The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-24
THE MEXICAN MESSIAH.

Schlatter is the name of the beggarly
shoemaker of Denver who is now rep
resenting himself to be the Messiah
among that civilization in New Mex
leo which is part Indian and part
Spanish.
Wonderful cures are attributed to the
laying on of the hands, by Schlatter
These il investigated would undOubt-
edly by found largely mythical. Still
without this outward signs of capacity
Of miracle, the poorly dressed, starved
stranger among the Indian Mexicans
has wonderful hold upon his follow
erS.
And the most curious thing about the
Messiah of New Mexico is the instru-
ment with which he holds his follow
ing. 1t is the instrument of penury
and want and starvation. For the
New Mexican Messiah does not ask
money. What he does he does with
the intention of mere kindness; what
he accepts in return for his benefac-
tons and advice is a scrap of coarse
bread for his bodily sustenance.
1t is little wonder that his popularity
among the people to whom he breaches
grows apace. He is preaching good.
without following the example of other
exharters, and by furnishing an evil
and disgusting example of himself by
graSping greedy demand for luxury
and riches for himself, the established
custom among all latter-day Mes
siahs."
The end of the career Of most fraudu-
lent Messiahs have been inglorious: in
the case of Schweinfurth of Illinois.
and many others. Schweinfurth used
his exhorting and evangelical powers
to place women under his spiritual
control in order TO the more easily de-
bauch them. He has collected suf-
ficient money to make himself rich.
And what Schweinfurth did is a fair
example of the average impostor in this
line. But Schlatter. if reports are true.
seeks to do good without aggrandiziny
himself, and if his prayers are devout
and his advice charitable, he will do
great deal of good. and the claim Of
he has ever made it, THAT he is De-
liverer cannot be justly charged
against him.
In this connection thought occurs
that is worthy a moments notice. If
a Messiah. prophesied and foretold. SO
ardenuy looked for by many and so
frequently predicted by thinkers.
should appear on the earth, would We
know il? Christ appeared among the
Jews. people regarded by the then
dominating nation of the world much
as we regard the AZtecs of Mexico to-
day. To the enlightened Greeks Christ
WAS 81 ignorant fakir. 10 the Romans.
he was a harmless social genius and
dreamer springing from an enslaved
and retroSrading race.
The Romans then occupied the strong
position in the world the English
speaking people occupy today. This
overwhelming mastery OF the world.
the great political life. the system OF
government. its fanciful but wide
spread religion. its world prevailing
laws were not touched by Christ: that
remained for eternal truths as pro-
mulgateti BY his disciples The storm
inc and vanquishing OF this treman-
dous power was left for his disciples
and the disciples Of his disciples and
their posterity. and was not accom-
plished until after five hundred years
struggle.
II in the appearance Of Messiah
again. this divine order no doubt hav-
Inc "a divine reason within IL * carried
out again. that the Messiah Will never
be seen by the dominating nations OF
the world. and in all likelihood. but
vague reports Of his work viii reach
Us or our children aud His teachings
VIII be laughed al as the gentle idiocies
Of some SAVAGE ya.abond among bar