This increase is effective only until the time when the increase is added to the price of the product, which varies from one or more months to one or more years, according to the industry. Ultimately, however, all increases in wages and increases in taxes are added to the price of the product and passed on to the consumer, who, in ninety per cent, of the cases is the wage worker. The unfortunate part of the situation, however, is that such collective bargaining and strikes are the only avail- able means which labor now has for its defense and its immediate, even although temporary, betterment. The real increase in wages must come about through improved production and distribution, reduced taxation, an exten- RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER 43 sion of education and opportunity, and — most important of all — the development of religion within the hearts of both wage workers and employers. Whether or not the wage worker will ever be satisfied until profits are also eliminated and the employer is dependent on a salary or commission, only the future will disclose. Labor's bitterness to-day is due to the fact that labor is unable to endure a long siege, while the employers are so able. Thus the wage worker feels that we employers maintain our dominating power not through our eco- nomic service to the community, but rather through the money which we have accumulated or inherited. Of course, this system would never be improved by substi- tuting the autocracy of labor for the autocracy of money ; but an attempt will be made to bring about this change unless religion soon becomes a real force in industry. Only then will men and women become imbued with a desire to be of service. CREATING IN LABOR A DESIRE TO PRODUCE We first must realize that desire is not something like water or gas which can be turned on and off with a faucet A desire to produce is an intangible religious motive. It is true that these non-tangibles are all power- ful and largely control life. Psychologists claim that ninety-five per cent, of what we do is done from our emo- tions, rather than from our intellects. Of course, if this is so, pride, fear, and hate must be included with love, sympathy, and hope. Under these conditions it is evi- dent that this needed desire to produce cannot be forced or created by any artificial means. No mechanical profit- sharing plan, for instance, will recreate in labor a desire 44 RELIGION AND BUSINESS to produce. No vote by a board of directors, or action by any official can recreate in labor a desire to produce. Such a desire cannot be developed by the use of plati- tudes such as "the interests of labor and capital are mu- tual." Only more religion in the hearts of both employers and wage workers will gradually bring both together as real co-operators. Labor existed before there was any such thing as cap- ital, and our forefathers were probably as happy then as are either wage workers or employers to-day. Capital is a great aid to labor. The wage workers to-day have very much more in food, clothing, and shelter owing to the machinery and other things provided by capital. On the other hand, capital without labor would be nothing. To recreate in labor a desire tO' produce, employers must stop talking that which the wage worker looks upon as hypocritical and which to him is a fundamental untruth. Instead of longer pretending that the interests of labor and capital are "equal," employers should frankly acknowledge that labor's interest is paramount. Only as we take this first step, frankly and fearlessly, can we approach a solution of our industrial troubles. This means that we employers connected with the churches must "go the second mile" in order to win our wage workers. We must go further and realize that there is as much fundamental difference between labor and capital as there is between life and death. We must realize that life is given to us not for the purpose of building factories or houses, nor for constructing railroads or steamships; nor is the purpose of life to develop any of the other material things which now appear to us of such great importance. RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER 45 Industry should be encouraged first to develop the soul of man, and all these material things are of use only as they succeed toward that end. The real truth is that most labor leaders have the vision to see this, while most em.- ployers have not. Moreover, there is a reason for this. The labor people or their friends are now suffering, while we employers and our friends are not suffering. The real- ization of what life really means comes only through suf- fering. We must entirely change our point of view and strive for the development of men rather than the pos- session of money. We employers need more religion. labor's DEMANDS AND HOPES It is hard for the average captain of industry to realize that his men in overalls give more thought to these big social problems than he does himself. It, however, is true that the man in overalls in the factory often has a saner view of life than the man in broadcloth in the office. We are apt to think that our employes cannot be trusted in solving industrial questions because they do not under- stand accounting and economics. It is true that they have not had the opportunity to learn these things. When, how- ever, it comes to the fundamentals of life, I would trust the judgment of American wage workers equally with the judgment of a board of directors. There is not as yet much demand on the part of wage workers for representation on boa/ds of directors, nor for a hand in the actual management of the business. The wage workers still feel that they are not capable of run- ning the business. The wage workers do, however, want to be consulted about the conditions of work and other 46 RELIGION AND BUSINESS factors with which they are intimately connected. Hence, the demand by labor for genuine recognition should be upheld by the churches. In a small organization of one or two hundred people, where personal contact between the employer and wage worker exists, this recognition can take place individually without formal organization. Where there are many wage workers, however, a formal organization is neces- sary in order that there may be such recognition. Firms with several thousand or even several hundred employes who object to such organization of labor within their plants are exceedingly short-sighted. There can be no such thing as a solution of our labor problems until labor is free to organize and to deal collectively with em- ployers. Any attempt to bring about co-operation with- out such organization and recognition is a mere waste of time and ultimately will do much more harm than good. ■Profit-sharing plans which result in increased production, which develop new ideas, and which pay in themselves are all right; but they never can take the place of formal recognition of the rights of wage workers. The forward church believes that the next important step in the solution of the labor problem is for us em- ployers graciously to recognize that our employes have the right to combine in any way that they see fit, to elect any officials that they choose, and to have these officials present to us their demands. Furthermore, if any body of workers feel that they have not within their own ranks men sufficiently trained in labor disputes to^ represent them, they then should be perfectly free to go outside and secure such leaders elsewhere, provided they are honest and fairly inteUigent. The church should, however, insist that the leaders both of the employers and the wage RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER 47 workers should be religious men, and that the principle of the "open shop" shall be kept as a goal. The "closed shop" may temporarily be necessary to labor as a fight- ing machine, but only as such. The labor problem will be solved only when we em- ployers stop thinking that the business is ours and we can do with it as we please. We must frankly recognize that our wage workers have a right to come to us. The old idea that the business is ours to hire and fire whom we please and as we please, is not in accordance with the teachings of religion. Our success as employers depends on following the teachings of Jesus. The sooner we forget our medieval ideas, inherited from the days of feudalism, the sooner we shall solve our labor troubles. As part of recognition there must be full publicity. Wise employers have no secrets which they keep from the wage workers. The books must be open to the wage workers or representatives of their own free selection, in order to have a truly co-operative spirit exist. The very fact that there is no publicity in certain plants makes the wage workers suspicious. Of course, there are concerns making very huge profits where the stockholders might to-day be worse off if the wage workers should know actual conditions. The average concern, however, and especially those which are making little or fair profits, would be very much better off if the wage workers were taken into full confidence. There are many concerns "which- could at once recreate in their workers a desire to produce if they would only tell their whole story to their employes. Wage workers desire to have changes in factory man- agement talked over with either themselves or their rep- resentatives before these changes are instituted. Wage 48 RELIGION AND BUSINESS workers hate to have things sprung on them. They are human the same as we are, and are actuated by the same motives of pride and appreciation. Wage workers have a self-respect to protect as well as have employers. They can be ofifended as easily and can have their feelings hurt as readily. Our labor problems will be solved only as employers give more thought to these feelings and other controlling motives. A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE Instead of talking about the slogan, "The interests of capital and labor are mutual," we must ultimately come to a different slogan; namely, "The interests of our workers are the same as the interests of our families." In most family relations the proper point of view exists. In dealing with members of our family we realize that material things are of use only as they develop the soul of the individual. We do' not figure on how much more our children are producing than they are consuming. We realize that the family must produce as much or more than it consumes in order to exist. After, however, that point is reached, our primary desire is to have our fami- lies healthy, happy, and in a position where they dO' not have to worry about an existence. Jesus forecasted the situation when He indicated that industrial unrest would end only as we would love our neighbors as ourselves. No father looks upon his family as a producing machine. He looks upon it as a group of human beings with souls. His desire is not to make them support him, but to have them healthy, happy, and pros- perous. This does not mean that discipline and obedi- ence can be eliminated or that the children can run the RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER 49 household. Industry, like a well regulated family, needs reverence for authority and ownership. When, however, the father leaves the home and be- comes an employer, he has an entirely different point of view toward the members of his neighbor's family. He does not look upon these as brothers, but rather as serv- ants. He thinks only of how he can make a profit out of their labors, not as to how their labors will hurt or harm them. He takes an entirely different point of view toward the members of his neighbor's family, who work for him, from what he takes toward the members of his own family. The neighbor's family are mere machines to him, for use so long as they will make for him a profit. He cares little about their own well-being, and, unless he can make a profit from their labors, is perfectly willing that they should be idle. This is the real reason why there are labor troubles and why the factory system has crushed the natural instinct in men and women to produce. It probably will be a long time before man pulls down the great high wall between his own children and the children of his neighbor; but until that wall is pulled down there will be no solution of the labor problem. This mccins that the solution must come through religion. THE NEXT STEP What does this religion mean in concrete terms? Among other things it suggests to us business men the following : ( I ) Stop meddling with outside affairs and devote our time to becoming acquainted with our own employes. Let those of us who employ large groups of people resign from boards of charities and other outside interests. We 50 RELIGION AND BUSINESS can leave such things to the many good men and women who have no industrial interests of their own. Let us remember that, if every employer did the right thing by his own people, all industrial problems would immedi- ately be solved. (2) Let us be directors only in those corporations to which we can give our personal attention. Labor troubles first began with absentee ownership. Eliminate absentee ownership and labor troubles will cease. The man who starts a business has very little labor trouble, because he knows his men and they know him. Trouble begins when he dies, or when he sells out, and the ownership and man- agement become separated. This does not mean that corporations are not a good thing. Corporations are probably necessary; but instead of having a very few men directors in many corporations, the directorships should be distributed among more people in the community, with the understanding that there shall be no dummies and that with the honors go real responsibility. (3) Every corporation should have a stockholders' committee on labor. This committee should be com- posed of religious people and the members should be geographically distributed so that to each could be as- signed a certain number of employes for whom the stock" holder should be personally responsible. Big organizations have come to stay. It is no longer possible for the president of the company to be able to call all his employes by their first name. It should, how- ever, still be possible for the president of the company to have a stockholders' committee composed of church- men and churchwomen whom he personally knows, and to have this stockholders' committee large enough so RELIGION AND THE EMPLOYER SI that every employe shall be personally acquainted with some one on the stockholders' committee. Only by such a method can each be acquainted with the other's troubles and efforts. Only in such a way can each wage worker know that increased effort will be recognized and appre- ciated. Only by such individual recognition and appre- ciation can the desire in labor to increase production be fostered. OTHER PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS The labor problem is a religious problem. It cannot be solved by lawyers, commissions, or paid organization officials, whether they represent labor unions or boards of trade. The labor problem can be solved only as each side comes to understand and know the other side. At present, the wage worker is looking chiefly to wages and the employer is looking chiefly to growth, while both wages and size in themselves are of little value. The solu- tion of the labor problem requires all of us to think more of service. Then we shall become interested in produc- tion. Only by increasing production can the wage worker increase his earnings in terms of houses, food, and cloth- ing. Only by increasing production can the employer have that inward feeling of satisfaction and contentment that is what we are all really seeking. At present, both sides of the conflict are fighting over what already exists, when this of itself is only enough to keep the world going a very short time. The nation needs more labor and more capital. Both must be encour- aged instead of discouraged. Representatives of both must be made to see that the future of each depends upon encouraging the other. This new viewpoint can be 52 RELIGION AND BUSINESS brought about only through increasing the influence oi the church and estabHshing a personal acquaintance be- tween employers and wage workers. If Jesus were here to-day He would probably suggest these three things : ( 1 ) Get the facts. See the other fellow's point of view. Don't depend upon what your friends tell you without first talking with the other fellow's friends. (2) Establish more points of contact between employ- ers and wage workers, between directors and employes. Use some systematic method by which every employe shall be personally acquainted with some one stockholder. (3) Respect your men if you are an employer, and respect your employer if you are a wage worker. Remem- ber that labor is fighting for a status rather than a wage. Remember that wage workers no longer want to be con- sidered "poor relations," but rather desire to contribute to industry something more than manual labor. (4) Insist upon discipline with respect for integrity, efficiency, and industry. There must be more organiza- tion and better distribution, rather than less ; but men can be encouraged to take responsibility. They must be if we are to progress, because in the end men are paid only for intelligence, whether they are captains of industry or mere manual laborers. CHAPTER V NATURAL LAW UNDERLIES JESUS' TEACHINGS Nature's greatest law is the Law of Equal Reaction, first presented to the world by Jesus of Nazateih and later in the beginning of the eighteenth century by Sir Isaac Newton. This law was first stated by Jesus thus : "With what measure ye mett, it shall be measured unto you"; while Newton expressed it as follows: "Every action is followed by ati equal reaction." A fuller statement of the law would be that every act, word, or thought is followed by an equal reaction of the same character. Those who have studied physics know how this law applies to physical things, especially in mechan- ics. I wish to explain its relation to himian affairs. In its application to human relations the law simply means that what we do, say, or think about others reacts to our own advantage or disadvantage in accordance with whether it is helpful or harmful to others. There are six ways in which this law applies. Let me explain these six ways by giving some illustrations. material reactions The simplest reactions are of material things. These are illustrated by the bow and arrow, the spring gun, and the pendulum. We get a speed out of the arrow equal to the strength which we put into bending the bow. We get a force out of the spring gun equal to the strength S3 54 RELIGION AND BUSINESS which we expend in loading the gun. The pendultim swings to the left an equal distance to what it swings to the right. The reaction of a spring is exactly propor- tional to the energy used to press the spring downward. These all are common, every-day occurrences; but they illustrate the greatest and most fundamental law of life — the law upon which the Sermon on the Mount was based. PHYSICAL REACTIONS In the second group the reactions are physical. The simplest illustration of this group is the strength which men develop through work. We develop strength in our arms, not by resting our arms, but by using them. We develop our lungs and other organs, not by using them gently, but by using them intensely. One best acquires good health by considering his body as a storage battery, keeping in mind that he will get out of it in health and enjoyment an equivalent to what he puts into it in good food, fresh air, and other fundamental requirements. Another illustration is in connection with the soil. A good crop is simply a reaction from expended effort. The farmer gets products out of his soil in proportion to the nourishment and care he gives to the soil. Only recently has it been recognized in a scientific way that the Law of Equal Reaction applies very directly to production. Mod- ern agricultural developments, however, are founded upon this principle. The law of supply and demand, of service and reward, and other economic teachings are based on this principle of equal reaction. The reason why most men are unsuc- cessful is that they ignore this law and want to get their reward first and do their work afterward. Hence, they x>iAiuKAJ. 1.AW UNDERLIES JESUS' TEACHINGS 55 will take no risk and will do no more than they are paid to do. The successful man recognizes this law and does something first, trusting to the law for his reward. Jesus' parable of the pounds told in St. Luke, the 19th chapter, verses 11 to 27, inclusive, is based upon this law of equal reaction. This parable is worthy of most careful study. It is one of Jesus' talks which is very displeasing to the communistic socialists who try to connect their doctrines with the teachings of Jesus. Every honest busi- ness man should be encouraged by reading this parable. MENTAL REACTIONS A third group of reactions relates more to mental and spiritual power. We have always known that example is more powerful than precept. It is an old saying that "actions speak louder than words." Only recently, how- ever, has the economic basis for this been considered. (The reason is found in this Law of Equal Reaction. We say things to our children and we wonder why our words "go in at one ear and out at the other." The only thing actually accomplished by saying things to others is to cause others to say things to us. If we really want chil- dren to do a certain thing, such as to be industrious, honest, or clean, the way to accomplish it is for us to do that thing ourselves and. set them a right example. The reaction then will be for them to do likewise. Any reader who has doubts as to what can be accomplished in this way should study how a mother animal teaches her young. She cannot say a word to them, but accomplishes wonderful results. The good features of New Thought and other psychic movements are based on this natural law. Many believe 56 RELIGION AND BUSINESS that thought waves are transmitted as are sound waves, light waves, and electricity waves. As what we see is simply a reaction of the sunlight on an image, so what others think may be largely a reaction of our thoughts. Of course, this opens a most wonderful line of study, offering as it does a scientific basis for loving our ene- mies, praying for those who despitefully use us, and for our mental attitude to the world in general. It is very possible that experiments can demonstrate that these teachings of Jesus were not altruistic, but disclose great economic possibilities. Once the writer supposed that "loving our enemies" was simply a duty and hence a sacrifice; but recent experiments suggest that this is the only practical way of winning and conquering them. This means that Jesus was a practical psychologist and that the church has a scientific basis for religion. Reactions may also be classified in a different way and according to a different method of subdivision. Instead of dividing the reactions according to their workings, we will now divide them according to the class of people through whom they work. GROUP REACTIONS Political revolutions are simply natural reactions from oppression. This applies to great national revolutions and also to common labor strikes. All international wars which have really accomplished anything are likewise only reactions from unnatural conditions. Industrial booms and industrial panics are reactions from abnormal business or financial conditions. A period of prosperity is simply a reaction from the industry, economy, and even righteousness developed during a NATURAL LAW UNDERLIES JESUS' TEACHINGS 57 period of business depression. A panic is simply a reac- tion from the corruption, inefficiency, and extravagance which develops during the latter part of a period of pros- perity. A most intimate relationship exists between business and religion. Future business conditions can be foretold with wonderful accuracy by a study of the religious con- ditions of the time. Religion is both the anchor and rudder of prosperity. As there are thousands of little currents working in the ocean, while the tide may be flowing one way or the other. There are groups within groups in the tide of human relations. There is always a reaction from any legislation which is unjust to any class. When any group of people misuses its power or abuses its opportunities, there always is a reaction. It is impossible for a member of a group to harm or benefit the group without a harm- ful or beneficial reaction within himself. "We are all in the same boat," is an old saying. This is merely a popu- lar way of referring to^ this great Law of Equal Reaction. The rise and fall of families, corporations, and socie- ties constantly illustrates the working of this law. The misfortunes of certain great railroad systems, for instance, are due to the fact that those corporations overreached and abused their power. Reactions were inevitable. After the development of the "trust," corporations lost their souls. The natural result was the anti-corporation legislation and the inevitable rise of the masses to influence and power. It was only natural that the pendulum should swing the other way, and labor acquire greater influence in consequence. If, however, labor abuses its power, it will in turn inevitably suffer in accordance with this Law of Equal Reaction. The fact 58 RELIGION AND BUSINESS that periods of municipal reform so constantly alternate with years of municipal corruption illustrates group reactions. INDIVIDUAL REACTIONS Meanness reacts as meanness and kindness reacts as kindness. These are illustrations of individual reactions. If we boost others, they will boost us; while if we knock others, they will knock us. If we gossip about others, they will gossip about us; while if we look for the good things in others, they will look for the good things in us. All these things are in accordance with this Law of Equal Reaction and the teachings of the church. Under this heading, moreover, there are great eco- nomic possibilities. For instance, many believe that the power of a great leader is due to his conscious or uncon- scious use of this Law of Equal Reaction. We know that some employers are able to get very much better results out of their workers than are other employers. We say that some men have great executive ability and other men have none. Do' we stop to* analyze what this execu- tive ability is ? Psychology suggests that it is the use of the power of securing reactions. Certainly Jesus continually urged upon His followers the importance of Service. He never urged them to fight for the Kingdom, nor to argue for it. Jesus never seemed interested in securing for Himself or His followers polit- ical power or position. His main thought was that leader- ship and influence come through performing a service to others. As we do for others, they will love us and do for us in return, was His constant teaching. For centuries such words were thought to be imprac- NATURAL LAW UNDERLIES JESUS' TEACHINGS 59 tical; but Gcience is now demonstrating that natural law underlies all these teachings of Jesus. No longer is the "Sermon on the Mount" a collection of good platitudes to be read merely in the churches. It is an explanation of a great, fundamental, natural law which determines the ultimate success or failure of all business men. WHAT SHALL WE DO? We have heard of the neighbor who interfered when an Irishwoman was being whipped by her husband. We remember that the Irishwoman turned on the neighbor and started to beat him. We all like to scold our family and yet we stand up for them when others criticize. We are used to these common occurrences; but they are not mere accidents. Careful investigation shows that they are clearly in accordance with this Law of Equal Reaction. Hence keen business men will recognize and use this great law. It has wonderful power. Psycholog- ically, we are to-day in the Stone Age. In the use of thought waves, we are where the electrical world was a hundred years ago. Electricity always was a latent power, but has only recently been used. Even today, the greatest experts know practically nothing of its origin or make-up. During the next decade similar progress will be made through spiritual development under the leader- ship of the church. Are you not well? Do you want better health? Study the teachings of Jesus and the great latent power of spiritual healing. Such healing is based upon natural law. Are you having trouble with your children? Do you wish to have greater influence over them? Study the teachings of Jesus and the great possibilities of accom- 60 . RELIGION AND BUSINESS plishing results through example. Such methods are based upon the oldest of natural law. Perhaps you are in business and are having misfor- tunes. You are caught unawares by changes in prices and general conditions. If so, I urge you business men to study the teachings of Jesus and the relations existing between business conditions and religious emotions. Such relations are based upon the oldest of natural law. Perhaps you are an executive in the employ of others and wonder why you have not the influence with those under you that some other executive has. If so, I beg you to study the teachings of Jesus and learn how He taught leadership to His disciples. I refer to the leadership through service, which is based, not on theology, but on natural law. Perhaps you are but a salesman and wonder why it is that some men can sell so successfully and you cannot. I appeal to you also to study the teachings of religion, which hold the key to success and which key you can have for the asking. In conclusion, let me summarize as follows : By the reaction of the earth, structures are kept in posi- tion; while by the reaction of the water, ships are caused to float. By the reaction of wave motion, light, heat, and sound speed on their way. By the same action and reac- tions the planets are held in position. By the reactions of chemistry we live, move, and have our being. By the reaction of springs, levers, and other mechanical move- ments, all machinery operates. The basis of mechanics is the law of action and reaction, upon which Jesus' teach- ings are founded. Take the next step from the physical to the mental. Why do such traits as imagination, initiative, concentra- tion, and determination lead people to success ? The rea- NATURAL LAW UNDERLIES JESUS' TEACHINGS 61 son is that these forces react by developing similar traits in other people. This is the basis of leadership, and this explains the terrific power of example. Crowds of men can be made to do almost anything by leaders who under- stand the teachings of religion. The captain of industry uses his enthusiasm to create great enterprises, as the workman uses his lever to move heavy loads; but both rely upon the same natural law. One step more takes us to economics and business. Selling is the reaction from buying^ interest is the reac- tion from sainng, profit is the reaction from service, and loss is the reaction from trying to get something for noth^ ing. Prices, wages, and business in general have a cer- tain normal line of development. For all that they go above this normal line, there is always an equal reaction. Panics are but reactions from abnormal business booms. Faith in God is effective because of its reaction. Love toward our fellow men is powerful because the reaction is that they then love us. Jesus always held out an incentive for us to give, forgive, and trust. This incentive was based on the great law, "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you." Of all undeveloped resources, human souls and minds offer the greatest possibilities. Business men are at last realizing that industry is more than mere machinery and that prosperity really awaits the development and organ- ization of human beings. Before this will be done, how- ever, our children must be taught that Jesus' Law of Equal Reaction governs human relations as it does all physical, mental, economic, and spiritual forces. I gO farther and say that only as this law is taught will our industrial, political, and international problems be solved; at least this is what statistics have taught me. CHAPTER VI TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION I once knew a college professor who taught, among^ other things, Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Equal Reac- tion.* His regular lectures treated only of its relation tc? mechanics. During these lectures he would show various applications of the law to levers, pulleys, and springs. He explained to the boys that the shooting force of a spring gun was equal to the force used in pressing the spring down, and that this same principle of equal reac- tion underlies chemistry, astronomy, economics, and all the other sciences. The professor had a son Jack and he brought up Jack in what the neighbors thought was a very peculiar way. He never whipped Jack, and very seldom punished him. The professor would say to his friends : "It is not ptmishment which children need so much as explanations. Troubles come from our being too busy to explain things to our children as we should. As a make- shift, we punish them. Besides, no one punishes me when I do wrong; why should I punish Jack?" "That's all very well," replied one of his neighbors, "but you are punished naturally when you do wrong. If you harm others, it reacts to your own harm. If you are * The Law of Equal Reaction is that for every act, word, or thought there is a reaction which is equal to and of thi^ same character as the act itself. Thus this action is helpful or harmful to the person from whom it goes forth according to v'5.€ther it is helpful or harmful to others. 62 TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 63 unkind to others, it hurts you. You get your punishment naturally; you do not need any other." "That's the very point," answered the professor. "Then why does my boy need any other? He gets a natural punishment the same as I do. The same laws of nature apply to him as to me. Why should he be pun- ished twice when I am punished only once?" "Because your boy does not understand that these natural punishments come from wrong doing," returned the neighbor. "Certainly we cannot take the time to ex- plain to our children all about the working of divine laws." "You have hit the nail on the head," said the professor. "The reason why most children are not more religious is because most parents don't take time to explain. It is easier to scold, threaten, and punish than it is to explain. So, instead of helping matters, most parents, by their punishments, only make matters worse. Besides, if there is a natural reaction from every wrong, then there must be one from the artificial and secondary punishments which we give. Of course there are exceptions," he con- tinued. "About ten per cent, of our children are sub- normal. Artificial punishments may be necessary at times for such, just as in the case of animals which cannot understand explanations. Also, children cannot under- stand or reason before a certain age. Hence, explana- tions to such as these are not effective. With ninety per cent, of our children the best results could be secured with more sound religious instruction and less artificial punishment." TRAINING CHILDREN The neighbor also had a son. His name was Harry. He had been brought up, as his father said, in the "good 64 RELIGION AND BUSINESS old-fashioned way." This old-fashioned way perhaps worked well under old-fashioned conditions, when there were cows to milk, wood boxes to fill, and other chores to do. But to-day, conditions are entirely different. There must be new methods of discipline to meet these new con- ditions. Many parents, recognizing this, have given up the old methods, but have not adopted a sound and better method. They have stopped whipping, but have not yet begun to explain. So the majority of our young people are to-day getting little or no training in these fundamen- tals of life. This is a very serious problem which the church should at once recognize and solve. Jack and Harry were together considerably throughout their school life. Both were good boys. Neither gave much trouble to his parents. Yet they were being brought up under entirely different plans. The professor never told Jack that he "must" do this, or "must not" do that. The professor would advise Jack to do or not to do a certain thing, explaining to him about the reaction which would come to him from such an act, but this was as far as he would go. Harry's father, on the other hand, made definite rules for his boy to follow. He was very insistent that Harry should obey. If Harry asked the reason or endeavored to argue, his father would call him impudent. Harry's father never tried to^ develop his boy's reasoning powers' about religion and the church. He really did not want Harry to reason, but rather to obey. This was the "good old-fashioned" principle of bringing up children. It was entirely different from the professor's way of simply talking to his boy Jack about true rehgion and nature's great Law of Equal Reaction, helping him to apply this in all cases and to decide for himself what to do. Finally, both boys finished school and went to work in TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 65 a big department store in a great Western city. Then the effects of the two different ways of training clearly showed. Both boys left home with practically the same education and good health. So' far as any one could see, they both started the race of life with equal advantages. If either had an advantage, it was Harry, who' had con- siderable natural talent. He led his class at graduation, while the professor's son, Jack, got only average marks. From the day when both commenced work, however, Jack seemed to go right ahead of Harry. A few illustra- tions will show this. "That boy's will must be broken," Harry's father would say. So by the time Harry went to the city he had little self-control or courage — two very important requi- sites for success. His lack of these two qualities showed especially in his apparent inability to resist new tempta- tions. The old temptations which had beset him at home he avoided through habit; but when met by a new one, he was lost. His father, when he was at home, had given him very little money and never had bothered to explain money matters to him. So when he had money toi spend, he did not know how to spend or how to save it. Harry's lack of self-control and courage also showed itself in im- patience and inability to concentrate or stick to a thing. Old-fashioned religious training worked when all other forms of training and education were in the stage- coach class. But with the advance in secular schools and colleges, the youth of to-day demand saner and more effi- cient instruction along religious hues. The day of the old Sunday school is passing. LEADING OTHERS The professor had taught Jack to think and reason. When very young he had explained to him the senses, 66 RELIGION AND BUSINESS and how it is that we can smell, hear, and see. Jack realized that, in order for one to see an object, it is neces- sary that invisible mechanical waves called light come through the air, and that the reaction on our brains makes us "see." The professor taught his son that we could make other people think what we want them to as well as to make them smell, hear, and see what we wish to have them. It is only a question of knowing how to do it. He explained to Jack that spiritual forces are as power- ful and practical as mechanical or electrical forces and should be understood and used by him. The professor had Jack experiment with his playmates in making them cross by being cross himself, or in mak- ing them smile by smiling himself. He had Jack notice that fear reacts as fear, that courage reacts as courage, and that, as the church teaches, "We reap what we sow." This knowledge gave Jack self-reliance, persistence, con- fidence, and a real interest in religion. When his new acquaintances tried to get him to do wrong and go to bad places, instead of giving in as Harry did. Jack would try to use his power to see if he could direct them to good places. Jack had lots of fun trying his strength of minc\ He never bothered about resisting their evil efforts, but rather used his mind in trying to divert them into good channels. One day it occurred to Jack that he might use this power in selling goods. Selling goods, he concluded, meant simply convincing the customer that the goods were what he needed. Instead of talking to the customer about the goods. Jack talked about the customer's needs. He was so successful at this that he was promoted to be head of one of the departments of the store. He then used these same spiritual powers to secure such a reaction as TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 67 he desired from those under him. He accomplished won- ders by the spiritual power of example and suggestion. He never scolded nor was he ever cross. He knew the power of kindness, as well as the influence of example. If he wished the clerks to hurry, he would hurry; if he wished them to smile, he would smile; and if he wished them to work after hours, he simply needed to set the example. His father had taught him that, as some people arc blind, and as any one can keep from seeing by shutting his eyes, so some — either by nature or intent — would not react to his spiritual waves. This thought kept Jack from being discouraged when he failed to get results. Not only did he apply true religion in handling his assistants, but also in influencing his employers. He wanted them to trust him. So he concluded that the simple way to do this was to trust them; since, among normal people, loyalty reacts as loyalty, confidence as confidence, and trust as trust. It was in this connection that his father explained to him the power of faith and prayer. Jack not only had faith, but he had a reason for the faith that was in him. Many evenings he and his father had spent in talking over religious questions. The result was that Jack both had a religion and used it. Both boys attended church regularly when at home; but Harry seemed to fall away when he got to the big city. Jack, however, continued regularly to attend worship, and always tried to get Harry to go along with him. For some reason that Harry could never understand, he was seldom promoted and was soon away behind Jack. One day, when Harry's father was in the city, he visited the store and asked a member of the firm what was the matter with his boy Harry. This is what the man replied : "Your boy, sir, is obedient and does what he is told — 68 RELIGION AND BUSINESS but no more. In order to succeed in this store, a boy must do more than he is told to do. Instead of fiUing only one position, he must really fill three jobs. In addition to doing his own work well, he must be learning the job of the man ahead of him, and must also be teaching some other fellow his own job. Your boy seems tO' lack enter- prise, initiative, originality, and those other qualities which seem to 'get there.' Harry seems to be honest; but he lacks ambition and does not enjoy his work the way his friend Jack does. Harry has never yet tasted the joy of originating. He acts as if work had been given to him when young as a punishment, not as a reward." "Well, that is true," replied Harry's father. "When I wanted to punish Harry, I often gave him work to do. Jack's father always told me that this was the wrong practise. He often said, 'Two blacks don't make a white. Teach your boy to love work like a game. Give him work as a reward. Let him strive to control himself as a sport. Explain to him that his body is a wonderful machine like an aeroplane or a motor car and arouse in him an interest to make it do whatever he wants it to do.' But I didn't take much stock in such talk." SERVICE The professor not only taught Jack that we can get almost any kind of a thing done through these funda- mental religious laws, but that the size of the result is directly proportional to the amount of effort which we expend. "Wages and profits, my boy," Jack's father used to say, "are simply the reaction from service. I shall never make you work; but I shall continually explain to you TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 69 that what you get out of life will be exactly proportional to what you put into it. We can get richer, in the long run, only by producing more. The men who devise new means of production and distribution are those who be- come great business men. Jesus stated a great truth in His 'Parable of the Talents.' " It was with this idea in mind that Jack worked up in that great department store. He never needed tO' be told to do anything, but was always looking for something to do. He was never late, but was usually at the store long before opening time. The big store was Jack's play- ground. He loved the crowds that surged in and out and it was great sport for him to experiment with them to get them to react in different ways in accordance with his wishes. Jack was always able to meet any new condition with his religion. He was not dependent on any rules or prece- dents. When a question arose as to whether or not he should do a certain thing. Jack would simply ask himself how it would affect other people. If it would, in the long run, enable more people to enjoy his goods, or if it would enable his customers tO' have better goods for the same money, then Jack would do it, knowing that the firm would in some way get a beneficial reaction. On the other hand, if he felt that the customers would iK>t be benefited by some move, then he knew the firm would not, in the end, and he would not do it. Jack felt very grateful to his father for teaching him this great principle which Jesus gave the world. It was so simple to decide things by it. "Will it, in the long run, benefit the customers and the firm?" he would continu- ally ask himself; and the answer to this simple question would determine his action. He knew that if the act 70 RELIGION AND BUSINESS would be good for the customers and the firm, it would react favorably to him and all the other employes who helped out in it. But while Jack was promoted continually, Harry was not. Harry's honesty had got him from behind a counter into the accounting department, but he seemed unable to get farther. He seemed like a watch without a spring. He lacked that "something" which makes men win. Thus things went on for several years. FORESIGHT One day, when Jack was at home on a vacation, his father gave him a book to read. He felt that the time had come when Jack should prepare for becoming a partner in the concern. "Remember what I have always told you," said the professor, as they sat together one evening. "Your pro- motion depends upon three things : first, doing your pres- ent job better than any one else is doing the same kind of work; secondly, training some one else beneath you to fill it; and, thirdly, preparing yourself for the job above you. You are now at the head of the largest department in the store. In order to be promoted farther, you must be given an interest in the concern. This would make you one of the partners." "But what do I need as a partner more than as a de- partment head ?" asked Jack. "I have got along thus far by simply applying these fundamental teachings of Jesus about which you used to talk so much. This has helped me to develop my body into a strong and effective ma- chine; to acquire self-control and those things which follow, such as courage, patience, thrift, perseverance. TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 71 and the like. This has given me the enterprise to accom- pHsh what I have, knowing that my prosperity and hap- piness are only a reaction from that which I help others to acquire. What more do I need to know?" "Well, Jack, for all you have done, you are still an employe. You have never had the big questions of policy to decide. To decide these wisely, you must have fore- sight. When in school you studied two classes of sub- jects. The 'Three R's,' as they are called, made up the first class, while history, economics, and certain sciences made up the second class. The first class of subjects are taught for necessary reasons; but the second class are taught mainly to enable people to forecast the future. People able to do this are said to have common sense and good judgment. You learn from history and the sciences what results certain conditions have brought about in the past. This knowledge, and Jesus' teachings, enable one to forecast what results similar conditions will bring about in the future, or to know what to do in order to bring about certain results in the future." "If I work hard and give good service, isn't that suffi- cient?" asked Jack. "No, my son, I am sorry to say that hard work and faithful service are not enough. There are a great many people in the world who are as earnest and faithful as yourself. Many of them also have that enterprise, imag- ination, and originality which are sO' necessary to success. They make good employes, but they always remain em- ployes. If they start in business for themselves, they fail. The reason is that they lack the ability to see ahead. They may know what to do, but not when to do it. They lack foresight, which is the great thing needed to succeed in business for one's self. You may have health, self-con- 72 RELIGION AND BUSINESS trol, and an earnest desire to be useful; but without fore- sight you will never make much further progress. On the other hand, I know men who possess foresight with almost none of these other qualities, and they make a great success in business." It is now twenty years since the two boys left a little Iowa town and went to Chicago. Both boys are married and have homes. Harry is an ordinary family man, work- ing long hours, struggling to make both ends meet, in poor health, and seldom happy. Jack is a partner of the big store for which he first went to work as errand boy. He is a power for good in that great city. He has health, happiness, and independence. He is a success. What are you doing to interest your boy in these great religious truths? Are you treating him as Jack was treated, or are you following the example of Harry's father ? TRULY HELPING OTHERS .Many persons come to me for help in a business way. They ask for advice as to how to get a position or how to get their children employment. These people are earn- est and my sympathy naturally goes out toward them. They are willing to work and it seems a pity that they cannot get work which will enable them to live com- fortably and happily. In practically all such cases, however, my judgment tells me that it is not sympathy they need, but rather religion. Whenever I have occasion to have any busi- ness dealings with one of these unfortunate people, I always see the reason why they are not succeeding. They lack religion. There is a reason in themselves for the TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 73 present condition of all such unfortunate people. Yet when attempting to show them this difficulty with them- selves, I am often misunderstood. People want sympa- thy, but they don't want advice, even if they ask for it. With all the»churches and their various forms of work, one wonders why more attention has not been directed toward this end. There are many people who need merely more religion in order to succeed. Instead of talk- ing about the "rights" of the workers, and of the various things to which all people are "entitled," surely the poor themselves would be infinitely better off if taught another doctrine. What helps me most is to keep continually in mind that I shall get what I deserve, no more and no less, as the Parable of the Talents describes. When things go wrong, this helps me to hunt for the cause and correct the difficulty. When I am starting a new work, this encourages me to know that if I render good service the result is sure to be profitable. Shouldn't religion be taught in this way to all our young people at home and at school ? Shouldn't we frankly tell people who are un- successful that they lack religion ? Such a charity would not be popular but it certainly would be effective. You never have business relations with one of these unsuc- cessful people but you usually see that lack of religion is the reason why they are out of a job or are not getting on better. Of course one great difficulty is that we as parents and teachers are not up to the standard ourselves. PARENT, KNOW THYSELF A list of thirty-one questions compiled by Sophie C. Becker, supervisor of primary grades, and designed to test the efficiency of public-school teachers and parents, 74 RELIGION AND BUSINESS was sent to the schools of Buffalo. The copies distributed were headed "Suggestions for Efficiency." They contain most valuable suggestions for every reader. Here are the questions : Do you like your vifork? Have you learned the best way of doing it ? Do you enjoy the presence of little children? Do you enjoy art, literature, and music? Does your highest ambition include some real service to humanity? Do you work harder than any one else in the business ? Have you learned to plan your day ahead ? Are you tactful, courteous, and pleasant? Can you be optimistic under all circumstances? Have you a fixed goal in line with your supreme talent? Do you know where your greatest power lies? Do you believe in your own future ? Do you realize which of your habits, thoughts, emo- tions make you inefficient? Are you informed on personal efficiency? Have you secured the best advisers and associates? Do you wish your rivals well and never speak ill of them? Are you in perfect physical health? Have you learned how to get well and keep well? Have you made an inventory of your mental and moral traits? Are you correcting your known weaknesses — omental, moral, financial, social, spiritual? Have you discovered which foods, baths, and exer- cises increase your energy and heighten your mentality? TRAINING OUR CHILDREN IN RELIGION 75 Do you breathe deeply and hold an erect position? Is your sleep long, dreamless, and refreshing, with your room perfectly ventilated ? Is all your clothing made loose to allow blood and nerves free play? Do you drink three pints of water daily ? Do you eat slowly, moderately, regularly? Do you wear comfortable shoes ? Can you relax entirely in your leisure hours? Can you keep a calm, unprejudiced mind? Do you save money systematically? Have you enough love in your life to keep you steady, cheerful, and useful? CHAPTER VII "HE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH Psychology is both the oldest and newest of the sci- ences. Jesus was a great psychologist; all the prophets before Him were great psychologists. The teachings of Jesus are based on the soundest psychological principles. The great strength of the early Christians was due to their knowledge and use of these principles. The story of their work is told in the New Testament, and is con- firmed by many other authorities. After the Christian church was absorbed by the Roman Empire, it became prosperous and strong politically. As it increased in popularity and political strength, it lost its spiritual power. The use of this power became almost 2 lost art for many centuries. Now and then some monk or leader would rise who had the vision, or the Holy Spirit as it was called, but such were very exceptional. The church went through various reformations when its spiritual power would for a while become more potent; but it would soon fall back into material ways. The history of the church has been a constant fluctuation between persecution and prosperity. During a period of persecution the Holy Spirit would descend upon the people and they would become very powerful. This strength inevitably led to prosperity; but with the advent of this prosperity, the Holy Spirit seemed to leave the people and they became absorbed in worldly matters again. During the nineteenth centary the church 76 THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH 71 was especially interested in material things. This was the great century of advancement in sciences, transporta- tion, and industry. The development of water powers, the steam engine, electricity, and finally the automobile has directed the attention of the people from the unseen to the material. As in similar previous periods, the church lost its spiritual power, to a great degree, during this century. This was only natural. When we focus our attention on material things, we depend on such things and there is no opportunity for spiritual growth. When material things fade away, we depend on spiritual things, and with such dependence our lives become stronger spiritually. Then we have the spiritual powers, to which early leaders referred as the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. RELATION BETWEEN MIND AND BODY During the first and second centuries, the Christians clearly understood the relation of the mind to the body. They cured diseases, they cast out evil spirits, and per- formed many other so-called miracles. During later cen- turies, however, this part of their work became neglected and was discredited. Whatever we may think about the Christian Science movement, we must give it the credit for again directing the world's attention to the relation- ship of the spirit and mind to the body. It doubtless is true that Mrs. Eddy obtained her ideas from early writers, and that the movement has been greatly aided by the scientific work of William James and other psychologists. The Christian Science leaders, however, have popular- ized the movement and, notwithstanding any errors or unfounded claims, have performed a great service. 78 RELIGION AND BUSINESS "All mental states, no matter what their character as regards utility, are followed by bodily activity of some sort." Upon this foundation William James developed his studies and around this statement have the great move- ments been grouped. This law simply means that all our thoughts and emotions have a very direct effect on our body-building and upon all our bodily functions and powers. This means that not only our health, but also our happiness and prosperity are affected by our thoughts. The reformation that this has caused in medical treat- ment is too well known to need discussion here. Our in- terest is rather in future development whereby faith, prayer, and meditation shall become great factors in the upbuilding of civilization and the prosperity of nations, groups, and individuals. We all remember the days when doctors used to fill their patients with horrible black medicines and pills of all sizes and colors, and various other concoctions. When one thinks of the money wasted and the misery caused during the years of such practise, it makes one shudder. For generations, the sick and suffering have actually paid physicians for hastening their death. Now this is all changed. Very little medicine is being given by the best physicians. Your case is either one for the surgeon or else one which you yourself must cure through different living and different thinking. The great physicians of to-day recognize that most of the common ills, such as rheumatism, indigestion, kidney ailments, nervous exhaustion, etc., are the results of over- work, worry, fear, gossip, avarice, ill will, jealousy, anger, or hatred. They realize that these things destroy the body and bring on ill health, unhappiness, and misfor- tune. It is known to-day that good health is secured and THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH 79 retained only through the development of those religious characteristics of faith, hope, courage, joy, good will, sympathy, affection, and generosity. This is called by some people "New Thought," but it is thought that is two thousand years old and was the basis of the teachings of Jesus and His disciples. They knew and taught that the mind can act and always does act either to develop disease or to develop health. When they urged people to have faith and hope, good will and sympathy, they knew that only through the development of these qualities could people be healthy, happy, and prosperous. They did not urge people to develop these qualities for any dogmatic reason; but because health, happiness, and prosperity could not be secured in any other way. When these leaders condemned avarice, worry, jealousy, and anger, they did so because they knew that these things are destructive to the body, mind, and spirit. Jesus and His disciples realized that the vir- tues — still known as the religious virtues — tend to de- velop and strengthen the body; while those actions and feelings which they condemned — still known as sins — slowly poison the body, lower its resisting power, and act like a corroding acid. Every feeling or emotion of a disagreeable nature pro- duces poison in our bodies; while true and agreeable emotions generate nutritious compounds which make us stronger and more efficient. Scores of illustrations of this fact could be given. Every one knows how bad news will give one headache or nausea; while good news will inspire us and give us added energy. If this is so in little things, it is so in everything. Every thought and act of ours during the day affects our health, happiness, and prosperity. Getting cross generates poison in our 80 RELIGION AND BUSINESS systems which weakens us; while good thoughts develop compounds which build us up body and soul. WHAT MEN WANT Business men may be surprised at a statistician devot- ing a chapter to this phase of religion. The temptation naturally is to present religion only as the founder and protector of life, liberty, and happiness. This statement is true, and as a business man I gladly testify that all we have to-day which is worth while we owe to religion. In order, however, for religion to appeal to the manufacturer, merchant, and banker, it must provide something more than material protection or prosperity. What men have, does not interest them. The church has lost rather than gained by its interest in wealth and numbers. The church can never compete with the manufacturer in producing goods nor with the banker in financing loans. Business men desire spiritual help from religion. It is spiritual power for which they really hunger. The great opportunity before the church is in the develop- ment of such spiritual power. The greatest of unde- veloped resources is faith; the greatest of unused power is prayer; the business men of the nation are waiting for the church to open to them these resources and powers. BREADTH AND VISION The relation of body and spirit is very much broader than the mere question of physical ills. Let me again refc THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPFD RESOURCES FAITH 81 to Jesus' twO' great commands : First, that we love God with all our hearts so as to conform to His laws; and, second, that we love our neighbors as ourselves. Both of these commands are very clearly interwoven with spirit- ual and psychic development. Both are closely bound with the great law of action and reaction. Jesus urged His followers to love their neighbors as themselves be- cause the health, happiness, and prosperity of each de- pended on the health, happiness, and prosperity of the group. There was, however, another reason. Jesus knew that the self-centered man could not be healthy and happy any more than he could be prosperous in the long run. To have good health, one must have a broad, expansive mind; one must be interested in the health of the whole world. Jealousy, envy, gossip, fault-finding have a dwarf- ing influence and ultimately lead to ill health, unhappi- ness, and poverty. People who are really interested in their neighbors and the wide world in general, develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. Not only do the mind and body act and react the one on the other, but individuals act and react one on another. One gloomy, despondent person can come into a happy group and throw gloom over the entire room; while one happy person can come into a gloomy group and fill the whole room with sunshine. This, which applies to a small group in a room, or to a family, applies to a community or nation. Jesus recog- nized these facts and preached them two thousand years ago. For a century or two they were taken seriously and the church greatly prospered thereby. During later cen- turies, however, we have become so engrossed in material things that we have forgotten the great spiritual power 82 RELIGION AND BUSINESS to which we owe so much. Steam, electricity, and other povrers have taken the place of the Holy Spirit, the greatest of aJl powers. SPIRITUAL REVIVAL NEEDED Is not this neglect of spiritual power the real difficulty with the church to-day ? Pec>ple are not getting from the church the help that they ars getting from other institu- tions. When something js the matter with us physically, we go to a physician and get help; we are glad to pay him for relief. When we are despondent, we go to a theater and get cheered up; we don't begrudge the two dollars that we pay for a ticket. We feel that both the doctor and the actor have earned the money. But we look upon the money which we pay tO' the church as "given away" ; that is, we feel that we get nothing in return. Why is this ? The reason is that the church has lost its ibility to impart spiritual power to others. We must not think that this spiritual power does not exist because it is being so little used. Electricity had been lying dormant in the world for thousands of years, and only recently has it come to be used. Great spiritual powers, to which the preacher refers as the Holy Spirit, exist in the world even though they are not being utilized. The church has prospered when it has helped people spir- itually and when it has developed this spiritual power. The time is coming when the church will again put forth these powers, and then no one will begrudge what he spends on his religion. This means that those interested in the revival of true religion should devote their energies to reviving the spirit- ual power of the church instead of trying to awaken THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH 83 interest in the church before such spiritual power is revived. When the church has recovered its faith and its abihty to use this faith in making people healthy, happy, and prosperous, then people will of themselves seek religion and become energized by its spirit. PRAYER AND SERVICE Jesus simply told people to pray. He gave no scientific explanation as to why prayer is so effective. His instruc- tions were that we should go quietly by ourselves, relax, and concentrate on what we desire. He continually em- phasized that if we would do this systematically and rev- erently, we would accomplish most wonderful results. Various scientific explanations have been given at dif- ferent times regarding how prayer works. Some scien- tists believe that spiritual waves exist throughout the ether as do light waves and sound waves. When we see an object, this is what really happens. Light waves strike the object, are reflected from the object through the air, striking the retina of the eye. Every object has a dif- ferent vibration. We really do not see a chair or a table, but when light reflects from a chair, we get a different feeling on the retina of the eye from what we get when the light strikes a table. When we originally got the first sensation, we were told it came from a chair, and when we got the second sensation, we were told it came from a table. We do not "see" either the chair or the table. The method of discernment by one who has eyesight is really not different mechanically from that by one who is blind. The former person "feels" of the table with his eyes, while the latter is compelled to use his hands. All this means that the commonest acts of life, like hearing, 84 RELIGION AND BUSINESS seeing, and smelling-, are carried on by invisible waves or vibrations. This is perhaps most spectacularly illustrated by wireless telegraphy and wireless telephony; but these things are not nearly as wonderful as the seeing, hearing, and smelling which we use every day. Many psychologists believe that there are mental and spiritual waves, just as truly as there are light and sound waves. These psychologists believe that when we think and concentrate we throw out thought waves, and that these waves increase in intensity in accordance with our ability to concentrate. Many experiments have been tried in which a person who is able intensely to concentrate can enter a room and make another know just what the first is thinking about. This is popularly known as thought diffusion. It can be made more powerful if helped by the spoken word, and then becomes oratory. The power used by the evangelist, the criminal lawyer, the political leader, and successful men in general is based on this principle. There are other people who have very sensitive minds. These people have not the power of con- centration and leadership, but have very remarkable powers of discernment. Two strong-minded people or two sensitive people are unable to read one another's minds; but a sensitive person is often able to read the mind of one whO' can concentrate readily. This is com- monly known as mind reading. Although such things have been very much abused, yet without doubt there are great possibilities in telepathy and similar studies. The spiritualists carry this idea much farther. They believe that it is not only possible for the living to com- municate without words, but that it is possible for the living and the dead so to communicate. Whether or not this is possible, space does not permit us here to discuss, TB <& GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH 85 but only an ignorant man would say that such a thing is impossible. This whole question of spiritualism is closely woven with the future life and what takes place after death. The only reason for mentioning the matter here is that it involves the question of communion with God, commonly known as prayer. PRAYER A GREAT FORCE Whether or not scientists have as yet a knowledge of prayer, it nevertheless is a great and powerful force. Electricity is still unknown so far as its origin or make- up is concerned. We simply know that doing certain things develops a certain invisible power known as elec- tricity, and that if this invisible power is connected with machines made in a certain way, these machines will revolve. We also know that this same electricity can be used for producing light and heat. But where electricity comes from, of what it consists, or how it is transmitted, no one knows. Yet we use electricity and it will soon be the basis of our new civilization. We know just as much about prayer as we know about electricity. We know that by relaxing and concentrating we can, in the quiet of our own rooms, secure the most wonderful results. Of course the ordinary prayer, such as the preacher offers in church or the child recites morn- ing and evening, is little more than a form. The prayers of our churches bear the same relation to the power that religion offers as an electric toy bears to the great cen- tral generating plant at Niagara Falls. It is not my pur- pose to defend the custom of praying as practised to-day. Both history and science, however, clearly demonstrate that prayer has great possibilities. Prayer is our con 86 RELIGION AND BUSINESS nection with the Holy Spirit, with the great sources of abundant power. The real forces of life are not found in material things, but are unseen and spiritual. Jesus did not exaggerate at all when He spoke of the faith that could move mountains. He was stating a great psycho- logical truth when He told His hearers that through faith they could secure health, happiness, and prosperity. The Holy Spirit is the great source of supply, the invisible, formless, but living substance. Man is the motor that can use this great invisible power. Prayer is the wire or the pipe that cormects man with the great source of supply. As a statistician, without partiality or prejudice, I urge all business men to learn more about prayer and its great possibilities. The Holy Spirit is the great undeveloped resource of religion; while prayer is the means of tap- ping this great undeveloped resource. The Holy Spirit is the coal mine, and prayer is the transportation system which will get the coal to us in order that it may be used. The two go together. Each is useless without the other. Both together are all powerful. THE WORKINGS OF PRAYER Prayer is the means by which we get imbued with spiritual power. The prayer of faith connects our minds with the universal mind and puts us into harmony with the greatest of all powers. How does it work? I don't know, and no one else knows. Some think that we do not pray to a God as such, but that we radiate thoughts which affect the lives of others and make them do what we would like to have them do. As previously stated, the world gives back to us what we give to the world. Hence, THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES FAITH 87 it would be only natural that thinking healthily would make others healthy and the reaction would be to make us healthy; that thinking happiness would make others happy and the reaction would be to make us happy; while thinking prosperity would make others prosperous, and as we make others prosperous, the natural reaction would be for us to be prosperous. This would simply mean that health, happiness, and prosperity are contagious and that we ourselves become healthy, happy, and prosperous only as we make others so. The scientific explanation of prayer given by some psychologists is that anything can be changed in accordance with our desires. There- fore, to be healthy, happy, and prosperous requires only that we think health, happiness, and prosperity. Other psychologists believe that the mind is a mold; that the world is full of good and bad thoughts, strong and weak thoughts, just as our blood has red corpuscles and bad bacteria. Their theory is that the mind is a mold and that by thinking we shape the mold for anything that we desire to make. If we think on health, we gradually shape the mind to catch the health waves; if we think on happiness, we gradually shape this mold to develop happiness; while if we think prosperity, we develop in our brains a mold which will turn out prosperity. Without doubt every man is either self-directing or easily directed by the suggestions which come from other persons and from his environment. Whether a man is self-directed or easily directed determines largely whether he is successful or unsuccessful. In a previous chapter I have treated of the labor problem, with as much sym- pathy as possible for the wage worker. The labor prob- lem, however, is much more fundamental than appears in that chapter. The real difficulty at the bottom of the 88 RELIGION AND BUSINESS labor problem is this fact, that people are by nature either self-directed or easily directed. The self-directed men are thrifty, original, and enterprising. They naturally become employers. They always have and always will. Those who are easily influenced by others or by their environment naturally remain wage workers. They always have stayed in this class and they always will remain there. The self-directed man will not allow his thoughts to be dictated by heredity or by environment any more than by the stars or by a horoscope. He directs his thoughts and makes his plans into the kind of a mold he wishes. The great mass of people, however, allow their destiny to be decided by heredity, environment, and soap-box oratory. The self-directed man thinks what he wants to think and therefore does what he wants to do. So much for the scientific explanation of why some succeed and others do not. The church tells a dififerent story. It believes that the successful people are consciously or unconsciously prayer- ful people. It believes that if their success is not due directly to their own prayers, it is due to the prayers of a mother, father, or some friend. Statistics tend to uphold the position of the church. Men are successful because they are religious rather than religious because they are successful. Most men are successful because, consciously or unconsciously, they are praying men. THE church's OPPORTUNITY It is not the purpose of this book to discuss further this great spiritual power. My purpose is primarily to testify as a business man that I believe in such power. The use of THE GREATEST OF UNDEVELOPFD RESOURCES — FAITH 89 faith and prayer, as a means of connecting with this great power, is beyond question. The greatest development !n years to come will be along spiritual lines. The power of electricity is nothing compared with the latent spiritual forces which are to-day unused. These are the things that Jesus had in mind when He talked to the people two thousand years ago about the power of faith. We have been led to believe that He spoke figuratively or that He talked of powers that He possessed but which could not be used by others. As surely as there is a God and a man, there is a Holy Spirit. The church has the opportunity of developing this power and giving it to the world. The great future of the church lies in grasping this opportunity. That denomination which first grasps the opportunity and pre- sents it to the world, in a practical and efificient form, will be the church of the future. The church which prays . most and prays best is the church which will grow most rapidly. This book, however, is not written in the interests of churches. My interest is in the business men who are my readers. It is in your own interests that I urge you to consider these great spiritual forces. You are spending millions in developing water powers, steam-generating plants, and electrical stations, but the power that you are getting in those ways is not to be compared with the great spiritual forces which you could have for the asking. The actions of men are determined by their feelings and their tastes. Our health and our happiness we know to be dependent not on things, but on our state of soul. Science is fast demonstrating that our prosperity is dependent on our ability to influence others, which in turn is dependent on 90 RELIGION AND BUSINESS the thoughts which we absorb and radiate to others. Temporary worldly success may come by other means, but success which is permanent, which we all really want, can come only through the development of the soul. The business man knows this even better than does the preacher. The hope of the world lies in both business man and preacher getting together and utilizing thij' spiritual power of religion. CHAPTER VIII RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY I ONE day Spent a very interesting morning watching James Moore Hickson in connection with his revival of spiritual healing. Mr. Hickson had been visiting the lead- ing cities of the United States, performing his work in some of the largest Episcopal churches of these cities. The demonstration which I personally witnessed was at Trinity Church, Washington, D. C. The scene was most depressing or encouraging accord- ing to one's point of view. For nearly three hours I watched a stream of unfortunate people brought up one aisle and down another on stretchers, wheel chairs, and on the backs of their friends. Mr. Hickson would take a group of about twenty of these and talk to them for two or three minutes, touch each one separately on the head, making a short prayer as he passed from one to the other. He was assisted in this work by the leading Episcopal clergy of Washington and nurses of character and stand- ing. Being neither a clergyman nor a physician, I cannot testify as to the character or results of the work; but the following is an account of the meeting from the Wash- ing Star of April 3, 1920 : "CURES BY 'HEALER' AT TRINITY CHURCH CLAIMED BY MANY "Clergy to Continue Work on Lines Adopted by James M. Hickson "James Moore Hickson, 'the healer,' has gone, but from many hearts in Washington to-day there went up a 91 92 RELIGION AND BUSINESS unified pean of praise to God for the help — spiritually and physically — that has been bestowed upon the afflicted in this city. "Testimony to the remarkable cures visited upon scores of sufiferers continued to pour in to the Trinity Com- munity House to-day. But greater than the physical relief from pain was the spiritual help manifested through the medium of Mr. Hickson. "Persons who had not seen the inside of a church for years came to scoff — but remained to pray. Clergymen of Washington declared to-day that now is the golden opportunity for a revival, and indications are that they will take full advantage of the opportunity. "Mr. Hickson declared there is nothing miraculous in divine healing. He said Christ, before His ascension, conferred this power upon His disciples, and records show hundreds were healed by divines of the apostolic church. The church has failed tO' continue healing, he averred, and now is the most propitious time in the his- tory of the world to revive it. The clergy of Washing- ton, therefore, will probably revive this ancient custom in the parish churches. It has been suggested that every year a diocesan healing mission be conducted. " 'We are not going to minister to Episcopalians solely any more,' said Rev. D. W. Curran to-day. 'This mission has demonstrated that spirit of democracy which the church should possess. I myself administered the 'laying on of hands' to Japanese, Chinese, negroes, and whites. Rich and poor mingled with a spirit of brotherly love which I consider remarkable.' " 'There were many instantaneous cures, and many cures, while not instantaneous, were miraculous, even though the sufferers did not feel relief until several hours RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 93 after Mr. Hickson had laid his hands on them. I saw- one woman — her name is EHzabeth Lincoln and she lives, at 20I0 9th Street — carried up the aisle of the church by attendants. She could not move hand nor foot. Mr. Hickson and the attending clergy laid their hands on the woman's head and offered up prayer. The agility with which that woman left her chair and walked from the building, completely restored to health and strength, was the most astonishing sight I ever witnessed. That was only one case which came to my attention. There were others. There is a complete list of recovered patients being compiled, and this list will be made public as soon as it is finished.' "Rev. D. C. Weedon, vicar of St. Agnes' Chapel, told a Star reporter to-day that he had been healed of a bodily infirmity shortly after Mr. Hickson had laid his hands on him. He said he felt immediate relief, and that he has not been troubled since. " 'Now is the propitious time for the clergy tO' revive the ancient healing powers conferred on the early Chris- tian church by our Saviour,' said Mr. Weedon. T am sure the clergy will take full advantage of the oppor- tunity, too.' "A man walked into the office of M. O. Chance, post- master, to-day, and declared that for years he was crip- pled. He visited Mr. Hickson's mission. " 'Can you walk now ?' Mr. Chance asked. " 'Look and you'll see,' said the man, as he demon- strated the fact that he could walk as well as any man." Whatever the results of the work may be, it certainly was carried on in a very conservative and spiritual man- ner. It did not in any way smack of commercialism. The entire demonstration was most reverent and spiritual, 94 RELIGION AND BUSINESS Mr. Hickson seemed an exceedingly modest man, and all his helpers were working from only the highest motives. Mr. Hickson began by explaining to the audience that although instantaneous cures happened now and then, he did not expect such. When one of us is months in get- ting ill, it is only logical that he should be months in recovering. Mr. Hickson's point was that faith and obedience to God's laws could bring about health. He insisted that healing was the major part of Jesus' work when on earth and that the early church kept up this work for many years after Jesus' crucifixion. Certainly any one reading the Four Gospels must agree with this statement. Moreover, Jesus did not confine Himself to physical healings. He removed the evil spirits out of men ; He put courage into the sick at heart, and He gave of the "water of life" to all who sought it of Him. Jesus' life was one constant series of healing body, mind, and spirit. Fur- thermore, every evidence available tends to show that He expected His disciples to carry on the same work after He passed yonder. SPIRITUAL-HEALING STATISTICS UNAVAILABLE I do not feel competent to discuss the possibilities of such healings. As explained in a previous chapter, there is a most intimate relationship between mind and matter. Moreover, it is probable that the average physician is as one-sided in his criticism of these spiritual cures as is the average healer too enthusiastic. The facts and statistics strongly suggest that the hope of the future lies in both the physician and the religious healer meeting on a me- dium ground. Some one, when discussing Christian Sci- KELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 95 ence, suggested that the better day would come when the scientist would use more Christianity, and the Chris- tian would use more science. This probably expresses the situation very well. It should be remembered that at the present we are running very strongly in a materia] direc- tion, and without doubt more faith and religion are needed rather than more statistics and science. I have been unable to secure satisfactory figures by which such spiritual healing could be statistically judged. Even the best physicians and surgeons are in disagree- ment among themselves as to the efficacy of such spiritual work. It, however, must be admitted that there is some- thing in it and that there is very much more in it than most of us are willing to admit. Therefore, all serious men and women engaged in such work are entitled to the greatest consideration and respect. All such work should be encouraged. Those whO' visualize the latent spiritual forces of the community will perform a greater service than those who have developed the material forces, how- ever great their value has been, men's souls vs. men's bodies Business men, however, are not so much interested in the spiritual healing of men's bodies as in the spiritual healing of men's souls. We all have to die some time. After our consuming powers exceed our producing pow- ers — using these in their broadest meaning — there is little reason for keeping men and women alive. This may seem a hard-hearted statement, but no one can gainsay the inconsistency of devoting so much energy to prolonging life, while neglecting the great subject of propagation and conception. Certainly Jesus did not consider long life 96 RELIGION AND BUSINESS necessary for effective work. It also was evident that He was much more interested in young people and children than He was in those who had passed their usefulness. If we were reaching a time when it was becoming diffi- cult to bring children intO' the world, we would be justi- fied in putting such extreme emphasis on keeping people alive. A statistician, however, cannot help feeling that the nation would be much better off if more emphasis was put 051 eugenics and the bringing up of children. Cer- tainly it is most inconsistent to see a mother or father go to such extreme efforts to keep a child alive, and at the same time make no effort to bring more children into the world. This is only one more evidence that the world is ruled by emotion and sympathy rather than by intellect or reason. Yiit religion is the greatest factor in developing real efficiency. The four qualities of faith, industry, initia- tive, and courage which make men efficient are spiritual qualities. The Zulu of Africa has as many hours a day as does the greatest scientist of America. The Zulu's phys- ical strength is even greater than that of the scientist. The difference is in the spiritual and mental qualities. The greatest possibilities of spiritual reconstruction will come along psychological lines, rather than physical lines. If man can restore sight to the blind, cure the paralytic, and perform similar physical cures by spiritual means, then what could we do in restoring courage to the disappointed, developing ambition in the down-hearted, and imparting energy to the great mass of people who now lack it ? This is a feature of religion which has great possibilities and one in which every business man should be most actively interested. For in such work religion holds the key tO' efficiency and production. RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 97 OUR GREATEST UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES Without doubt the greatest of undeveloped resources are the souls of men. Statistics teach that practically all that we have to-day in the form of factories, stores, rail* roads, steamships, newspapers, and books is due to the enterprise of only two per cent, of the population. This suggests what could be accomplished if this two per cent could be increased to four per cent., eight per cent., or twelve per cent. If all that we have to-day is the result of the faith, enterprise, and courage of only two per cent, of the people, we could have twice what we have to-day if this two per cent, could be increased to four per cent., or four times if this two per cent, could be increased to eight per cent. Statistics lead me to believe that the faith, industry, thrift, and enterprise in people are very largely due to religion. The American captains of industry who are ac- complishing things to-day are not all churchmen or relig- ious men, but it can be shown that they all owe the basis of their success to the religion of themselves or others. Historians are united in believing that the enterprise of America and northern Europe is due to religion and climate. As the climate has been the same for thou- sands of years, this means that the great constructive force has been and is to-day religion. The enterprise, industry, and thrift of any country or group of people can be measured by the religious faith of the people. Where the people are religious, there are found enterprise, industry, and thrift. Where the people are irreligious, are found indifference, wastefulness, and extravagance. Yet there has been little effort on the part of the church to connect religious work with the development of men 98 RELIGION AND BUSINESS along such lines of efficiency. Christian Scientists, the New Thought people, and some of the philosophical and intellectual sects have made advances in this direction, but little has been done by the great religious denomina- tions — Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish. Certainly if it is possible to make physical cures by spiritual healing, it should readily be feasible to arouse the souls of men through such means. From an industrial standpoint, the soul of man is a very much more important factor than is his physical body. The real productivity of man depends not so much on his physical strength or condition as upon his spiritual life. Faith, industry, courage, ambition, imagination, thrift, and similar qualities are those which determine man's productivity. If these qualities can be developed through religion, then religion becomes the greatest latent force in the industrial and commercial world to-day. Ella Wheeler Wilcox has well expressed this thought in the following lines : "I gave a beggar from my little store of wealth some gold; He spent the shining ore, and came again and yet again, Still cold and hungry, as before. I gave a thought, and through that thought of mine He found himself, the man supreme, divine. Fed, clothed, and crowned with blessing manifold. And now he begs no more." Certainly Jesus taught His followers that if they would become filled with the spirit of service they need not worry about material things. He continually emphasized that if we would observe the laws of God and become interested in helping others, we would always have plenty to eat, enough to wear, and a place to sleep. Does any millionaire have more than this? Certainly not. It is true that Jesus did not give much attention to material things. RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 99 He was a carpenter Himself, but He looked upon His carpentering in the same light as He looked upon His eating or sleeping — something necessary to civilization, and merely the means to an end. Jesus gave little attention to government, taxation, or other such functions. He urged His disciples to conform with all of these customs, but to let none of them become an end in themselves. Jesus looked upon industry as sim- ply the road by which we are to reach our destination. He taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is not gained through earthly success. Righteousness on earth is the one thing to seek, and only as other things hasten the coming of such righteousness are they worth consid- eration. Jesus devoted His time to fixing the minds of men on righteousness — that is, on right relations with God and man — being content to say "if ye do these things, all these other things (food, shelter, and raiment) shall be added unto you." Statistics show that Jesus' teachings were absolutely sound. Men and women who conform to the laws of God and strive to be of real service one to another automatically become healthy, happy, and pros- perous. Ninety-five per cent, of the people who do not get along well materially owe their misfortune to lack of these religious qualities of faith, industry, courage, imag- ination, and thrift. This means that the real great work of the church to-day lies in reviving these great produc- tive qualities in the souls of the masses. While others are performing spiritual healing of bodily ills, let those of us who can do so devote some time to reviving faith, industry, courage, ambition, imagination, and thrift in the hearts of people. The great need for healing to-day is not th?,t men recover from physical blind- 100 RELIGION AND BUSINESS ness, but that they recover their spiritual sight. The great need is to make men see wherein their real interests lie; namely, in service. Those of us who can succeed in awakening this new interest in others will perform the most needed work in the years to come. The greatest latent power in the world to-day lies in these dormant qualities in the souls of the great masses of people. The greatest advance in efficiency and production will come when this latent power is awakened. This is the thing that Jesus must have had in mind when He talked about "life" and "the need of more abun- dant life." "I came that they may have life," He said, "and may have it abundantly." This "life" is that "some- thing" which makes men healthy, happy, and prosperous. This "life" is in every man's soul. It is faith, confidence, ambition, and power. Its possession means success, and its lack means failure. The man who lacks it says "I can't." The man who has it says "I will." Religion is to become the great factor in causing more men to say "I will." It will be religion which will in- crease that two per cent, who now say "I will" to six per cent, or eight per cent, or perhaps to fifty or seventy per cent. — who knows? Miracles are still possible. Think what this would mean to business! Think of the great impetus that would be given to invention, produc- tion, distribution, and the other economic forces. There is no reason why there cannot be a thousand Edisons in- stead of one; no reason why there cannot be a hundred United States Steel Corporations instead of one; and no reason why we cannot all be millionaires. The difficulty today is that we are trying to get richer by simply redivid- ing what is already produced. We are struggling over what already exists, instead of using our energies toward RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 101 producing tenfold, fiftyfold, and a hundredfold more. This will be possible as more men get this spiritual power and say "I will" instead of "I can't." SOME COMMON QUESTIONS Of course there are many questions which such work would suggest. Among them are the following : ( 1 ) Is it the will of God that all His children should be healthy, happy, and prosperous ? This brings up the question as to whether it is neces- sary that there always should be a certain number of poor, ignorant, and those compelled to work for others. Jesus certainly meant for everyone to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. Although organization is necessary, yet co-operation is bound to some day take the place of the present wage systems. Perhaps there is no need of there always being employers and wage workers. So long as only a few have that "something" and the great mass of people lack it, so long will there be a few employers and a great mass of wage workers, but this condition can gradually be improved. Another question often asked is: (2) If these things are possible, why are not all people healthy, happy, and prosperous to- day? God do€s not give people poverty as a punishment. Eren pain is sent not as a punishment, but as a warning. God does not want His people to suffer in any way. But God cannot set aside His laws any more than can an honest judge. God's law is that men shall reap as they sow; shall be rewarded in accordance with the service which they render; and prosper proportionately as they 102 RELIGION AND BUSINESS make others prosperous. Of course there are incidents which for a while seem to be exceptions to the law; but time explains even these. Hence all people can be healthy, happy, and prosperous only when all people make their one hundred per cent, aim to have all others healthy, happy, and prosperous. Certainly a loving father would want his children to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. The Kingdom of Heaven cadnot come on earth except as all are healthy, happy, and prosperous; hence the most practical way of bringing in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is to bring other people into a condition of health, happiness, and prosperity. PRODUCTION vs. DIVISION The thing which bothered Jesus in connection with material possessions was that those who came to Him were not interested in producing more but rather in a redistribution of what was already produced. This was especially evident in the instance of the mother who came regarding the inheritance of her two sons. He naturally rebuked her. A redivision may be needed, but it would do very little toward bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Jesus knew this. Hence He devoted His three years of ministry to preaching service rather than any "ism." We must do our part in this work. As we are respon- sible for bringing upon ourselves sickness and poverty, we must use our own personal powers to retrace our steps and correct the situation, so far as we are able. But sickness, disappointment, and poverty are not given to people to develop them spiritually. Although these things RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 103 are the result of disobeying God's laws, they are not needed to develop spirituality. Those who so preach are putting forth a pernicious doctrine. One thing more — if it is doubtful whether we should use spiritual teaching as a means of developing faith, courage, ambition, industry, and thrift, it is still more doubtful whether we should rely on only secular methods to develop these qualities. If our schools, banks, and various other established institutions are justified in doing this kind of work, certainly the church is justi- fied therein. For in the last analysis, our schools and colleges are really founded to arouse this latent "life" in men and women. If so, certainly the church should not be criticized therefor. But our schools and colleges have failed, because they have made it an intellectual mat- ter, instead of a spiritual. From a statistical standpoint, education to-day is a colossal failure in that it awakens the soul in less than five per cent, of its students. The reason is that we are trying to operate our schools without religion. In some states it is even criminal for a school superintendent to ask a prospective teacher what her religion is or even if she has any. The school of the future will take for its main task the arousing of the souls of its students, rating as secondary the mathematics, sciences, and foreign lan- guages now thought to be so important. Industry, science, commerce, agriculture, invention, the arts and cultures all await the development of this power of the inner man — the "fuel of the soul machine, the one thing necessary." At birth, we all are more or less alike; we come into the world all animals of a certain type. All of us have the same senses and live more or less like animals, from hand to mouth, until we awake that spirit- 104 RELIGION AND BUSINESS ual "something" which now lies dormant in about ninety- five per cent, of the people. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES To me this is the most fascinating feature of religious development to which we can lool-c forward. To see men born again (which was the term which Jesus used when referring to His soul awakening) right here on this earth is far more interesting to me than to speculate regarding worlds to come. The same is true of most business men. Unless rehgion can perform work in this world now, it does not interest the average business man. He will not accept notes payable sixty days after the world comes to an end. To set this faith tO' work, I have tried some interest- ing experiments and have endeavored to treat spiritual faith and actions exactly as one would treat electricity, steam, or any other force. Not content with hymn singing and formal praying, I have tried to put religion to work — harness it and make it usable. Some people think my efiforts are sacrilegious, other people think they are mer- cenary; while a few think them to be crazy or hypo- critical. However, all I have done is honestly to answer people who have written to me for advice. I Below you will find some of these answers : Question : Do you recommend buying bonds on new or undeveloped properties? Answer : People are apt to talk about "Faith" as some intangible thing for Sunday school use only. Let me tell you, how- RELIGION AND PERSONAL EFFICIENCY 105, ever, that faith is the greatest of undeveloped resources and one of the biggest dividend payers that I know of. When you invest your money in a way that requires no faith, then either you must be content with a simple rate of interest or else must be prepared to take a good loss. I know it is easy to buy the popular kind of stocks which your friends are buying. The very fact, however, that it requires no faith to buy these things is sufficient evidence to me that they should be let alone. Capitahze your faith. Buy something that requires faith in the growth of the country. This should be done thoughtfully and based only on careful investigation. Faith without statistics is as bad as statistics without faith. The real way to make money, however, is to combine the two. Question : I think you make a mistake to talk so much about religion, faith, etc. May I advise that you cease referring to these things? Answer : You criticize me for putting faith in God and one's fellow men as a business asset. Perhaps you are right and I am wrong. Let me tell you, however, that if statistics have taught me any one thing it is this truth. I enclose a leaflet on the subject, which you should read. Question : I am in the shoe