The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-14
PETTY IND PAroH Es.

ANSDS"AiOAAg
 sion which might we'll have been start ed in New Haven, Connecticut, tha
 town devoted to discussions and large ly composed of discussers. The ques
 tion tearing Lebanon is Should mer wear patched trousers when they go tC church?" No report of the arguments used on either side has reached us and therefore we cannot tell what views the people of Lebanon have concerning this important matter. But in the hope that New Haven will tackle the ques. ton and give it a thorough going-over we will make an attempt to start the discussion of it here.
 On first thought it appears to be plain that men should not wear patched trousers to church. They should wor- ship in the beauty of holiness, and the outward beauty of their adornment should correspond as far as possible with their inward beauty. Therefore the trousers they worship in should be new or comparatively new, whole, of good material, well made, with all the buttons on and accurately creased. In such trousers a man, can probably feel holier than he can in trousers that are aged, that are not whole, that are not of good material, that are not well 1o IaN hox ought to be, and that are not creased. Such trousers are in a sense an offering. They are somewhat like the best of the flock, which the Israelites were wont to offer in sacrifice. They indicate that their wearers want to show their reverence by the quality, the fit and the style of their Sunday trousers. They are the best trousers they have, and they are devoted to worship. And they are eminently proper and respectable.
 So far, so good. Fine and unpatched trousers are certainly not, as rule, out of place in church. But the question, Should men wear patched trousers when they go to church?" has more than one side. It is clear that men who cannot afford to wear unpatched trousers even on Sunday should not stay away from church on that account. It is far nobler to worship in patched than it is to get into debt for unpatched and accurately creased trous- CTS. One of the greatest evils of modern life is worshiping in fine trousers that are not paid for. Then, too, man who in patched trousers pours con- tempt on the pride that may be encour- aged by the other kind And he is al good example to others if he tears holes l In his pride and patches them with hu- mility, even as his torn trousers are patched. He may also serve as a re- hinder to others of things which they are apt to forget, It is possible that the sight in church of a poor but honest man in patched trousers might | 10 rich but honest man in un- patched trousers a heap of good. It | night lead him to chastened views of fife and to active, blessing and blessed We verify believe that here are churches right here in New Haven that would be helped by the trange spectacle and the strange com ,anionship of men worshiping in patch- d trousers. And the notion strikes us hat 1t might not be a bad idea for he preacher of one of those churches o walk up the middle aisle next Sun lay morning, mount the pulpit stairs, urn his face from the congregation, art his coattails, reveal g. large and rtistic patch, and preach his sermon in hat attitude. His hearers would notice he patch and if he took proper ad- of their interest in 1t he might ay some things to them that would do hem good.
 We have thus hastily and imperfectly some of the ramifcations of he question which is vexing Lebanon, hio. There is @ good deal in it.
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