Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/641

 THE WORKINGMAN'S ALIENATION FROM THE

CHURCH.

My dear Sir : Will you do me the kindness to give me your aid in trying to solve a vexing problem ? The problem is this ; Why are so many intelligent workingmen non-churchgoers? It maybe that the church can be of more service to the men of its community than it is at the present time. Will you please send me an answer, within a few days, to the ques- tions submitted ?

1. What reasons would be given by your associates, who do not attend church, for their absence from the church ?

2. What remedies would you propose to bring your associates into closer touch with the church ? Sincerely,

H. Fran'cis Perry.

The plan of this research has been to seek, from three classes of men, an answer to two central questions. Accordingly the above letter was sent to —

1. Representative leaders of the wage-earners.

2. Workingmen who are churchgoers.

3. Laboring men who are alienated from the church.

The response has been most cordial and gratifying. Of the three classes from which replies have been invited, I consider Class I — the representative leaders of the wage-earners — to be the least important in reflecting the real relation of the working- man to the church, because there is here a possible professional bias.

The replies received were from Mr. Samuel Gompers, presi- dent of the American Federation of Labor ; Mr. John B. Lennon, general secretary of the Journeymen Tailors' Union of America ; Mr. M. M. Garland, fourth vice-president of the American Fed- eration of Labor; Mr. John F. O'Sullivan, president of the Central Labor Union of Boston ; Rev.' Herbert N. Casson, of the Labor Church, Lynn, Mass.; Miss Mary A. Nason, of Haverhill, Mass.; Mr. George H. Paige, treasurer of the H. & P. Engi- neers.

These replies offer several definite causes for the alienation

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