Lloyd C Douglas – The Lloyd C Douglas Page

Douglas on Engaging with Secular Society

An excerpt from Lloyd C. Douglas, “In Re Sermons on Wages,” The Christian Century, 5/12/1921.

[The following is the conclusion of a Christian Century article by Lloyd Douglas entitled, “In Re Sermons on Wages.” It was published in the May 12, 1921, issue, a little over a year after the end of the First World War. Douglas is saying that the church should provide leadership both to business and to labor, even though he admits that neither of those parties will want the church to interfere. He writes:]

“[A]ny modern prophet who goes into this business of straight goods to all parties concerned – to mean and selfish capital, and cantankerous and unreasonable labor – must promise himself in advance that he is in for something interesting.

“Moreover, he will find that he cannot enter upon the subject at all unless he proposes to take the consequences of his own audacity. He mustn’t expect to stir up the animals on Sunday, and be reported in the papers on Monday, with the hope that everybody will forget what he said on Thursday. Not a bit of it. He will find himself in the predicament of the man who caught the bear by the tail and was afraid to let go! He will be bombarded from both sides – if he has been fair – for both sides are almost equally culpable, unreasonable, and selfish. If he has told the truth about them on Sunday, there will be certain elements on both sides heartily agreeing with him and hoping he may have the courage and patience to continue making his contribution to the cause of justice and the common weal.

“It is time the church spoke! Roger Babson [entrepreneur, economist, and founder of Babson Institute (later Babson College)], in his regular letter to his constituency [to whom he sent economic statistics], dated April 18 [1921], says, ‘The need of the hour is not for more factories or materials, not for more railroads or steamships, not for more armies or navies – but for more education based on the plain teachings of Jesus.’ Babson is not speaking to the Central District Conference of the So-and-So Church, either; but to some twenty-thousand of the biggest and brainiest businessmen of this country!

“It would indeed be a cause for considerable chagrin to the church of America if secular business had to lead the way toward a new appreciation of Jesus Christ.”

Douglas on Speaking Truth to Power

by Ronald R Johnson

[The following is from a Christian Century article by Lloyd Douglas entitled, “In Re Sermons on Wages.” It was published in the May 12, 1921, issue, a little over a year after the end of the First World War. Douglas has offered two fanciful versions of the Parable of the Talents – one with the lord’s servants becoming members of a labor union and the other with the lord colluding with other lords. There are good managers and bad ones, he says, just as there are good and bad employees. He has just made the rather remarkable claim that it is the church’s responsibility to sort them out. Now he writes:]

“When, twenty-five years ago, the greater nations of the world had gone daft on a great program of building larger navies, if the church had had the sense and courage to say to the powder merchants and the greedy statesmen and all other professional disturbers of the peace, ‘That will be about enough!’ – our world would be in a far different condition at this moment. When the war was over, if the church had pointed the way to a quick and just settlement of the issues then confronting the worn and battle-tired nations, in a voice of command, we might not now be whetting the scythe for more harvest of blood and tears.

“But whenever the church has made as if she would speak, there were always kindly, warning voices saying, ‘Better keep out of this. It is really not your business, you know!’

“The time has come for the church to engage in some straight talk on the whole labor situation. It is not yet too late for her to make a distinct contribution to this subject, if she approaches the matter fearlessly and fairly and informed. But the preacher who thinks of having somewhat to say, anent this question, must prepare himself to hear his closest and best friends (some of whom provide for the bulk of his church expenses) say, ‘You are skating on pretty thin ice, old man! You had better confine yourself to your job of pointing people to heaven and telling them about the Bible!’

“That was the trouble they had with Jesus! He didn’t talk enough about Moses! – said the scribes and Pharisees. He insisted on talking about high rents in Jerusalem, and excessive rates of interest on loans, and shady commercial transactions carried on in the very lobby of the temple! It was for that they nailed him to a cross. And any modern prophet who goes into this business of talking straight goods to all parties concerned – to mean and selfish capital, and cantankerous and unreasonable labor – must promise himself in advance that he has let himself in for something interesting.”

[That last sentence was a form of humorous understatement which Douglas employed from time to time. I will give the conclusion of his essay in my next post…]

Douglas’s Comments on Labor Relations in America in 1921

by Ronald R Johnson

[The following is from a Christian Century article by Lloyd Douglas entitled, “In Re Sermons on Wages.” It was published in the May 12, 1921, issue, a little over a year after the end of the First World War. Douglas has just finished giving two fanciful versions of the Parable of the Talents – one with the lord’s servants becoming members of a labor union and the other with the lord colluding with other lords. Each story has good guys and bad guys on one side or the other. He writes:]

“It is Christianity’s business to lay this responsibility, and blame, and burden, exactly where it belongs. Honest and self-respecting labor must help. Honest and self-respecting capital must help. Any organization that provides a cloak for selfish capital to hide behind, in these critical days, must go! It is part of the church’s task to show it up for what it is – and what it does! Any organization that provides an opportunity for lazy and wicked labor to exploit and menace the cause of the honest workman must mend its ways or get ready to face exposure! Christianity must say, fearlessly, to the blue laborer, ‘If you want any sympathy or assistance in your cause, stop protecting the yellow laborer and the red laborer!’

“There must be a disposition on the part of the church to say to the employer who has tried to do the square thing by his men, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ And to him who has followed a policy of grinding his workmen to pieces at a miserable wage, and then tossing them out the back door for the infirmaries and jails to gather up, ‘Thou art a low-lived slacker!’

“To the honest laborer, Christianity must say, ‘Thou hast been faithful over a few things. We will help thee to larger freedom and better privileges.’ To the lazy, sullen obstructionist who has always been ready to throw down his toils and quit at the slight suggestion; and to the professional troublemaker who pretends to be labor’s friend, while undercutting labor’s cause by petty graft and nefarious dickering, Christianity must be bold enough to say, ‘Thou art a wicked and slothful servant!’

“Whether the church will try to lead in establishing a new relationship between the honest men of both parties to this question remains to be seen. If one is to judge the future by the recent past, she will not. She has made the mistake of allowing influences, guised as children of light, but quite otherwise as to character, to lead her around by the nose and lash her into line to serve whatever temporary interests are paramount in the minds of selfish opportunists!”

[Douglas’s essay will continue in my next post…]

The Parable Turned Around

by Ronald R Johnson

[The following is from a Christian Century article by Lloyd Douglas entitled, “In Re Sermons on Wages.” It was published in the May 12, 1921, issue, a little over a year after the end of the First World War. Douglas has just finished giving an early twentieth-century tongue-in-cheek version of the Parable of the Talents with the lord’s servants becoming members of a labor union. He writes:]

“Now – suppose we turn this parable around and see how it looks from the other side. Suppose it read this way:

“The state of industry is as if three men, to whom fortune and heredity had been exceeding kind and who were possessed of much goods, invested their capital in the building of as many factories. And their ability to deal happily and amicably with their laborers was related as five is to two is to one.

“And it came to pass that they were enjoined to organize themselves into a capitalistic combination, lest they be unduly squeezed by their brethren in the next city thereunto.

“Now on a certain day a delegation of workmen came unto him who had five times the usual amount of tact and sagacity, and begged for shorter hours of labor and more pay. And he, being a just man and knowing he could get about as much work out of them in eight hours, if they were contented, than in twelve, if they were sore at him; and knowing, likewise, that he could pay them more wages without selling his steam yacht, was disposed to listen respectfully unto them; but he could not, for he was organized. Likewise he that had two times the brains and heart of the usual employer was also waited upon by employees; and though he was able to treat with them generously and was of a good disposition toward them, he could not; for lo, he had passed his word to his brethren.

“Then he who had no more sense than the average, but about the same, was also visited by a committee of his laborers; but he did refuse to see them or speak unto them. And it was so that on the next morning, when they came to work, they read a placard on the factory gate, saying, ‘I have locked up the plant and am going to Cuba for a season. Ye are a hard lot, and I hope to see no more of you.’

“Then did the public speak unto these men, saying, ‘How is it ye have enough and to spare, and are able to send your wives to California for the winter, and these men who earn your daily bread for you are living like animals?’

“And they answered, saying, ‘We have done the best we could, under the circumstances.’ Then did the public say, ‘Tell us a little more about these circumstances.’ And they were silent. Again did the public inquire, saying, ‘How about this fellow who nailed up the sign, and refused so much as to talk with them who had made his fortune for him?’ And they, indignant, replied, ‘Verily, he is one of us; and we are strong for him. He is our brother. We will all be judged together.'”

[Douglas continues:]

“That you will not! At that point, we fail to follow! It is Christianity’s business to lay this responsibility, and blame, and burden, exactly where it belongs.”

[Douglas’s essay will continue in my next post…]

Douglas on The Parable of the Talents (Sort Of)

by Ronald R Johnson

“The Parable of the Talents is a delightful setting for a sermon today. It amply repays any amount of study the preacher may care to put upon it. It contains some very effective medicine for all parties concerned in the present conflict. There may be some doubt as to how far one may properly go in attempting to utilize this story for modern purposes; but suppose it read as follows:

“For the state of industry is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own employees and delivered unto them his goods; and unto one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

“And it came to pass that he was no more than out of sight than the local secretary of a labor union came that way and called a meeting and did organize those servants. And it was No. 456, Talent Workers’ Assocation. Nor did he go unrewarded who had done for them this thing.

“Now it befell that when each worker discovered what his brethren had received, he recked naught of the difference between their several ability and skill and experience, but thought only of the discrimination made among them; and thereafter they dwelt not exceeding happy together.

“Then he that had received five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. Likewise he that had received two talents, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his employer’s money. After a long time, the employer of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them.

“And it came to pass that they appeared before him, saying, ‘Thou deliveredst unto us five and two and one talents, totaling eight. Behold, we have gained, beside them, five and two talents more, making seven. Grand total, fifteen.’

“Now the employer said within himself, ‘I had thought to receive eight talents on this investment. Lo, these men have taken advantage of me, by about 12 and a half percent.’ And he did speak his mind unto them to the same effect.

“Then he that had received five talents, and had gained other five, bowed his head and was speechless; for, albeit he was honest and industrious, he was organized. Likewise he that received two talents, and had gained other two, dared not speak; for he had passed his word to be a regular fellow, and not tattle. And it came to pass that he who had been a lazy slacker did also hold his peace; moreover he did grin, slyly, the while he leaned upon the spade wherewith he had exhumed the buried talent; and did put his tongue in his cheek and say within himself, ‘Verily, were it not for this blessed organization, I would now lose my job. Long live No. 456, Talent Workers’ Association!'”

[Douglas continues:]

“No! In this case five talents and two talents and one talent do not make eight – any more than five talents, and two honest men, and one hole in the ground make eight! It isn’t fair to anybody – not even to the idler, whose character, as a citizen, should be safeguarded, if he himself hasn’t the manliness to do it without assistance.

“Now – suppose we turn this parable around, and see how it looks from the other side.”

[Douglas’s essay will continue in my next post…]

Lloyd C Douglas: “Salvation in Gross Lots”

by Ronald R Johnson

“If any profit may be derived from experience, it is about time the church learned that she will have to leave off trying to save humanity in the mass, and by gross lots. We have had an epidemic of huge campaigns – noisy, gusty, windy, bumptious campaigns. Most of them have predicted great results before firing off their master shot. They have been surprised and bewildered when the discharge was emitted from the breech end of the gun into the very laps of the people who had foretold the victory. We must get back to the Galilean idea of talking to people, and dealing with people, as individuals! We can make no headway shouting maxims and truisms at, and of, the ‘masses’ (How I have come to hate and despise that word!), the ‘classes,’ ‘the rich,’ ‘the poor,’ ‘capital and labor.’

“Just now this task is all the more important for us because all ‘capital’ and all ‘labor’ seem bent upon being thus tied up in two definite parcels. They have arranged their affairs so that the general public will judge all ‘labor’ as solidly committed to certain propositions – some of which are obviously unfair – and all ‘capital’ as of-a-piece in consenting to practices – some of which are notoriously mean.”

[Douglas will continue his essay in my next post…]

Lloyd C. Douglas Regarding Sermons on Wages

by Ronald R Johnson

The title page from Lloyd C. Douglas, “In Re Sermons on Wages,” The Christian Century, 5/12/1921.

“It is a great temptation to preach on present economic conditions, particularly in respect to wages, at this hour when more people are thinking of that matter than of anything else. It is more than a temptation: it is a solemn duty. The church has a right to speak concerning an issue that so seriously involves the welfare of the bulk of our American people. But, before he makes this adventure, the preacher needs to consult every reliable source of information, that he may be sure of his ‘facts’; for merely wishing to be honest and sincere in this matter will not furnish a satisfactory alibi if the figures are incorrect or the natural deductions are misleading.

“We must use considerable discretion in the handling of a subject so brimful of high explosives. Many a man, chattering vague generalities about ‘capital’ and ‘labor,’ only drives the wedge deeper between the men who work and those for whom they work. One cannot predicate of all capital that it is greedy and soulless; nor may it be truthfully said that all labor is downtrodden. It is a mistake to job all employers and all employees into two grand and militant divisions.

“Herein lies one of the pet iniquities of the American process of reasoning. We like to tie people up in neat little bundles, and label them, and card index them. The problem is not so simple as that. We persist in cataloguing people into classes and groups; attempting to standardize their place in, and value to, society, with the assurance of the hardware merchant wrapping up packages of four, six, eight, and ten penny nails. Every time we prophets and soothsayers begin mouthing large phrases about capital and labor, we take a chance of widening the breach between the honest people of both causes who would like to arrive at amicable understandings. It is part of our business to operate a sorting machine that will discriminate between the decent folk of both parties, and the others.”

[Douglas will continue his essay in my next post….]

The Minister in the Pew

by Ronald R Johnson

A page from Lloyd C. Douglas, “Saving the Minister’s Soul,” The Christian Century, 4/14/1921.

[The following is the conclusion of the article, “Saving the Minister’s Soul,” which Lloyd Douglas published in The Christian Century in the April 14, 1921, issue. He is speaking to fellow ministers about ways that they can find inspiration, despite their busy schedules. He writes:]

“Every so often, the preacher ought to get away from his church and sit in a pew. He should not content himself with a visit to some church of the same capacity as his own, where he will inevitably take notes and make comparisons. Neither should he go to hear a preacher of the same caliber as himself, in which case he is sure to get little out of the service or the sermon beyond the mechanics of both. He must go, as a worshipper, into a church equipped and manned so excellently that he will forget everything but his own soul, under the inspiration of the hour. His congregation at home should open the way for him to do this, not less than twice a year. They should not expect him to come back and report, either, on what he heard. He should do this for the sake of his own spiritual culture. Incidentally, the restoration of the joy of his own salvation will inevitably affect his preaching.

“If there was room for just one more movement – there is not; so let us have no further thought of that! – but if there was room for one more movement, perhaps it would be well to start something calculated to assist the preacher in the highly commendable business of cultivating his own soul. This is a live question! It would be interesting to learn of the various expedients to which busy ministers have resorted in their efforts to achieve spiritual culture. If we fail at this point, we fail fundamentally. If we never see or hear anything that inspires us, how may we expect to inspire others? If the light that is in us be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Accepting the Ministries of Others

by Ronald R Johnson

[The following is from the article, “Saving the Minister’s Soul,” which Lloyd Douglas published in The Christian Century in the April 14, 1921, issue. He is speaking to his fellow ministers about how they can find inspiration even in their busy lives. He writes:]

“In every congregation, there are a few elderly folk who are living on the income of spiritual capital amassed in days before we became too busy to take counsel of our hearts. I used to know a little old lady who was blind; that is, her physical organs of sight were not functioning. The eyes of her soul were very keen. I looked forward with keen delight to the next visit in her humble home. She always expressed gratitude that the minister called so frequently and stayed a while; but I never brought her anything to be compared with the treasures I carried away. Some of these fine old saints are prepared to do great things for us if we approach them properly. How often we rush in, pat them on the shoulder, tell them what a whale of a sermon we preached last Sunday, wish them well, and run away – tatting up another good deed done to ‘the sick and imprisoned’ – when, by sitting quietly at their feet and encouraging them to do the talking, we might have come away with a fresh sense of the glory of the human spirit and the desirableness of a life that is ‘hid with Christ in God.’

“If we only stopped long enough to think about it, the bereaved have rich treasures for us of an inspirational character. How little we make use of them, for our own good, in the moments when grief has fairly transfigured their lives! How we do imagine that we must, ourselves, do all the talking, apparently never dreaming that it is our business, at such times, to stand with bowed head and expectant heart, waiting for a message lifted up on the wings of pain.”

[Douglas will continue his essay in my next post…]

The Homiletic Mood

by Ronald R Johnson

[The following is from the article, “Saving the Minister’s Soul,” which Lloyd Douglas published in The Christian Century in the April 14, 1921, issue. He is speaking to fellow ministers about how they are kept so busy on their work that they have no time or opportunity to be inspired themselves. He writes of the busy pastor:]

“If the preacher is alert to the possibilities of his ministry, he is continually in a homiletic mood. Nothing ever passes before his eyes that is not hailed as potential sermonic material. This mood is ever with him. It is with him when he reads the Book in the early morning, presumably for devotional reasons. It is very much on the job as he offers his prayers. And the better preacher he is, the more grave is the menace that his own spiritual life may be starved. He must contrive, somehow, to achieve soul-culture!

“Perhaps if he would make a resolution that one day of the week – Monday, say – he would refrain from assaying books, conversation, and natural phenomena with a view to their possible sermonic ore, reserving that day for his own private consumption, he might, after a while, consistently practice this habit.

“All America is afflicted with a psychosis which might be called ‘the busy bee.’ (Not the bee apis, but the bee bonnet.) Preachers have it about as badly as anybody. Worse than most. The good man is fearful that someone will think him idle, or of leisurely habits. He thinks he must be racing about, with wilted collar, either doing things or going through the motions of doing things, all the day long. When asked if he doesn’t reserve Monday as a rest day, he sighs and says, ‘Oh, dear, no! All days are alike to us! I’ve given up trying to save my Monday!’ He thinks this is as it should be.

“This is the gentleman who gets himself all excited telling his people that even practical, godless economics requires of mortals ‘one day’s rest in seven,’ and points to notable cases of nations that broke the rule and went heels-over-head to the bow-wows. Yes; everybody needs a rest-day but himself. Alas, poor man, he is too busy to knock off at all. Piffle! He can, and he must, make some provision for the salvation of his own soul. Let him name one day of the week to be sacred to the cultivation of his spirit.”

[Douglas will continue his essay in my next post…]