The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-18
THE JORDAN
Pastor Raboteau Describes
the Latest Proof Of
American Thrift.

Bottled water from the River Jordan
was the subject of a prelude to the
regular sermon OF Rev. Claude Rabo-
teau in the Parmly Memorial Church
last night . Among other things he
said
THE Yankee spirit of enterprise has
invaded the ancient domains of the con-
sentative East" said Mr.. Raboteau,
"and American thrift has taken hold of
the a~pathetic civilization of the Orient.
Like Alexander, has the industrial life
of America sighed for new worlds to
conquer, and at last found one in the
far off realm of Palestine. 1t must be a
poor place where a Yankee can't get a
living, and while the overcrowded ma
tives of the East are suffering the ills of
poverty. behold the enterprising Ameri-
can takes up his abode there, and by his
wits makes a fortune where the natives
are starving. The latest brilliant scheme
on record in the Orient is the establish
ment of a firm in Palestine to supply
water from the River Jordan to the
churches of the world. 1t is put up
in scaled bottles and sold by the case,
like medicinal waters from the great
springs. Fol- brilliancy of conception and
daring in accomplishment, this shrewd
scheme beats the wooden nutmeg of the
war times. or the patent clothes-wringer
of the present. 1t is a magnificent
stroke of business policy, and must
have emanated from a brain that. like
famous Colonel Sellers's, could see mil
lions in it.
"It is astonishing how the sphere of
religion has become a constant source of
pecuniary profit, ever when it fails to
hnnoif n itr1ha 1xr EI. r,<oa -,a~xr -,o-
care no more for the Church and the
of Buddha. but they find it is a profit
able way to increase their income.
CHURCH A BUSINESS AID.
An alliance with the church where
he comes to take his weekly nap has ex-
tended the trade and established the SOC
ial position of many a ke~en-sighted man
of business. The church has been found
handy to help him in a business way,
whether it has ever done anything for
his soul or not. Ingersoll. who processes
to hate Christianity as he does the
mythical devil it upholds, doesn't hest
tate to use the Gospel as a means to
gather the shekels to his pocket.
And just SO with the Palestine Bottl-
ing Company. 1t has determined that
the cut and dried doctrines of Christian
ity ought to be a source of revenue, as
we'll as a source of sentimental ecstacy
to the ~credulous believer, and the men,
bers of the mpan are very content
to have this sentimentality perpetuated.
In the circular which the company has
piling testimonials from the royal famil-
les of Europe who have had their chill
dren baptized in this bottled Jordan
water.
with all the shrewdness and business
foresight of this bottling company, they
have overlooked a very vital point. In
Of this Palestine firm. we have over
three million Baptists. / am astonished
that they have been overlooked. What
could this ompan nave been thinking
seem, they have left a terrible flaw in
their plans. 1t is all very well for the
infant baptizing churches, who use only
a few drops at a time. to patronize the
Jordan water. but how does the bottl-
ing company imagine that We three mil
lion Baptists Ear use it? Is our denom-
nation SO small that we can be so
easily overlooked? Does one have to go
aroun with q spyglass to find Baptists
comparatively few in Palestine, but the
firm surely must know that they are to
depend upon our country for the most
SHAM PIETY.
II would like to suggest an immediate
remedy for this fatal mistake; II they
Apc W lin lIttI pdtIOilS III SK6Iy
church. they must supply an article
fitted to the special needs of every class
of customers, and, in order to meet the
demands of the Baptist Churches, they
must import the water, not in bottles,
but in casks. But a word seriously on.
his subject. The existence of such a
ridiculous scheme as this only indicates
the sentimentality among Christian peo-
Pile. IT only shows how a broad and
fervid faith in the personality of Jesus
Christ had been replaced by a super
stitious and narrow reverence for exter-
nails of religion, and it is this shan piety
at root a mere weakly sentiment, which
a chance to hang on the Church and
suck some of its pecuniary strength
away. Should this ridiculous thing be-
come in vogue, we could scarcely esti-
mate its injurious effects. And If this
thing hould become a fad, where would
it stop? Sooner or later we would become
overwhelmed with all sorts Of riffraff
cry, and be setting up glass cases in our
chrirches to preserve and magnify them.
Let us keep all such wishy-washy sem
timent from our churches. Let us show
the Palestine Bottling Company that
they have made a mistake 1t they expect
become party to any such disgusting
traffic. Let them confine their business
to the crowned heads of Europe. and to
the superstitious churches of the far
East. but let US. in the name of all
that is true and holy, keep before the
wSrld the spiritual character and the re-
ligion of Jesus, striving to teach men
is not in the use of external forms, or
being baptized in Jordan's waiter. but
nv having a heart accessible to the in
fuisnce 1T the Holy Spirit. and a life that