The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-25

Religious reTivsis invariably foiios hard
times. such vas the case in is57. and
again In Is7s. and such Is the case nov in
Brooklyn. Chicago. Montreal and Wash
ingtoa City. Marx Twain in one OF his
hooks describes the average Hawaiian
Islander 20 81 INDECENT. pssssuFe-ioving.
harpy-go-;ucky creature IN good times.
thai Is, v ben the weather Is pleasant and
the taro root Is plentiful, bat let storm
come and the tAro root be scarce. and these
Hawaiian Islanders rush down to the ses-
shore. dig up their old heather gods and
hold q pow-wow until the weather clears
and food is again plenty.
Statistics show that In good times Great
Britain consumes an enormous amount OF
mat aud spirisuoGs liquors: that N hard
times. when money In scarce and work
hard TO &c. the British people become tenn
perate through necessity or prudenee.
Buckle, in his History Of Civilization"
shows that marriages increase or decrease
in Great Britain with the rise and fail Of
TIE price of bread. In broad sense 1t Is
safe TO say that human nature Is about as
indolent and pleasure loving as it can
afford 20 be. When the average man can
not afford TO marry he doesn't marry;
when be cannot afford to spend money for
drink he becomes abstemious, and so when
times are good and people are fairly pros
porous they do not crowd churches or con-
Germ themselves with their spiritual con-
dition. They are like the inebriate who
apologized to his wife for coming home so
early because "all the other places were
shut up"
Give the average man the creature or
earthly comforts and he does not worry
about religion, but take away or curtail
his earthly comforts so that he cannot af-
ford to eat. drink and he merry, aud in his
gloom and his enforced idleness ne drifts
20 church. for he argued that "that does
not coat him anything" and in its solem-
nifty Is in tune with his melancholy mood.
1t may be said that the religious awaken
ing which follows hard times is the crop
ping out of not very admirable or heroic
quality of human nature. 1t is q cheap
man or woman who when they cannot
find money to pay for the sensual pleas
ures of this world grasps like D drowning
man at straw at the comforts and conso-
iations Of religion that cost nothing. 1t
Is like the man who, when he
could no longer afford to stop at
. first-class hotel loved to write his
name among ''the arrivals" II he could
not pay for big dinner he enjoyed the IL
fusion of Barmecide banquet
| Nevertheless We must take poor human
| nature a. We find 1t, and If man turns
| from evil 10 righteousness in hard times
| because no cannot afford TO pay for evil
| pleasures. let US never forget that out OF
| the thousands who resort to the revival
there may be some which its work will
make 80 much stronger, swecter and
nobler that they will never 60 back to
evil indulgence again even when the CON-
ing Of good times makes them think that
they can again afford to pay for foolish
and sinful pleasures. OF course. the only
men who will get any good out OF revivals
| will be those who believe with Moody
that religion Isl not merely theological
system of belief but that religion is life.
| II personal misfortunes and loss make q
man resort TO religion rather than mere
theological belief for comfort, strength,
patience and resignation, then when the
revival Is over he will be . better citizen
his personal lite will be dedicated to the
moral welfare of his community. and will
be an inspiration and q blessing both In
public and private station.