Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1893-06-07
ELKO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7. 1898.
QUEER CHRISTIANS.
A Peculiar Sect Located In Phil
adelphia.
They Reugiously Refrain from Eating
Maidstone OF Their Belief and
the Conditions OF Ch---I-
Membership.

1t has often been remarked as curious
by residents in the northern portion of
Philadelphia that the block bounded
by Broad street, Park avenue, Berks
street and Montgomery avenue con-
tains the smallest church and the
largest one in Philadelphia. For those
fronting on Broad street is the Baptist
temple, with it's seating capacity of
five thousand, and Immediately behind
it, fronting on Park avenue, is the lit
tie, quaint, gray stone edifice belong
ing to the Bible Christian church, with
a seating capacity of probably not one
hundred. Quaint it is indeed inside as
well as out, as described by the Times.
The walls are of wood, some of them
plainly whitewashed and hung with
the usual Illuminated texts, and in
place of the luxuriously cushioned
'opera" chairs now introduced into
churches, narrow wooden benches,
painted gray, are provided for the
worshipers, and are perfectly IN keep
ing with the boarded floor, uncovered
save for a strip of carpet down the
aisle. Though the church is really the
Bible Christian it is much better known
as the "Vegetarian," because vege-
tarianism is exacted Of it's members.
This peculiarity of creed is the reason
for its lack OF. growth and the conse-
quent smallness of the edifce. It's
creed includes the belief that the laws
of health require abstinence from meat
or flesh of all kinds and strict ad-
herence to farinaceous and vegetable
foods. It is claimed by the vegetarians,
with the support of scientists to some
degree, that some diseases would have
had no existence among human beings
but for their partaking Of the flesh Of
animals, which, being impregnated
with disease microbes, introduced the
Ills Of the animal kingdom into the
human family.
The Bible Christians believe also
that the words to be found in the first
chapter of Genesis, spoken by God to
Adam and Eve-"Behold, have given
you every herb bearing seed which is
upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree in the which is the fruit Of
q tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
for meat"-tmply a distinct command
to partake only of vegetable foods, and
that this commandment was kept until
after the food. From humanitarian
standpoint they are opposed to the
wholesale slaughter of animals as
cruel. "You may have noticed" said q
member of the church in speaking Of
its creed, "that the same laws of nat
ural affection which we acknowledge
also govern the action Of animals.
They love, grieve, Joy and suffer in
their degree the same as we do in ours.
They possess many Of the higher at
tributes of our nature, such as faithful
ness, courage and devotion. This be-
stroy their lives ut random, and though
we do not absolutely claim the exist
ence of future life for them, yet the
reference of ST. John In the Apocalypse
to the 2our-footed beasts about the
throne remains to be interpreted in
some way and seems to point to some
thing of the sort" With the exception
of vegeterianism the Bible Christian
church differs from other Christian
churches but slightly. The conditions
of membership in this church-absti-
nence from meats and Intoxicating
liquors of all kinds--are severe enough
to prevent many from joining 1t, and
the membership is at present only be-
tween fifty and sixty. Of this number
seme live In Frankfort, and they are so
scattered thatit Is seldom they all meet
together. At their entertainments,w when
the serving Of refreshments is included,
the uninitated would be amazed to see
what diversity of tastes can be suited
and what wide a range of choice Is re-
IL Il n - a-fI n -
aration of vegetable and farinaceous
v,,a1ro4sn1,o