St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-01-31
ST. Suhnsburn Galedonian.
Pious Frauds.

worship, to contemplate which would
have chilled the marrow of our Puritan
forefatherS Churches of prodigal cost
abound. To them appertain luxurious
furniture. elaborate music. splendor OF
Sunday toilets. various expensive ap-
pliances. So that the congregation.
loaded with debt, gives periodic center
tainments" to supplement the scanty
current fund. which, when supplement-
ed can not of course be expected to
meet the vulgar demand for flour and
Goals which comes mutcly from the
starving and freezing paupers III the
back alley on which the splendid church
Adults.
These entertainments" which are
usually strawberry festivals. oyster
suppers, or fairs enliVened with ratfies.
seem to us perhaps AZ profitable to
spiritual ends "a the monthly tea drink
ings of the Brick Lane Bransh of the
United Grand Junction Ehenczer Tenn
perance Association. And let us say at
once that we believe heartily in social
occasions that shall draw the mem
beers of any church into more close hui
man relationship. And we also be-
lieve that among church members there
is too little rather than too much coop
Grafton to increase the power of the
church.
But men are apt to miscall if not to
mistake the quality of actions when
their venue is changed. If IL man en-
courage doubtful morals to his worldly
advantage, we call him little ''scaly."
If he do it to the advantage of his
church, we pronounce him Il great man
ager. If an individual build him IA
splendid house So costly that he
can pay for it only 10y hcgging, borrow
ing, grinding the face of the poor, and
deliberately mourning debts which he
liquidate, even worldly men condemn
him as dishonest. What name should
describe Il body of men who in the
name of the Sclf-dcnying, hard -faling,
poverty stricken Jesus of Nazareth
build such a house at such a cost
This whole subject of the ordinary
devices to sustain struggling churches
has broad ray of light flashed upon it
by the announcement that Il church Ill
one of our Western cities is To he dis
posed of 10y rattle to pay its large debt.
There is, perhaps, no one of lis whom
this does not strike as Il scindalous
transaction. And Yet it is only the
logical last step to which the lottery of
a dressing ease i'll Il fair directly leads.
1t is neither more nor less than gam
bling. 1t deliberately contemplates
the loss of many men To the gain of
one, both loss and gain being detcrmin-
ed simply by luck. We suppress the
faro-bank as inimical to good morals,
and fine both owner and players. But
elders take chances in rallies for mis-
sionary 6ed-quilts, and deacons invest
III Il anu lLlHh II ~ Sill.
Gambling. like drunkenness, is doubt
less a disease as we'll as Il crime. The
suspension OF the whole nervous ener-
Ky on Il east or Il turn of the card, or Il
risk, Is IA necessary to the gameSter as
the nervous stimulant of the dram to
drunkard, or as opium to the opium
L., ,;,I, Il,
is i'll its advanced stages. or. if YOU
choose to say SO, when the crime is
chronic, there is little hope of cure.
Therefore it is wise to keep stern watch
over the sanitary conditions of the
community, and to check the earliest
appearance of the maladN, as we check
typhoid fever and smallpox.
Rafiiing for the benefit of Il Sunday
school, or minister's salary. or Wes-
tern mission. or Il new carpet. or Il fur
mace, seems to lis Is clear II case of do
ing evil that good may come. as WAS
ever contemplated 10y the clear headed
Apostle. And since all scripture is Civ
ell 10y inspiration of God. and is profit
able for doctllme. for rcproof, for cor
rectIon, for instruction in righteous
hess, that the man of God NAV be Der
feet. thoroughly furnished unto all good
works, we recommend that the. reading
of the account of Christ Scuurging the
money changers from the Temple. pre-
cede all drawings of evangelical lotter-
les.
When the church in the older COM
munities is not sclf-sustaining. one of
two things may safely he asserted. Eli
ther it ought not To be sustained. being
already one too many. and needed to
associate its feeble forces with some
strong Christian organization already
doing Christian work, or the money
which should have sustained it has gone
into other and ignorahle spending. We
take it that the Christianity of to-day
is not To he expressed i'll Cathedrals.
masses, and scquestration in religious
houses, as i'll medieval times We are
beSlnnlhg Ia KNOW that man Is the liv-
ing temple, and that whatever detiles
that temple. though it he doubtful ex-
pedients to build costly churches that
can not be paid for. "iftnds God. The
world, against whose entertainments
Christ warned his disciples, was not
the great hearty. hopeful fellow ship of
honest men and women. but this very
element Of tainted mnraIitv. of uues-