The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-09
RELIGION NEEDED IN BUSINESS

RELIGION NEEDED IN BUSINESS.
In another column we refer to the
address Of Mr.. G. L. Hutchinson, at the
Church of Our Father, in this city, last
Sunday evening. The subject of this
address was the Necessity of Relig-
ion to Business Men," Our readers
will be interested in the following brief
outline of the address, which shows
that the speaker understood his topic,
and was emphatic and earnest in its
presentation. Such an address as this,
as we have remarked substantially
elsewhere, is valuable contribution
to the interests of our city churches in
general, and will have wide influence
for the right in the problem now press
ing on churches in our large cities,
i.e., How to interest our business men
in the more general work of the Church?
Mr.. Hutchinson's subject was we'll
chosen. Religion is needed in business
circles. Business men need religion as
much as the churches need our active
and consecrated business men in their
management. We hope, Mr.. Hutchin-
sons words will be pondered by those
who are primarily addressed.
every thoughtful man." he said,
twill admit that in the life about us
far too much of our best thoughts and
energies are devoted to business, to the
exclusion of the higher interests of
life. 1t is right and commendable that
we should pride ourselves on being
good businessmen, but hardly so if
success be purchased at the sacrifice of
our manhood. What surely doth it
profit a man to gain the whole world
and lose his own soul p 1t is well for
US TO stop occasionally to see how the
account between God the master and
man the steward stands. Have the
talents given to us by our Creator been
increased under our stewardship, or
have they been buried under the sor-
did earth of business to rust and decay?
There will surely be day of reckoning
for eat b of US.
"We are too apt to make our business
our religion and not religion our bust
ness. The church has a right to de-
mand from the businessman a part of
his time, part of his thought, and
part Of his money. Considered simply
from standpoint Of business, we are
the debtors of the church. The advan-
tages which the church in past ages has
bequeathed to us, the work that she is
doing to-day, are all items to the credit
for which we should be called upon to
find an equivalent. The greatest OBJ
stacle to religion of the present day is
the Indifference of people of intelli-
gence, who admit the benefits they
have derived from Christianity yet re-
frain from putting themselves on rec
ord.
''In priding ourselves on our practi-
cability we are liable to fall into the
error of allowing ourselves to become
mere machines devoted to business.
The young man of to-day has no time
for study, no time for literature, art, or
religion; his business demands his
every moment and attention. We say
good, practical, common-sense young
man. but we fail to point out to him
that he is serving master for whom
he will sacrifice health and all that
makes age enjoyable, and receive in ex-
change base recompsnse that will be
valueless and perish. The man of bus
mess is too apt to lose sight of that no.
bier man, with heart and intellect
created in the image of God.
"We criticise the church because its
methods are unbusiness-like. But why
are they SOP Simply because business
men refuse to do their part. We sat
isfy our consciences by saying, we are
pretty good fellows and mean to do
what is about right About right
What a shame. You would scorn the
clerk in your employ if in answer to
your query he should tell you your &C
counts were about right, and that his
books about balanced So must we in
like manner look poor in the sight of
God when we are satisfied with being
about right The day will come when
we must be just right. God will de-
mand it. Better, then, to be every day
as near right as possible, and not con-
tent ourselves until we have made our
utmost endeavor to that end. Paying
one'spew rent does not suffice to balance
the account between the church and
ourselves. There are obligations which
money cannot discharge, and the
church in the name of God demands
such. There are some things which
even money cannot buy, for example,
the paramount necessity of the up
right man-his character. How easy