The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18
e1SUNDAY TH0UGHTSDo
#OHM
MORALSE MANNERS
By A CLERGYMAN.

II is one of the encouraging signs of the
hines that Christian people and the re-
Ggious press are discussing more and
more, and with practical intent, the ques-
ton OF how to reach the unchurched null
titudes. True, the question is no. new,
save in the widespread interest it AVA
kens. 'Tis like Banquo's ghost, and will
not down" Like all moral issues, it re-
mains unsettled until settled right.
Just now Arthur Pierson in America
and Cunningham Geike in Europe have
said their say on the volcanic theme, and
the two speak like one-in the same tone.
They agree that the only practicable
method lies through blood-red earnest
ness. Geike Whose life of Christ is one
of the best) shows that John Baptist had
no difficulty in reaching the people and
that his secret lay in his utter honesty
and absolute devotion. He discarded the
ordinary aims of life and lived, not for
ambition, pleasure, money-grabbing, but
for the glory of God and the help of men.
Hence men recognized and responded to
him.
Just so with the apostles. They were
MORALLY in earnest. Paul was an embod-
led Vesuvius. Wherever he appeared re-
ligious movements burst out like lava
streams. Peter and John were liquid
fire, kindled at PentecOst. Then men did
one thing, and ony one-preached the
gospel, and, like Jesus, they sought and
saved the lost. They said, ave seek not
yours, but YOU" Kings and their sub
jects, whole provinces, vast empires, were
evangelical.
AIN order effectually to reach the masses
today we must go about it in the apostolic
spirit. Exhibit toward them the spirit of
Jesus; live in such a way as to make il
manifest that religion is the supreme con-
Germ, show them the love of God, and the
thing is done. But, as Geike saws, it is of
no use for rich archbishop in London or
\ fat parson in America who has "made
good thing of it" by choosing religion as a
railing TO try to reach the masses. Let such
an one first show his sincerity by acting
on Bunyan's "here little, and hereafter
bliss" Let him give up everything be-
yoQd modest sustenance on the apostolic
scale. Who can believe a man who is
trying to make the best of both worlds?
Every one feels that he is a sham, that his
religion is nicely arranged, subordinated
to his worldly interests; that it is in
fact as much q business" as any
a trenchant article as follows: "To
reach the masses, in short, the re-
ligion of pulpit, pew and bishops throne
must be real. What good is it to talk of
bringing in the millions by make-believe;
and what else is il than make-believe on
a large scale when well-to-do sinners
have bows and smiles from parsons in
private, and are never troubled by any
pulpit allusion to their shortcomings,
while the air is shirll with denunciations
of poor gutter offenders? Call the
devil by his name wherever you
find HMM Wall-st-, on change, in syn
dicates," in CORNERS" in death-trap
houses for the poor-in the thousand
forms in which he masquerades in our
midst. Some prophet who fears nobody
but God must rise-some one with the
great heart of Jesus Christ, who bearded
high priest, rabbi, any one found doing
wrong, and exposed hypocrisy high
placed and was the friend of publicans
and sinners, pointing them to the Father
above, but at the same time himself bear
ing their infrmities and healing their sick
nesses and Frightening their dark lot with
divine sympathy"
The recent murder of DR.. Leidermann
near San Reno, like the similar case OF
Eyrsud in Paris, points the world-old
moral that danger turks in cyprian
chambers. Strange that men old enough
to know better, and so placed socially
that they have no need to crafty their
passions illicitly, should presist, deaf
TO all warnings, blind to all perils,
in rushing upon death. The man
without a conscience might be expected
TO have at least common sense. Yet every
day we see reproduced the picture drawn
bY the wise man thousands of years
ago: "a foolish woman is clamorous. She
stitch at the door of her house to call pas
sengers. Whose is simple let him turn in
hither, and as for him who wanteth I'M
Outstanding, she will tell him: Stolen
waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret
Is pleasant. But he knOweth not that the
dead are there, and that her guests are in
the depths OF he'll"
As nearly as can be estimated, there are
now in this country about one-third of a
million Bohemians, 100000 Poles
(of whom 100000 are in Chicago,
and 100000 Hungarian Slavs. The rapid
increase of our Slavic pop ulation is shown
by the fact that of the S55 immigrants
who settled in Cleveland, o., in November,
1890, $50 were Slavs. Some of the best
fruits of Christian work, and not few of
the loveliest examples of intelligent, con-
secrated and successful Christian workers
are to be found among such of these peo-
Piles as have been educated in the United
States. Efforts on behalf OF the Slavs be-
gan in 1884. There are now twenty-nine
missionaries fully engaged in their evan
gelization, laboring in twenty different
stations in eight states. The only Boz
hemian Christian newspaper in the coun-
try is the PzGUda Truth, published in
Chicago and widely circulated.
We once stood at the foot of Swiss
mountain towering from theVispbach val
ley TO a hight of 10000 feet. 1t looked
like hopeless pull to the top. But say
ing. "'Tis but step at time" we started
up. Before sunset our party stood on the
summit amid the kindling scenery which
exhausts the resources of light and alti-
tude, while opposite flashed the icy crown
of the Weisshorn, discovered by Prof.
Tyndall.
Let every boy who has difficult study
to master, and every youth who wishes to
rise in life, remember that the task can be
accomplished. All that is needed is a