s Prayer, and ask for heaven on earth, and yet, at every
war opportunity, with a very few noble exceptions, the Church, at the
command of the war lords, has scrapped its peace sentiments and turned
its back to the Prince of Peace and Heaven on Earth and has shouted
itself hoarse for hell on earth. And then the spokesmen of the churches
of each nation at war have had the impudence to pray to a just God and
ask Him to play favorites, to use His infinite power on their side and
join in the mad slaughter of His own beloved children. And those
slaughtered are the workers, and their folks at home naturally wonder
why the one big international peace organization on earth, the Church,
at the crack of the war demon's whip, deserts its principles of 'Thou
shalt not kill,' and 'Peace on earth,' and helps to stampede its
followers in the very opposite direction."

Mr. Maurer points out that labor's struggle to have a Federal Child
Labor amendment to the Constitution ratified by the various state
legislatures, and to have such legislation enacted as the Workmen's
Compensation Laws, Mothers' Pensions, and Old Age Pensions, received no
support from the clergy. He concludes by citing this occurrence:

"For a good illustration of what the Church is sometimes guilty of let
us take a glimpse at what happened in Detroit, during the month of
October, 1926, when the American Federation of Labor was holding its
annual convention there. Nearly every church in Detroit sent invitations
to prominent labor officials to speak in their churches before Bible
classes, Sunday schools, and Young Men's Christian Associations. Most of
the invitations were accepted by the labor officials, including
President Green of the A. F. of L. As soon as the big employers learned
about the program they not only frowned upon the idea of allowing their
sacred temples to be contaminated with representatives of the working
class, but put both feet down as hard as they could on the proposition.
Did the clergymen stand firm when men with dollars talked? To their
everlasting shame they did not. Ninety-five percent of them bowed to the
will of Mammon and the representatives of labor were barred from the
sacred temples erected in the name of God and the lowly Nazarene,
proving conclusively to the minds of the average citizen who controls
the churches and whom they serve. Small wonder that many workers have a
poor opinion of the Church, and that so many pews are empty."

J.