Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-13
TALKS TO ENGINEERS.

TALKS TO ENGINEERS. y
A BrOtherhOOd Invited To Howard
Avenue Church-The Rev. DIR. New
man Smyth and Professor Simeon &.
Baldwin the Speakers.
The Howard avenue church was well filed
last evening with a congregation largely
made up of railroad men connected with the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
their families, an especial invitation having
been extended to them to be present and
listen to remarks by the Rev. DIR. Newman
Smyth and Professor Simeon E. Baldwin.
The first speaker was DIR. Smyth. He be-
gan by saying that he was glad to say few
words to number of men to whom he had
little opportunity of speaking. He spoke of
the brotherhoods that are springing up all
over the country. They are of recent growth.
It was not many years ago that clergyman
in England endured much discomfort by try
ing to start cooperative association. All
such institutions prove that the conviction
that men must stand together is deep seated
in the human heart He belonged to some
associations to which some of his hearers
would not be admitted. They belonged to
some he could not join. He wanted to know
whether there is anything in this world big
enough to take all in. Where shall we find
such an universal brotherhoods The bro
therhood for all men is constituted in de-
pendence on the fatherhood of God. He
would not apologize for anything that is
selfish or exclusive that is done in the name
of religion. But, however imperfect We are,
the ideal remains above us. We meet at that
table where we remember him who died for
all men.
The Christian church, with all its faults,
is carrying this truth through the world.
Take this gospel of divine charity out of the
world and nothing but heap of ruins re
mains.
There are some associations that sacrifice
individuals to the whole. The conmunistic
idea as held in Europe is q view of society
which sacrifices the person to the State.
Now what we want is a society for men in
which every man shall stand and be himself,
which recognizes the freedom of the individ=
ual man, which gives every man an opportu-
nifty to make the most of himself. This is to
be found only in the religion of Christ. He
says, at come as brother to every man and
in me you shall find your life, and only in
my fellowship can you become what you are
capable of becoming" The gospel speaks to
each man in the language of his own life and
heart and soul. The truth of the gospel is
adapted to every individual man. 1t finds
us all and fills US all. It is the brotherhood
for all men.
Every man must live out of his own con-
science and his own heart. A railroad su-
perintendent who was very positive Chris
tian told me of the circumstances of his
own conversion. He ran first as a brakeman
and rose to be superintendent. One day
when he first became assistant superintend-
ent of large road there was an accident ow-
ing to misplaced switch. AS he saw the
terrible results which that one wrong act
had brought to pass he began to think of
human responsibility, and the thought came
to him, What if I am wrong? What if in my
life I have left the switch open! That
thought followed him until he came to the
communion table to confess that his life of
profaneness and ungodliness was all wrong.
He resolved to keep in the right track. Soon
our journey will be over. Soon shall we
stand before the judgment. May we stand
there as forgiven souls and have part in that
great brotherhood, the communion of the
good, the fellowship of the saints, the love
of God and the smile of Christ.
Prof. Baldwin spoke substantially as fol-
lows: One of the hardest subjects that a
1ayman has to speak on is religion. I sup
pose it comes easy to ministers. l don't
quite understand why it is easy to talk on
business or politics and hard to talk on reli-
gion But l suppose it is because the minis
ter looks at it in a different light. The min
lister looks at religion on its theoretical side
and we 1aymen on the practical side. We
consider its worth in the world.
Let any fair man compare the religions of
the world and he must own that Christianity
is the best. He may not follow it; he may
say that the Christianity of the day isn't
what it was in Christ's. Christs motive was
to do good, not to his family, or his nation,
or his time, but to everybody in all time who
wants to be good. And to be Christian is
to live the life of Christ Not to live as he did
in that far away land, not wandering about
preaching, for Christ knew that the great
mass of mankind must work. Our duty is
to do our work well, having in view the good
of others. If an engineer does just as little
work as he can, thinks of nobody but him
self, he is not doing his work in Christian
way And I needn't say there are chances
to do work in a Christian way in the cab of
an engine or a round house as well as in the
pulpit itself.
Few people differ in the great principles of
religion. Now the man who follows Christ
may not be member of the church. But
the man who puts into his life as far as he
can the motives that actuated Christ is a
Christian, whatever men call him. And such
a life pays It isn't simply because
he does better work; but it's brighter work,
he is more of a man and he feels it. And,
more than that, it fits him for greater
world than this, where he has duties to per-
form higher than those of this life, and for
which his life here as Christian has tended
to fit him. We must be fit for higher work
than we do here if we get to heaven at all.
Earth is the school of heaven. We do our
selves a great injustice if we don't make the
best of our opportunity while we are in this
school.
The pastor said he felt glad to see SO many
present and announced that another meeting
of this kind would be held before long.