Seattle Pastor Warns of Anarchy and Labor Unrest in 1893 Sermon

DUTIES TO GOD AND MAN. Sermon by Rev. D. C. Garrett at St. Mark's Church.

The services at St. Mark's Episcopal church yesterday, both morning and evening, were well attended. The musical features were excellent and sermons highly appreciated. Rev. Dr. D. C. Garrett, the rector, chose for the text of his evening sermon Mark 12:17: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Mr. Garrett said:

"Man stands in two great relationships, towards God and towards his fellow men. But the two are not distinct; they merge in each other, and are both included under the broad term of 'religious duty.' These relationships are expressed in the command of Jesus. 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.' Here is the twofold authority resting upon every man and claiming from every one due respect. The things of Caesar stand for the authority of government, the supremacy of law, the love and honor due all men. The things of God mean the duties of religion in its spiritual sense, the reverence that should be paid sacred objects. Against this twofold authority we see a spreading tendency. This is the secret of anarchy, a rebellion against a divinely appointed authority. Every anarchist is an infidel. He hates the very name of God, and abhors the restraints of religion. Not liberty, but license, in the meanest, coarsest way is the object of his cravings. Here is the keynote of nihilism—disbelief in God. There is where it all begins. When men once deny an over-ruling God—one to whom they must render an account—then they cease to have respect to law of any kind. That is logical. If there is no God, no immortality; if man is not an heir of eternal life, but only a soulless conglomeration of perishable atoms, which is the teaching of the mud philosophy, then no wonder that those who have none of the good influences of Christian society to constrain them to at least an outward conformity, rush into wild excesses and spend themselves in the wildest wickedness. If this life is all, why not demand a division of worldly goods, even if it has to be done by violence? Such is the logic of anarchy, and strange to say it is the legitimate fruit of a skepticism fostered by many well-to-do and very respectable people. Cultivated skeptics by reason of their environment, living in an atmosphere surcharged with Christianity, are moral in spite of their immoral theories, but it is not so with the rabble driven headlong by their sensuous impulses. That weak substitute for a moral status, expressed in the slum's dogma, 'Live for the good of humanity,' can have little meaning save for those who are well housed, well-clothed, well-fed and well read. What do the men of base passions and ignorant minds care about the good of humanity or the 'choir invisible'? If there is no God, if this is all, then let us make the most of life we can, the anarchist argues. If this life is all, let us get as much out of it as possible, even if we have to break open every bank and rob every store and pillage every home. Thus the spirit of anarchy resides in resistance to authority—the authority of religion expressed in widest sense by the two great commandments of Christ. Let us learn anew the lessons these teach in the light of the present crisis in society. Our duty to God and our duty to our fellow men are the twofold of authority that men ought to respect, but which too many resist. Our duty to our neighbor the church has taught in the best ethical summary ever formulated. Find a prayer book. I turn to the catechism and read it. The lessons are contained here. Contrast the declaration of man's duty with the recent expression of a New York anarchist: 'Our motto is, neither God nor master; down with church, state, capital and other kindred villainies.' The question of obligation begins with love for one's neighbor but for one's self. It rehearses the duty of love and respect for parents—a phase of education that children of today need to be taught. It emphasizes the honor due the nation and the respect to be paid to the offices of religion. And then, in words specially applicable to the present condition of society, it inculcates temperance, kindness and brotherly love, including with a precept against covetousness and in favor of noble contentment. How quickly these labor troubles would vanish if both capitalist and laborer would abide by this loving rule. The employer then would not seek to oppress his employes by wages out of proportion to long-continued high dividends. And the laborer would not be led to demand pay that would entail actual loss upon the manufacturer. Nor would the workingman be induced to follow the blind leaders who are indirectly responsible for the troubles that follow in the wake of injudicious strikes. It is a resistance to this authority expressed in the duty of man to man that is creating so much evil for the world. The second great duty authority under which man lives is his duty to God. This, too, the church clearly teaches. Here we have a sublime precept—love and obedience to a Heavenly Father who is not the author of the evils which rebellion to God has brought about. But see how men disregard this authority. The tendency to do away with Sunday observance is an important aspect of this defiance to law. In the large cities, instead of going quietly to worship, there are men who congregate under the red flag of anarchy and project plans of destruction. In milder forms the same evil prevails; there is a growing carelessness about the observance of the rest day. The custom of keeping one day for spiritual refreshment, letting go all worldly cares and amusements, answers an inherent necessity of man's nature. The world cannot get along without it. The life of religion, which means a better life for humanity even on this earth, depends upon a special time for special respect for the authority of God. Our duty, then, is to protest against all attempts to dishonor the Lord's Day. It is true that men, under the name of religion, have abused this gift of a day of rest; have made it oppressing and unnatural. This was the mistake of the Puritans, which has resulted in their descendants so often going to the other extreme. But if one had to choose between the Puritan Sabbath and the continental Sunday he had better take the former.

"Duty to God is expressed in all true religious observances. Hold fast to these. Educate your children to revere God's name and to keep His commandments. Set a good example by honoring in every way the cause of Christianity. In the face of these attempts to overthrow authority in home, in government, in church, take your stand on the side of religion. Use your influence, and each true life has such influence, to correct these growing evils."