The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1856-12-06
Communications.
For the Herald Of Freedom.
Sustain the Pulpit ard the Press.

LAWRENCE, Dec. L, 1896.
FRIEND BRowS Last Sunday. ]
attended public worship in Lawrence
After sermon In the morning, a brother
arose, and proposed collection; and
said We have no other way to support
preaching. than by the free-wiH offer
ings of the people. He said the minis
terwas in a strait where two ways meet;
the first was command to $50 and
preach the gospel to every creature
he felt that ''NVoe is me, if | preach not
the gospel" In the other way stood
his family, claiming their daily sup
port; and the words came sounding in
his ears: HE that proyideth not fol
his own household, has denied the
faith, and is worse than an infdel. .
Now, while the preacher was filling up
the first way, the people should fill up
the second, by taking care of his fam
lily, so that lie can look well after
their spiritual interests.
Twas well pleased with the remarks,
for / believe that man is as much in
duty bound to pay for food for the
mind, as he is for food for the body;
that he has no moral right to borrow
his neighbor's newspaper, unless he
takes one which he allows othars to
read. And he is equally bound to sup
port the pulpit, provided he be able;
but not if he be poor, for our Savior
said "The poor have the gospel
preached unto them" ..But," says
one, 81 do my own preaching" So
you may, and perhaps you are a moral
man: but of those who neglect public
worship, few are virtuous-the larger
portion of such are pests and vagabonds,
and are daily becoming more and more
vicious. But, my moral friend, /
reckon" to use Western phrase, that
you had pious parents, and that all OF
your good qualities were gathered from
the Bible, the pulpit, and the teachings
of your parents, in your youthful days.
But suppose you do your own preach
ing-is there any good reason why you
should not support public worship?
contend that the preaching of the Cos
pei acts as an insurance to life, health,
and property; for each of the above are
much safer in community well sup
piled nith churches and ministers, than
it is with people destitute of those
blessings. If you pay literally for
the support oe the pulpit, your tax for
the support of paupers, courts of law,
iails and penitentiaries, will he less
Take away the pulpit, and soon the
school house would be among the mis-
sing; and the press would follow in the
train, and the black wave of the dark
ages speedily overwhelm us.
In the first settlement of this coun-
try, two distinct parties started at the
same time. The same year that the
Puritans landed on Plymouth rock, a
cargo of slaves were landed in Virginia.
The Puritans brought with them a
meeting house, and the school house
was its natural accompaniment. They
taxed all, to support preaching, and
competed every one 10 attenu HieetInS-
They were somewhat arbitrary in their
laws for the support of good morals;
but better so, than worse. The Vir-
ginianS brought their slaves, and taxed
everybody to assist in keeping them in
And what Is the resuftee
Compare the North with the South, in
anything which relates to life, health,
intelligence, or the acquisition of prop
erty. Gov. Wise, Of Virginia, in a
speech in Congress, thanked God there
was no newspaper printed in his dis
trict. "But," says one, 'they have
churches at the South True; but
what do the ministers preach?-"Ser-
wants, be obedient to your masters. "
And the white and colored men are
both slaves.
Kansas is acknowledged to be the
home of the brave. Let us give a lib
eral support to free churches, free
schools, and a free press; and thus make
it the land of the Free j. B. WooD.