Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-10

llIIlt
child IS presented at the altar and
sprinkled of the waters of holy bene
diction "in the name of the Father. and
of tho Son, and of the Holy Ghost, -
and others are more impressed when the
penitent comes mp out of the river, his
garments dripping with the waters of q
laptism which signifies the washing
:way of sin. Let either have his own
way. One man likes no noise in prayer,
not word, rot a whisper Another
man, just as good, prefers by gosticula
tion and exclamation to express his de-
votional aspirations. One is just as good
IS the other. EVERY man fully per-
tuaded in his own mind.
George Whitefield was going over a
Quaker rather roughly for some of his
religious sentiments, and the Quaker
said: George, | am as thou art. am
for bringing all men to the hope of the
gospel. Therefore, if thou will not
quarrel with me about my broad brim,
l will not quarrel with thee about thy
black gown George, give me thy hand. I"
A Cause of Bigotry.
In tracing out the religion Of sectari-
anism or bigotry | find that great
deal Of it comes from wrong education
in the home circle. There are parents
who do not think it wrong to caricature
and jeer the peculiar forms of religion
in the world and denounce other sects
and other denominations. 1t is very Of
ten the case that that kind OF education
acts just opposite to what was expected,
and the children grow up, and after
awhile go and see for themselves, and
looking i'll those churches and find
ing that the people are good there,
and they love God and keep his COM
mandments. by natural reaction they go
and join those very churches. | could
mention the names Of prominent minis
ters of the gospel who spent their whole
life bombarding other denominations,
and who lived to see their children
preach the gospel in those very denomi-
nations. But it is often the case that
bigotry starts in household, and that
the subject of it never RECEIVERS. There
are tens of thousands of bigots 10 years
old.
think sectarianism and higotry also
rise from too great prominence of any
one denomination in community. All
the other denominations are wrong, and
his denomination is right because his
denomination is the most wealthy, or
the most popular. or the most infuen-
tial, and it is "our" church, and "our"
religious organization, and 'our"
choir, and "our" minister, and the man
tosses his head and wants other denomi-
nations to know their places.
1t is a great deal better in any COM
munity when the great denominations
side by side for the worlds
Mere outside prosperity, mere
power is no evidence that the
church is acceptable to God. Better
barn with Christ in the manger than
with magnificent harmonies
rolling through the long drawn aisle
and an angel from heaven in the pulpit
if there be no Christ in the chancel and
no Christ i'll the robes
Bigotry the Child of Ignorance.
Bigotry is often the child of ignorance.
You seldom find q man with large in
tellect who is a bigot 1t is the man
who thinks he knows great deal, but
does not That man is almost always a
bigot The whole tendency of education
and civilization is to bring man out
Of that kind of state of mind and heart.
There was in the far east great obelisk,
and one side of the obelisk was white,
another side of the obelisk was green,
another side of the obelisk was blue,
and travellers went and looked at that
obelisk, but they did not walk around
it. One man looked at one side, an
other at another side. and they came
home each one looking at only one side,
and they happened to meet, the story |
says, and they got into rank quarrel |
about the color of that obelisk. One |
man said it was white, another man |
said it was green, another man said it |
was blue, and when they were in the |
very heat of the controversy a more in
telligent traveller came and said: "Gen-
tlemen, have seen that obelisll, and |
you are all right, and you are all wrong. |
Why didn't you walk all around the
)belisk?"
Look out for the man who gees only
,ne side of religious truth. Look out
or the man who never walks around |
about these great theories of God and
eternity and the dead. He will be a
,igot tinevitably-the man who only secs
ne side. There is no man more to be
tilted than he who has in his head just
'pe idea-no more, no less. More light,
ess sectarianism. There is nothing that
will 20 soon kill bigotry as sunshine
rod Is sunshine.
So have set before You what ! con-
idcr TO be the causes Of bigotTy. have
ct before you the origin of this great
vii. What are some OF the baleful ef-
ccts? First of all. II cripples inyestiga-
ion. You are wrong, aud | am right,
nd that ends II. No taste for explora'
ion. no spirit Of investigation. From
lie glorious realm Of Gods truth, over
which an erchangel might fly from eter'
ity 10 eternity and not reach the limit
he man shuts himself out and dies, a
lind ,,.oIa uttdor a Qo1uehOCk IL 6fOug |