Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-09-16
OUR SATURDAY NIGHT.

10 Oe any Better than many Otnef pep
ne 10 this wicked world, and If ac-
counts are true, they might set fairly
good example by praying for the LORD
10 forgive their own meanness Instead
of monkeying so "mucbly" about some
other feIlOw's sin. But the sooner
great many people cease to regard
O preacher SO extraordinarily God-like
that he does not commit sin, the better
it will be for ali concerned. A preacher
ia human and should be quite willing
to stand upon the universal plane OF
other good men aud trusted only a.
such. While the devout and holy
man Of G,d is frying to keep the dew
from completely capturing some pooi
sinner he should keep sharp outlook
that Satan is not toying with his owl
skirts In q manner that Is liable at any
time TO give his enthusiastic fOllOwerst
Rlimpee of "trickB " hich are vain and
deeds that are dark. ."-Cottage Grove
Leader.
No community should persecute a
fallen or e-ratic minister or attribute
to his sect or the Christian religion the
weakness or depravlty of one man.
The truth will struggle on and princi-
pie Is quite as we'll assured of an exist
ence as the Divine Thought of Good
ness itself, though mistaken and pre-
tending teachers drag in the mire the
cause they pretend to champion. The
people must see that there Is at least a
slight defect, an absence of true ideals,
underlying some of these organizations
for religious culture. Men who advo-
cate brass band, gold-plated material
hereafter with never-ending pleasures
Of ecstatic bliss. that will not cost a
cent to enjoy, and whose religion con-
sists In making sure to get there as a
reward for being outwardly decent here
are the disciples of base scheme of
selfishness, beside which the Mahome-
tan with his harem of houris in the
other world is at least frank and out
spoken sensualist. Until all worldly so
cial, business and political self-seeking is
eliminated from Christianity it is un-
worthy the name. That man or wom-
an who only sees and seeks the good of
others alone possesses the true Christ
thought. The husband and
wife, who only think and act and
live, each for the others good, alone
enjoy perfect harmony in the marriage
relation. The moment selfish thought
arises the satan of ultimate discord is
introduced. The minister who pufis
himself up over his office to rule over
others, to work up big salary or rep
utation, or win applause in political or
30 ,ial schemes or follows his passions
and appetltes is messenger not of the
best human thought, to say naught of
revealed wisdom. He reveals the an
imal In man, which is a grade lower
than In brutes. But II is more than
likely that quite crowd will continue
to worship the blatant egotist and llv-
cried fraud whether he ascends the
pulpit or hands prize packages out of
the rear end of a wagon at the state
fair grounds. But 1t is not necessary
to invent punishment for the preacher
whose true inwardness happens to
come to light. He suffers endless tor
ments which never affllct the manip-
ulator Of loaded dice In the saloon bar
rooms. The latter dones't pretend TO be
a teacher of morals or spiritual guide.
This was never more finely illustrated
than In Hawthorne's book "The Scar.
let Letter." where he has Hester
Prynne, the betrayed Puritan girl, meet
her betrayer. She wears on her bosom
the scarlet badge of infamy inflicted
upon her by the colonial blue laws of
her time, and just as cruelty inflicted
by society at present. He wears the
black garb Of outward respectability,
the badge of the profession he success
FULLY disgraces. The following scene
takes place:
After awhile, the minister fixed his
eyes ON Hester Pryne's.
"Hester," said he, "Hast thou found
peaOe?n
She smiled dreamily, looking down
lpon her bosom.
"Hast thouP she asked.
"None-nothing but dispaiT,n he
"What else could look for,
eing what l am, aud leading such a
10 as mine? Were an atheist, a man
evoid OF conscience, a wretch with
parse and brutal Instincts, 1 might
ave found peace long ere nog. Nay,
never should have lost IL. But, as
latters stand with my soul, whatever
good capaclty there originally was
me, all OF Code gifts that were Il
ioiccst have become ministers Of splr-
ual torment. Hester, 1 anu most mis-.
able.W {
''The people reverence thee" said /
ester. "And surely thou workest s
'od among them. Doth this bring
ee no comfOrlW
.MOre misery, Hester only the
1re miseryw answered the clergy II
M, with bitter smile "As concerns p
} good which / may appear 10 do, [,
We no faith Ia Il. IL must needs be a
usl0D. What san ruined soul, like
ne, effect toward the redemption OF
er s0uls-or n polluted soul toward IN
AZ purificaiiOnf And as TO the peo- -
b reverence, would that IL were "
ned To scorn aud hatred, Canst thou u