Origins of Modern Religion, Modern Charity and Modern Labor Problems

Here are a series of “Lectures” that look at the development of modern approaches to religion (“modern” c. 1905) and its connections with labor issues and charity. The history is “long view,” starting in the 12th century, and Earl Davis’ core take away from this history is change from autocracy to democracy: “It is the change for a world in which the institution was the important thing, and little attention was paid to the value of the individual person. He was valuable only as he served as a part of the material which built up the great institution, whether it was the Holy Roman Empire or the Holy Catholic Church. In the world of today the theory is quite different no matter how far short we fall of our ideal in common practice, the fact still remains that we are living under the principle of a ‘Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.'” (Lecture 1).

The lectures then trace this change and its implications for charity and labor.

Item description provided by Davis Baird.

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Lecture One: Freehand Charity of the 14th Century

Earl Clement Davis

This begins with the Papal Bull of 1302 by Pope Boniface VIII asserting the absolute divine right to rule over the world both spiritually and temporally. It then looks back at the contributions of Greece (ideas and knowledge), Judaism (monotheism and religion), Rome (governance and administration), and then the Germanic tribes (individual liberty) leading up to the reformation and beyond.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Two: [Late Medieval Period, Frederick II, John Wycliff]

Earl Clement Davis

This lecture focuses on the late Medieval period (1200-1350). Special attention is paid to two courageous individuals who exposed the weakness of the Pope's authority: Frederick II and John Wyclif.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Three: The Peasants Revolt [Late Medieval Period 2, 1381]

Earl Clement Davis

This lecture picks up where Lecture Two left off, following John Wyclif--"The right to govern depends on good government"-- to William Longland's "The Vision of Piers Plowman." The impact of the plague of 1348-1349 is discussed, leading up to the Peasants Revolt in 1381.
Lecture Four: Charity, a Degrading Influence of the 18th Century

Earl Clement Davis

This lecture focuses on the "depraved or vulgar" state of affairs in England in the early 1700s.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Five: What Authority Has Experience Over a Man's Religious Life? [Early Modern Period, Methodism, George Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley]

Earl Clement Davis

Lecture 5 focuses on the early Modern period (1700s), with special attention paid to the rise of Methodism, George Whitefield, and John and Charles Wesley. A connection is drawn between the Anglican Church and the monarchy's social structure versus the Methodist church and a more democratic social structure. Anglicanism was aimed at the upper classes, including the nobility, while Methodism was aimed at middle and lower classes and lifted them up. Davis writes that religious experience can -- and must -- trump creeds as each man has to give an account of himself to God.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Six: The Iron Law of Wages, The Poor Man Pushed to the Wall [Early Modern Period, Late 1700s]

Earl Clement Davis

Lecture 6 is about the impact of industrial change at the end of the 1700s namely the shift from "cottage" or village manufacturing to factory manufacturing. The results were devastating for laborers, and increased poverty and pauperism. Charitable efforts were not up to the task.

Date refers to Date Given and The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Seven: The Beginnings of Modern Charity [19th Century]

Earl Clement Davis

Discusses the developments of the early 19th century in response to the rise of factories, labor conditions, and child labor. Several important people who fought to improve conditions are discussed including: William Wilberforce, Richard Oastler, Robert Owen, Elizabeth Fry, Frederick Denison Maurice, Charles Kingsley, Samuel Howe, Joseph Tuckerman, Charles Rancis Barnard, and Horace Mann. The main point is that modern charity is not alms, but helping the downtrodden and oppressed to help themselves.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.
Lecture Eight: The Place of Charity in a Democratic Community [19th into 20th Centuries]

Earl Clement Davis

Discusses the place of charity in American democracy, Ideally that the conditions of society should reduce the need to a minimum. Important to note the change in 1-Corinthians 13:13 from "faith, hope and charity" to "faith, hope and love." This presents a very optimistic picture of the possibilities of American democracy.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.