Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-02-19
FRIDAY MORNING, FEB. 10. 1885.


very vigorous arraIgnmt MT of the .eccle-
siastical Court which tried DR.. Armstrong
at Atlanta, which from the context appears
to have been written by a member of some
of that divine's former charges. It does
"the world" great Injustice. Outside of a
stray BLACKBOARD here and there, the world
will be found regretting such occurrences
as much as any. except those immediately
concerned. The enlightened. civilized,
and self-respecting world of to-day Is
Rrieved to see any man stumble and fall
in the path of moral progress, and still
more, a student, whose theory of conduct
has been derived from the divine lessons
taught by Jesus. This is not the medieval
world, whose superstition connected
priests and preachers with the authorship
Of what they taught, and which hailed the
fall of one as an impeachment of the
creed which he enforced, giving hope Of
release from the rigid morality which that
creed inculcated. The modern world we'll
understands that rank after rank of
preachers might fall into error without in
any manner affecting the divine origin or
the moral beauty of the truths which are
the essence Of the various religions they
have preached. Nor does that world ina
CINE for an instant that the fall of one
preacher of the gospel ought to affect the
reverence for the rest Of his profession any
more than the fall Of bank president
ought to stop depositing in banks. H.
deed, so far from the world being harsh
critic OF the clergy, we sometimes think iG
makes more allowance for their trials than
their fiocks do. The fulsome and vulgar
fattery that refined clergymen often
have to take from their congregations,
the circus-agent compliments from the
press, and the gross adulation of women,
are things that the world can see are like
ly to make man of clay forget that be is
clay. Being out of the exciting circle, it
can better understand how hard these
things must be for sensitive gentleman
and man of common sense to bear. and
how easily they may turn the heads of
those who are neither, and make the N
weak prey to passing temptations. But the
world leaves these things to the church
aud no more condemns them than it does
the personal gossip, the petty fault fading,
and the carping criticisms with which con.
gregations so often impair and sometimes
destroy the earnest work of Christian min
listers.
The world has a deeper concern in MIN
listers Of religion than it has credit for
the respectable world we mean-and has
business profit, the Church is invaluable to
the world, and it is to the interest of the
latter that the former shall be in charge
of men of uDspotted reputation. This busl
ness profit is found in the greater value of
property, the good order of society, and
the stronger pressure of a right public
opinion wherever the church gets foot
ing. All this is tacitly acknowledged by
the world in its liberal contributions to
It's support. While the special claim of
the Church is spiritual influence, its more
practical result, from the worlds stand
point, is far beyond that. 1t mends the
manners and subdues the vices of men who
never darken its doors. by the simple force
of the good lives which 80 many of its
members lead, and which all of them agree
in setting up as standard. Nor does the
world-again we mean the respectable and
thinking world-join readily IN raising the
cry of hypocrisy against the devotees of
the Church who fall. 1t knows Inen too
we'll for that: it knows how hard 1t is 10
get men to live strictly up TO the mere
business rules Of PERFECTION, to assume that
when men have essayed to encompass
much higher standard and have been too
weak to succeed in their well meant
efforts, they have all along been hypocrtes.
1t will not ''chuckle and rub its hands
gleefully" over the Atlanta verdict. II
will however knit its brow ia grave and
puzzled thought over the discrepancy be-
tween the enthusiastic and continuing
support of the pastor since that verdict.
aud the evidence, as far as the world has
been allowed to know 1t, of which it is the
result. 1t will be deeply concerned and mys
titled at the sight of a congregation Of in
telligent and pious Christians demanding
the acauittal of a pastor on eviden CO that,
if credited by any secular jury in the
land would have resulted in an even 10 IRE
serious verdict. 1t will be astonIshed to
know that an unsavory escapade which
would have weakened man in the conf
dence of business circles, should not weak
en- him IL the confidence of Christian
congregation, nor in their opinion unlt
him for the pulpit. 1t may be that over
this sort OF devotion to Man, those who
1lsh the church evil may ''chuckle;" bus
not the world. If that sort of thing Is the
right thing, and church congregation
says it is the right thing, the world has
nothing to say and can only pass on about
its own affairs. astopished into silence.
Nevertheless its ear N ~ not be 80 sensi-
tive when next it's attention is called to
defects in its own standard.
However men may scoff. and with what
ever o. levity they may treat matters that
are deemed by the church sacred, it
cannot be denied that under 1t all they do
earnestly recognize that that church is
the visible custodian Of theory which is
the sum of all virtues; and that they do in
their hearts respect, nay reverence the
lives of those church members which are
fair exenpiars OF that theory. A good
life is something that the most reckless
mockery cannot afford affJrd to jest with
nor the most sublimated doctrine afford
to look down upon. 1t speaks for itself,
and after ali is the only human utterance
that in this nineteenth century cannot be
eontradicted nor disputed with. 1t Is un-
answeIa.Sie A good life is more power.
full than good preacher. but both com.