The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1894-10-12
One Fold and One Sheperd.

New York Herald.
And other sheep have, which are not OF
this fold.--John, X IL.
Denominational pride is another
name for religious weakness, and is
proof of small nature. A broad and
generous man is in sympathy with all
the sects of Chrlstendom, and would
not impose the form of worship which
he personally prefers on any one, but
insists that each man shall believe
what he pleascs, provided it results in
an honest lite.
God will never ask what special
religious body you belonged to, but
whether your faith made you good
citizen, a good father IA good friend
and good man. There are no secta-
rians in heaven: they are all lovers of
the noble and the true in every CLINE
and in every system Of religion known
to struggling humanity. A Metho-
dist, or an Episcopal or II Baptist
angel cannot be found in the New
Jcrusalem.
The various sects which are scat
tered over the earth are simply so
many ladders by which the people
climb to the upper regions. The foot
of each ladder is on the ground, while
the other end rests firmly against the
| Throne. When we die we shall leave
the ladders behind, because they will
have achieved their purpose and we
can have no further use for them.
The path by which you reach the
top ola mountain is OF no consequence
whatever, and if your neighbor
chooses to get there in some other
way you are very ungracious If you
dcnounce him for exercising his own
judgement instead of following yours.
His brains belong to him and your
brains belong to you. You may Go as
you please and he may do as he plcases'
If his eyes are fixed on the summit,
and he is doing what he can to attain
it, God Will certainly reward him with
favor and you shold do no less. The
bigot can see only one way, and that
is his own way. He lacks Il very i'm
portant element of character because
he isn't large enough to understand
that different tenperaments require
different incentives, and that what Is
good for one may possibly be bad fo
another.
, There is altogether too little charit.
f in the world for those who do not 1lnt
= it easy to see things just as we Sc
f them. There are thousand ways t.
do pretty nearly everything that /
t worth doing, and one way is as goo'
C as another. TO call this man here
It tic because he has his indiridua
a method of solving the puzzle of lil
. and that man orthodox because h
happens to think as you do is bot
" unwis and unchristian.
" If you have well developed sou
- you can worship without any churc
y at all. He is poor kind of creatur
a who is so prejudiced that he can't fin
words with which to tell tue Lor
t. how grateful he is, whether he sits i
ID a Quaker meeting house or a Cathoil
is cathedral.
y 1t is not the building, but the ide
of which it represents that is importan
re 1t is of no consequence whatever thu
the clergyman wears a surplice or doe
m not wear one; that the service
i%e % characterized by pomp and ceremon
a a or conducted without these auxila
II les /; that the edihce Is the exponeI
,y of ecclesi iastical architecture or on
barn In the backwoods. If you 81
n the idea, you get all you need and a
n, you can ask for. If you are smittt
he with remorse because your record hi
n blots and smutches on 1t, the me
u. robes of the priest who thus snit
10 you count for nothing; and II "
US resolve to lead life of integrity tt
preacher has accomplished the ta'
ny which the Lord Almighty gave hii
=, whether he is a Methodist or a Baptis
he The object of the Church is not
av make a man sectarlan, but to ma
he him loyal to the truth. At least th
ps should be its object, and II 1t acllieV
that object, the fact that it belon
to this or that or the other dcnomin
tion Is not worth second thought,
You should believe In somethir
and that something should furni
you with noble impulses, with clari
for your fellow men, with pity for t
unfortunate and with q desire TO
all that lies Ia your power TO ma
this old world better because you ha