Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-24
A FIGHTING PASTOR.
Couldn't Get One to Raise Enough
Thunder to Suit Some Folks
PARKHURsT ISN'T LOUD ENOUGH.
Such Policy Would Give the Theological
Students Chance.
T0LSTorS E0N-REsISTANCE THEORY
TwRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.l

When man gets really warmed up as to
some fragrant injustice or manifest wrong in
social life, he is very apt to hold the church
and the clergy responsible. These, he
maintains, are set up to preach righteous
ness, to denounce wrong-doing, to call for
| justice, and to demand the enforcement of
the Golden Rule. In his red-hot haste for
| reform and redress, the jealous brother in
sists that it is the province of the pulpit to
ride rough-shod over sinners, to pour hot
shot into the hypocrites, to shoot sharp
slings and arrowy at the heretics, and to
haul rich men over the Goals for neglect and
| oppression of the poor.
He seems to think that ministers enter
the Church to become martyrs; that they
are to have no scruples as to falling foul Of
their bread and butter and that they are to
pitch in pell NELL and 20 for the wicked
with sharp stick regardless of who is hit.
If they don't do this, they are called
towards. It is said they are false to their
trust and their high calling. They are, in
contempt, styled time-servera They are
shown up by the scorners as toadies to their
rich parishionera They are held to be
weakened and poor-spirited if they do not
plump down with both feet upon the pet
prejudices of their patrons, or proclaim in
public the shortcomings of those who have
hired them and pay their wages
Not Healthy Place for Martyrh
That this is not the way of the world
everybody knows But few men are cut
out tor martyrs. Experience, history and
scripture teach them that it is safer and
easier to be all things to all men.
1t is rather surprising to find Albion W.
Tourgee coming out against the pulpit.
With his experience and wide knowledge,
it would seem as if he should know the
limitations Of the clergy, and the CONVERSE
t1sm OF the churches, or as he calls it ''the
cowardly caution that could hardly fail to
awaken screams of laughter from Satanic
hosts"
He maintains. in recent article, that eff
the Christian pulpit dealt more in the de-
nunciation of known, acknowledged and
| bare-faced evils, and less in spiritual opiates
and conscience anesthetics, the world would
| be better off, and the Kingdom of Heaven
have more show for being crowded" This
was said in reference to a sermon lately
preached in New York, in which the minis
ter made bold to say that New York seat
in the Senate of the United States had been
stolen, and that the man who had en-
glneeret the theft had the lmpudence to
reach out for the Presidency. This bold
utterance, says Mr.. Tourgee, was well
worthy to be spoken from a Christian pull
pit" 1t is quite likely, however, that the
congregation was composed of Republicans,
who would enjoy such filings at Demon
candidate. If the pillars of the church
were Democrats, the reverend brother would
probably have been little more chary.
Call for Aggressive Preachers.
Mr.. Tourgee holds the Christian church
responsible fo- quite number of evils
political ones especially. He wants
Christian ministers to be aggressive, and
carry the war into Africa. He SAYS "the
Christianity which counsels submission to
durable evils, or excuses public wrongs, and
reserves its denunciations exclusively for
private and personal acts is q eowardly and
contemplate sort
But what would. he have? In his en-
thusiasm for reform he evidently loses sight
of the fact that "Resist not evil'' is one of
barbarities in the South, such as the world
has not known for centuries" might per-
haps have all been prevented if the doc
trine of non-resistance to evil, rather than
that of armed force and violence had been
practiced by both parties. If the Reyolu-
tionary fathers had obeyed the Scriptural
injunction, 'Resist not evil" the people of
the United States might have been happy
under ''Vicky" and been spared the rum
cries. the bribery and corruption, the Bit
ternesses and broken hearts Of Presidential
elections IF the North and the South had
accepted the teaching as to non-resistance
there would have been no bloody civil war
to desolate millions of homes.
T,,.,oTs Tb.orv IN p,..,.
MILL: .h. go, -. IT.. :,
iolsto1;; the FAMOUS Esas; nussGn "ilt1f, aI Ia
iace VI e; a. sne tiot upp .L @ auu ~
"; ga,oIs uespoI,S 'oIaS I that d.
s;.tanee TO- W av;I is never justified nnder auv
~ oise w e T;e1J f y
Sliouins'aoes 90 f..;1n ".
dressing "rohss Is Hos opiy iu.ii1, n,l uus an
agglassstSiGhn Sh u sns Gi .ho bo S - nI;t
erles .! olpeiian eAe, 'ne noiiuis .n u, Puns
ic'li pilsIns: tne sunes LIZ .nI =. .n .'.n
anu iexciusioHSts h arc sne na"n La Taia.a;
0I resisting evli ox sioience, says Ao;.toi. :.I
ne mas no synpahsn " sPart ioh h si'Ie .ha
non,and 1m ~ So s.Pas;s, no. sr;i : b-;nn mon
themselves and their families the suffering |
and sorrow that fall to the lot of those who |
engage in schemes to overthrow the Gov
ernment and bring about reform. He will |
admit that the Nihilists are heroic, but, |
nevertheless he insists they are all wrong.
It does the world no good to have the heroes |
of Russia shut up in The mines of Siberia. |
The conspiracies of the Nihilists only make |
life harder for all Russians. The assassina-
tion policy results in shutting up the best
intelligence of the country in dunge ons
The Al Young men and women who yolun-
teered tn assassinate the Gar were brave.
but thew were foolish, and, as results have
shown. il would have been better if they
had lived nm to the commandment of "Re-