The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-07-09


harder for fashions tickle sake, for the
mere applause of men, for the sake of
custom, for the reason that they want
to lead in numbers and greatness, than
they do for the salvation of the world,
for the tightening of human burdens,
and the helping of the needy, and the
following of the meek and lowly One.
As an instance of this fact, note the
treatment the churches accord rich and
popular members with the treatment
they give poor and lowly ones. Is this
| Christianity 1t is churchism and
nothing more. God pity the poor
weary soul which expects much solace
| from some churches. High churchlsm
gives millions to pay bishops, to build
churches, to erect palatial parsonages,
and then turns a deaf a to the cry
the sad. last wall of sorrowlng, hungry
humanity. Christianity goes to a poor
mans hut robed in humble CARDS and
~barefooted oftentimes, and givts away
it's last crumb to help him. Chris
tianity has no paid minstrels to chant
her virtues. Her deeds often die un-
mentioned by the clarions Of fame, III
Heaven rings with their echo. Why
has the church drifted from the rock
of truth-drifted oh, so far, so very far
from Gods holy standard of right3
Her banners to day often trail in the
mire of persecution, political and social,
and of many things that custom makes
but right ignores.
1 believe there will be many an angel
in Heaven that was called an infdel on
earth, and many a devil that was a So
called preacher on earth, simply be-
cause of this loyalty to false premises
and customs, and not to truthful prin-
ciples. The church, in it's purity, in
its primal conception of holiness, in the
grandest of all organizations for saving
the world, but when it deserts its col
ors and links hands with the devil to
gain a fitting glory, it becomes the
most damnable of agencies. History
is stored with many examples of this
character, and the historian of truth
who pens the deeds Of these days will
tell g sad story of church d~egeneracy.
All, dear old churches of our fathers
and mothers, get back to the true ideal
and stay there. All, fondly memory
looks back to the altar at which we
used to worship in the bright days of
yore, when we knelt by mothers side
and had faith in God and in Gods
church! A battle is coming on-a
great battle is coming on-and / can
now hear the echoes Of the drum beats
and the roar of the cannonading as it
whispers through the air. A battle is
now on between the friends and foes
of truth, between those who have the
manhood and the Womanhood to stand
up against all false creeds and those
who bow down to false Gods for the
sake of temporal benefits. There never
was a time when true heroes and hero
ines were in greater demand than they
are to-day. The pulpit is calling, yes,
sadly calling, for voices tuned to frail
humanity's wants and duties-calling
for sympathy with human sorrows,
with disappointed hopes. The greatest
burlesque of the day would be to see a
poor humble man going to these hand
some manses to find comfort from the
words of some CT these modern preach
ers arrayed in fine linens and faring
sumptuously every day. And right
here I do not refer to the little preach
ers of to, day, those who do the great
work and get the small pay. Yes, the
little preachers are nearer Christian
preachers. High churchism exalts one
man and lowers another man upon the
hypothesis that political mugwumps
do. Their high churchism that is
ashamed Of a poor man, ashamed of a
Christian, is as diabolical as any dec
trine Ingersol ever proclaimed, or
Voltaire eve exalted, or r 4nsseur ever
dreamed of. This churchism that
honors men for their money, their in
huence, their pretended zeal, when it
knows their characters are as black as
the blacklist chunk of birthstone in hell
is far from the humble teachings of the
sweet, loving teacher of G~allilee. This
churchism is afraid to do good unless
it is sanctioned by some creed or popu-
lar fancy is only a tinkling symbol.
only a name representing a nothing,
ness. Whose fault is all this9 Where
is a remedy9 1t is the peoples fault
for submitting to anything but the
truth. Christianity is truth. The
remedy is for the people to lay aside
their pre- conceived prejudices, and to
look at these matters as they are being