Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-29
IN SOBER MINDEDNESS
An Interesting Sermon by Rev. L. S.
Osborne, of Chicago.
NAKED TRUTHS ABOUT DIGNITY.
he is the Pastor Who Thought Poor People,
Also, Had Souls.
REV. JONES TEARS LICENSES TO PIECES

Rev. L. S. Osborne, of Chicago, pastor of
Trinity Episcopal Church, the wealthiest
congregation in Chicago, preached last
evening in Calvary Church. East End. Mr..
Osborne has resigned his pastorate in Chi
cago, owing to a dispute as to how the
church was to be conducted. The wealthy
pork-stickers, who contributed hundreds of
dollars annually to the church, thought
their pastor had no business trying to save
common souls by inviting them into the
elegantly upholstered pews of the church.
Mr.. Osborne thought poor man had as
much right to spiritual comfort as the rich
man, and worked among the former. The
latter thought he was too plebeian for them,
and some talk led to the pastors resigna-
ton, which takes effect July 1. 1t was an
other case similar to the st. Thomas epi-
sode in New York City.
Mr.. Osborne took for his text last even
ing: 1.-THE younger men likewise exhort to
be sober minded. Titus ii:6. Among
other good things he said:
These words form part of St. Paurs instruc-
tions to the young man Titus, placed by him in
charge of a little Christian congregation on the
Island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. The
bishopric or oyerseership, of Crete was an I'M
portant and difficult position for so young
man as Titus.
HOW THE ADAGE GREW.
There were unruly people there, so it was
common proverb that the Cretons were always
untruthful, licentious, indolent and gluttonous.
Indeed St. Paul, speaking at time when
clergymen were not wont to mind their words,
but TO use pretty plain language, calls the
members of this island diocese ''liars, evil
beasts, SOW bellies" etc. With these national
sins in view he gives to Titus, very specifically,
just what kind of instructions he ought to give
each and every class of Christians committed
TO his charge.
The man who never smiles is not necessarily
any more sober minded than the hippant
creature who cackles aJ everything he sees in
life, naught but one stupendous joke. To be
always solemn and morose is no sign of super
ior mental strength nor even OF average sanity.
On the contrary one of the most dangerous of
all mental diseases is melaneholia, or the state
of chronic sadness and gloom, the victim Of
which loses the faculty of laughing
The wisest the holiest, the greatest men have
a keen sense of the ludierous, and enjoy sea-
son of relaxation, and their pleasure intensifes
in proportion, to the importance of their usual
work place and the deep seriousness with which
they are won't to look at life. When a man in
high position of great responsibility is al
wavs on his dignity and seems afraid of unbend-
ing in innocent mirth, you may be pretty sure
he is a small man who depends upon his Office
and stramments, for the respect and honor of
hts fellows.
A company of doctors, lawyers and preachers
are always merry just because these men are
ordinarily concerned with very serious busl-
ness
THERE SHOULD BE ANTIDoTES.
Religion is conceived by great many ex-
ceIlent people as a kind of Delsarte system, in
which attributes, and postures and in1exions
and utterly unimportant conventialisms gauge
mans spirituality. This was the reason why
Jesus was so unacceptable to the Pharisees of
His day and generation.
In conclusion 1 exhort you to be sober
minded; to learn to look at life in such a way
as 20 be able TO discern what are its important
intrinsic elements, TO which you are bound to
give your best and greatest energy, to which
you had best devote the most of your time,
your strength, your thoughts; whether in the
long run you had better serve rGod OF. human
man. sih or rghteouslessly, the spirit oftthe age
or the spirit of Jesus Christ. ..