The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-28
A COURAGEOUS MINISTER.

synopsis of an address delivered before a
large and appreciative congregation at
the NJ. E. church in Kingnan by the
pastor, Rev. j. w. Tull, will be read with
Interest by the many friends of that
most worthy and estimable gentleman
In this city where he resided for several
years, and by the admirers or true
christian courage and minliness extant:
KNGMAN, Kan, May 26, 1890.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.
In these days, when so many ministers
OF the gospel are bullied into becoming
political ranters by lot of bowling
fanatics, who pervade every church or
ganlZatlon and attempt to run things to
SUIT their own perverted and biased
ideas, it is a relief to find occasionally a
minister with the moral courage and
stamina to stand up and assert his rights
by throwing aside with contempt the yoke
which these people have attempted to
force upon him.
The writer, a stranger, happened to at
tend divine services III the NJ. E. church
I'D this city Sunday evening, and found
| the church packed with an audience,
gathered to hear a sermon on temper
ance. The pastor, Rev. w. J. Tull, did
| not preach a sermon, as sermons usually
| run, but delivered a plain, straightfor-
| ward talk" which was right to the
point In every particular. He prefaced
his remarks by saying that he had been
misrepresented and maligned UNANIMOUSLY
by lot of misguided temperance people
who misquoted him purposely, by saying
his friends were in the whisky business,
that he was in sympathy with the
whisky sellers, etc. These people
had begun their attacks on him
when he first came from Wichita
by saying that eff the Wichita EAGLE
spoke well Of him they wanted nothing
TO do with him, for any man that Colonel
Murdoch spoke well of was certainly in
sympathy with rum Sellers" ETC., etc.
After talking thus these people tried to
get him TO come out openly as political
prohibitiOnist and to open his church to
stump speakers and political howlers
(mOst of whom howl for revenue only,
and failing in thus getting him to dis
grace himself and the ministry, they
continued their Misrepresentation and
lying with increased venom. The rev.
erend gentleman calmly told these people
OF all the mean and dishonOrable things
they had done and then in the politest pos
sible, but none the less effectual, manner
he paid his compliments to them and
their kind, handling them vigorously
without gloves. In the course of these
remarks he paid high compliments to
the people Of Wichita and a grand trib-
ute to the editor of the EAGLE.
He then defined his position as min
lister. 1t was his duty to preach the Cos
pei of truth, love and mercy to all men,
not to become a temperance specialist.
He believed in temperance but not any
more than he did in a life of general
morality and Goodness. No man depre-
Gated more than he the fact that whisky
was sold and men made drunkards, and
none would stop it sooner than he if it
were in bis power; but it did not
come within his province as a min
lister of the gospel of Christ to call down
curses on the man who dealt in rum. 1t
was his duty to extend a helping hand to
the dealer as well as to the drinker; to
try and lift each one out of his degrade
ton and sin by the saving power of |
Jesus Christ, not to prosecute and ostra- |
else them.
He defined the true temperance work |
as conducted on the saving plan of the |
gOspel-such work as is being done by |
that greatest of all temperance apostles, |
Francis Murphy-and assured the people |
that though his ideas of the ways and !
means of accomplishing the great end |
might not be the most popular ones he |
would always be found on the side of
right and truth in the temperance work
as we'll as on all other questions.
His convictions were his own and 10
e.,
him to act against the dictates of his own
To the ladies of the w. G. T. T.. who
are spending so much time and energy
in a senseless effort to drive out the sa-
looms, he gave the following excellent
suggestions, to which every true Chris
tian will say ''Amen:"
Ladies', if you will spend as much
time in going into the streets and to the
houses of shame, retaining your fallen
sisters, you Will accomplish untold good.
Carry the gospel to these poor, degraded
they will thank you and bless you. which
is something these rum sellers will never
10"
The talk was a mastery one through
out and showed the speaker to be a man
d Unusual lilOIdl COII age nave gwen
but partial synopsis. The immense
audience listened attentively throughout
and outside OF the half dozen or so
'cranks" whom 1.-THE shoe fit, the senti-
ments were endorsed by all and the
speaker universally commended. Surely
Wichita sustained a great loss when Rev.
TuIl left there and Kingman experienced
/ corresponding gain. The people of the
VI. f. church are to be congratulated
Ipon having secured so able pastor and
me with the courage of his convictions.
\ STRANGER.