The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-03-15


had for its first supporters the com
: mon people. It was the wage-earn
ers, the workmen, who f1ocke'
around him and listened to tn
+ precious words which fell from hi
lips; they furnished the martyrs
who passed through the ten perse
cutions and who finally spread tn
r gospel throughout the Roman EN-
pire. Why did the common peo
\ pie hear him gladly? Because they
knew that the church he was estab
fishing was on their side, that i
proclaimed to the world the granc
principle of the universal brother
hood of mankind. The clergy need
not be astonished that the workmen
have reached the conclusion that
the church of to-day is not what
Christ intended it should be. They
are entirely consistent in refusing
to attend church. 1t has become a
| good thing for business man to be
a churchman. It helps his business
and his standing in the community.
Why not hew down such church? :?
Why not turn your backs upon it,
have done with it and forever aban-
don the corrupt and contaminated
thing? What is the sense in longer
tolerating such a fraud, and why
not stand aside and let it die? I
will answer these questions. For
the simple reason that after you
have destroyed one church you
would attempt to found another.
The Socialists are trying to found
a church; the single-tax men are
trying to found a church. Every
reform seeks to establish a church.
A church must be worldwide in
stitution. l have nothing to say
about that nebulous thing called
"Christianity." 1t is a fashionable
sentiment. By the church l mean
the church of the living God. There
is no vague sentiment about the
church as it was founded by Jesus
Christ eighteen centuries ago. 1t
was to be no close corporation, no
party organization, no sect, but was
to be co-extensive with humanity.
Every reform seeks to found just
such church. Those who believe
in reform are either socialists or in
dividuals. There are many little
branches. There are preachers who
sometimes preach "rose-water" So
cialism. The individualist holds
the intrinsic dignity of man. He
holds that man has certain powers,
rights and privileges which cannot
be questioned or set aside by any
man or combination of men; that
man should not be in the least re-
strained by any man or men. Some
hold that government is a restraint
and demand that it should be abol-
ished. AS an individualist he says
he wants to do as he pleases. He
means that he wants to do what is
right. He has not always been true
to his theory. AS individualists,
have we not attempted at times to
coerce men by fear, the most cow
ardly of weapons? The socialist
sees that no individual can exist by
himself and is anxious to develope
and perfect system of government.
He desires to develope the natural
life by natural laws; to so adjust
the duties of life that everything
shall run in the smoothest manner.
Thus they call themselves nation
alists." The socialists must admit
that the success of their theory de-
pends on the individuals. John
Burns won the great strike in Lon
don, not because he was a socialist,
but because he was John Burns.
The socialist must admit that he
has not always been true to his the
Dry. Their principles are right, but
they have frequently made mistakes.
They are attempting to found a
universal brotherhood and fondly
hope to establish society broad as
The world. Such a society already
exists. The church is that univer-
'al society. It is impossible for
men to start worldwide society.
Four times it has been tried, in AS ,
syria, Persia, Greece and Rome. |
Each time the attempt resulted in
lnbounded tyranny and the oppres- {
'ion of mankind. In order to es- I
ablish such society it is necessa- I
y that one man should lift him !
elf above his fellows and rule su- 9
,reme. In doing so, he becomes 2
lot a man but a monster. A uni :
1ersal church cannot be founded by /;
luman beings. In only one way I
AN it be done-and Christ took =
hat way when he descended from !
heaven and preached to the children g
# men. A universal brotherhood +
must have FIVE underlying princi- 3
lies: /. 1t must be founded on
ternal truth. 2. It must permit
ull and free development to every 4
of the human race. 8. t
here must be perfect harmony and t
nifty between all its members. 4. t