d was the reason for the discontent of so many at the
sight of great numbers of rich men in times of suffering, or sickness,
or lack of work. 'Why, just look at the condition of things here and in
every large city all over the world,' he said. 'Men are suffering from
the lack of common necessaries while men of means with money in the bank
continue to live just as luxuriously and spend just as much as they ever
did for things not needful for happiness. It has been in the power of
men of wealth in Milton to prevent almost if not all of the suffering
here last winter and spring. It has been in their power to see that the
tenements were better built and arranged for health and decency. It has
been in their power to do a thousand things that money and money alone
can do, and I believe they will be held to account for not doing some of
those things!'
"At this point some one in the gallery shouted out, 'Hang the
aristocrats!' Instantly Rev. Mr. Strong rose and stepped to the front of
the platform. Raising his long, sinewy arm and stretching out his open
hand in appeal, he said, while the great audience was perfectly quiet,
'I will not allow any such disturbance at this meeting. We are here, not
to denounce people, but to find the truth. Let every fair-minded man
bear that in mind.'
"The preacher sat down, and the audience cheered. Then before the
President of the Assembly could go on, a man rose in the body of the
house and asked if he might say a word.
"Mr. Strong said he might if he would be brief. The man then proceeded
to give a list of people, who, he said, were becoming criminals because
they couldn't get work. After he had spoken a minute Rev. Mr. Strong
asked him to come to the point and show what bearing his facts had on
the subject of the evening. The man seemed to become confused, and
finally his friends or the people near him pulled him down, and the
President of the Trades Assembly resumed the discussion, closing with
the statement that never in the history of the country had there been so
much money in the banks and so little of it in the pockets of the
people; and when that was a fact something was wrong; and it was for the
men who owned the money to right that wrong, for it lay in their power,
not with the poor man.
"He was followed by a very clear and intensely interesting talk by Rev.
Mr. Strong on the Christian teaching concerning the wealth of the world.
Several times he was interrupted by applause,
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