The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-25
Jesse James No, a Christian.
PrckGSnn.

It IS a pleasure to many of us acting Christians. or assistant church members, 10 learn, as we do from religious ex- change that Brother Jesse james was not a member of the Baptist church of Mis- sour during his later years of usefulness. but that he had withdrawn from the church when he found that hls Iabors Tn the vineyard were not consistent with his bushwhacking. For a time after he be- came robbcr and a high.ayman he con- tinued to identify himself with the church. but after each murder his conscience seemed to smlte him more and more. he became irregular in his attendance upon the place sf worship. and finally he asked for d withdrawal card. and after that. when the brethren and sisterin were al theiE deyniions al the prayer meeting or the church soclables. he was of holding up some bclaied night hawk. or going through a-bank or railroad tram. Oc- easlenalls he would appear al the church and ask the prayers of the congregation that he might hold out faithful to the eIs... and he would chip in ! fi,e dollar note to the collection plate and rde of across the country and kill enough travellers for 4 mess. This information IS to Brother James. takes | great load off the minds oi the truly good. who have been unable to see how he could reconcile his dlstribu- uon of bullets into the yitals of the an- sodly. with his following of the ways of pleasantness and the paths of peace. When they told Us. about the tune of the funeral ,ot Brother James. that he was member of the church in gaod standing. We didn', sec howQt could be. when he was lsaded do,.n with the proceeds ef his robberies. had three stolen horses. and a reward was offered for him for murder.
 The people who wtotc that he was d
 member m good standing. did not seem to kll,,s the difference between church and any other society. A man may be in good standing in some societies II he keeps his dues paid up. but in church he may line the contribution box with thousand dollar bills. and buy the oysters for a sociable. and pu, up the swings for A Sunday-sohool picnic. and wash dishes after the communion. and go home with the older sisters from prayer meeting. and make himself generally useful. but if he have not the love of the great Ruler in his heart. he ls a nine spot dead sure, and is not in good standing in the church. That is. in our orthodox churches. Take the Mormon church. now. and Ii Is differ ent. Brother James could belong ts the Mormon church and rob and steal and murder. and as long as he whaeked up ten per cent. To Zion. he would be chief among ten thousand and the one alto gether lovely. unless he forgot hsfes mar ried lot of times. There ls nothing that knocks the reiigion ou; of a Mormon church member so bad as to cling to one wife. That is crime that k as much worse than highway robbery as star-route- ism Is worse than picking of a piece of codhsh in a corner grocery. We are glad Brother James had withdrawn as an active member of the church. and the only re- grct we now have is that the minister who conducted hls funeral should have eX- alted him to the skies. and yet may be that was what he was hired for.