The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-06
nELIefos AND MORALITY.

There are those who esslna that neither
church membership nor profession OK re-
IglDH eoavey an assurance OF morality. i
IL often cited IN support ef This claim that
nsishsy church membership nor RELIGIOUS
professions hare Any Commercial rating:
thar a mans commercial cFesis s Rated
neither higher or lower because he Is or Is
n0s repeated 20 he religious. Ard il is
claimed tAst this xousd rot De 50 Il IN The
exper.sEce % the commercial world pro-
fssscrs Of Fxsision wese found 70 le Ia
yaFiAeIy more lai,hfal than non.professors
20 their Business obligations.
Bot II aii this be conceded, and accorded
all the value that can lie claimed for IL ~
an argument. tasre age other and stronger
arguments. the force Of which IS admitted
IN lannmsrable ways, Which point Ia ex-
aetly the other direction.
Admitting thai many professors OF re-
iigion sre iaslasere; admitting that church
membership Is often bat cloak. stu there
are ts tire ordinary social and business
iatsgconsss u nasn with man ever-recur-
rsng admissions, even b scoisers, that
church membership. and religious prosez-
slens, AID religious ohserysnces, do imply
a higher standard OF morality than Is ins-
piled by a sEisresneet or a Disregard for
these tllsngs
Hos frtaesnt the remark That man
slaeeiysd ne, or cheated me, or Is not
truthfnl.~aud he u church member Uni
versslly tire latter clanse would be recognized
IS emphasizing tbs charge of immortality.
Clearly this - distinct admission. both
By speaker aaa hesFer. that immortality Is
more surprising aud more reprehcnsihle in
chasch member than in another. No
body would think Of emphasizing charge
of dishonesty by aiding that the person
stsgmatszed was not church member.
AnY man. no snaiter how irreligious or
ho. skeptiral, having a wife and daughter.
WHO values Peace and good order and So
cial refinement. would be attracted 10
city. town or district in which churches
were numerous and the religious element
predominated. rather than TO one in which
these we're lacking, aud In the one rather
than the other would feel more secure that
and refining influences.
AT church members are not moral: sli
moral men art not church members, hut
the general tendency OF immoral men
Is not 10 church membership. nor the gem
e.ai tendency of moral men to antagonize
or deprecase It. In bodies of church mem
bors morality Is the rule and immortality
tho notable and too often the gseefully noted
exception. In bodies of men with whom
no church mc,nbeFa associate. nobody
would espee, n gind immortality excep-
tional or would consider IL Noteworthy
Moral men as a rule. even those who are
careless about religious observances. tes-
tify By The selection of place OF resi-.
dence and By the associations they seek
for themselves or their families, the prefer
enoe they entertain for community IN
which religious element Is at least rot
lacking
To most iaen who were reared in civil
izsd communities. even to many who are
hshltaal seoifers. the recollection OF the It'd.
iiy dressed fam.ly~-fatheF. mother aud
children responding 10 ''the sound Of the
church gong heil and vending their way
20 toe sanctuary. is precious and treas
arsd memory,
Thousands u testimonials Of them
unwilling and involuntary can he gath
cred every day that in the general estims-
ton OF mankind religious community is
more likely TO be a moral community than
one 10 which no respeo, is paid TO religion,
and II must he admitted that this Is dis.
tinct sdmssSon hat religion Is pvomotive
~ Morality