The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-11-21
HE RIPS EN-
UP THE BACK
DR.. Thompson's Famous Remark
The Subject Of a Stirring and
Telling Dialogue.
WHAT THE CHURCH is DOING.

WHAT THE CHURCH is DOING.
1t is Impsssnt Ia Face Of Appras-hisg
Cai.misy--The Churches Have No, saved
Tn~m.eIv~.--Frons CardinaI Gfbbon. Tn
sam Jon~. tn. Cry Goes FORTH" what
Must We DO To he s.v~d-''
F-anci. B. Livesey. OF MARYLAND, in Pro
gressiye Farrner.i
In the Baltimore sun Of August 23th.
under the heading Of a Reckless
Leader" there was published an article
condematory Of DIR. Cyrus Thompson,
Of Richlands. y. {. IL was quoted /
from the Atlanta Constitution. AL |
though never having heard of DIR.
Thompson up to that date, immedi-
ately sought him out and have since |
been favored with his views, as given |
in the Progressive Farmer of Septem- |
Der 18th. and they convi nee me that he |
is entitled to be ranked as one OF the |
reformers of the day.
Will you kindly allow the following
dialogue with the Atlanta Constitu-
ton. and | might say also, the Baltt-
more Sun:
Atlanta Constitution - President
Thompson is reported as saying that
the churches do not comprehend their
mission, and are against the Alliance,
and that they have always been on the
| side of human slavery.
| Livesey-Dr. Thompson was right.
| If the churches had half way cOinpre-
hended and fulfilled their mission. We
would not now have upon us the trOu-
bles we now witness. With 10000 1000
of followers, the churches should have
saved themselves, and others also, rom
those exterior troubles that now
threaten the peace and prosperity of
the nation. On the contrary, the
churches have not even saved them
selves. From Cardinal Gibbons down
to Sam Jones, the cry has gone forth
from the churches, "What must we d"
to be saved?" They look as impotently
as infants upon an approaching calam-
ity; they acknowledge their ignorance
of the situation they are too thorough
ly impractical to perceive the merit of
any reform, and they ignOrantly re-
main silent, or condemn men ike DR..
Thompson, who propose practical
methods for relief.
A.C.-This charge has stirred up
considerable feeling in the Alliance,
and in church circles, and Thompson
will find that such talk is an injury to
himself and his cause.
/ L.-Dr. ThOmpsOn's cause, like every
other reform cause, necessltates the
exposure of hypocrites and pretenders
who have caused the conditions de-
handing reform, and who, of course
impede by all possible methods its pro-
gress. Any cause that is founded upon
truth can protect from all injury, save
) persecution, its founders. Even from
persecution "The blood of the martyrs
is the seed of the church. The times
demand men who are regardless of self.
DIR. Thompson is one of them. On the
contrary, no minister in the land will
say anything that will seriously impli-
, cate his standing before men. They
profess to be the Shepherds of men !;
but in reality they are the sheep. They
lead the masses into no pheasant
jump they follow.
A. Cts these chaotic times, when
!, the genius of discord seems to be at
work everywhere, there are men who
are aspiring to leadership who are
hardly fit to serve in the rank and file.
Thompson is case in point.
L.-Yes, in chaotic times people have
naturally looked to the priests and to
the ministers for peace. They have
been supposed to be the Instrumental
ties through which God speaks and
brings about "Peace on earth, good
d will to men," But from the earliest
d history of the world they have been, as
a rule, false prophets, of whom the true
Il prophets have said The leaders OF
J my people do cause them to err" The
{ same is true to-day. The same was
y true in the days of Christ. Those
v | - fN nt hs
,. privilege Of introducing the Messiah
e were wholly ignorant of him when h.
r came, frustrated His every effOr
Z through life and crucified Him at it,
end. This same class are now repre-
scented by the ministers Of the churches
e of to-day. eff Christ came to Chica
+ CO." or to any other part of the cOun
i try, they would instantly follow tn
l. example set them by their Jewish pre-
J. decessors; and what they would do l.
- the Master they do do to anybody ap
. proximating His spirit and His work
~ A. ellis (ThOmpson's) legitimat
l. work is to build up the Alliance; bu
he weakens his influence with the bet
= ter class of his order and of society il
general by going out of his way to at
tack the churches.
L.-NOt in the least does he Ego OIL
of his way" They are in his way
They are stumbling blocks that mus
m be removed. The world has grow
IS more hypocritical under their regime
E. more rascally refined. Most bank de
I'd faulters are church deacOns and elias
R. merely whited sepulchres--fair with
r. out, but dead within. DR.. Thompso
ell has shaken up their dry bones. The
at have been complacently repOsing upO
l. the credulity OF the peOple-it is exas
rs perating to them to be now ruthlessl
i'll exposed. The infidel, like IngersOll,
r not the most effective man in this e1
er posture. He condemns Christ, but D
a Thompson upholds Him and shows til
he minister to be none of His.
u A. Give do not believe that man
70 Alliancemen in North Carolina wi
G. agree with their president, but if thel
es are some who agree with him they wi
lg see that in the near future when we al
III, menaced on the one hand by Socialist
nd and Anarchy, and on the other by cer
tralization and monopoly, the church,
Il will be the mainstay of society and tt
g. salvation of the republic.
oy Livery honest, practical, consc
Is entious man will agree with u
OK ThonipSoi;: every hypOcrite, ever
u toadyist. every INSCRIPTIONS man ca
ne agree with the clergy. The church,
!e- are among the responsible agencies #
&C. socialism, for Anarchy, for centraliz
"a ton and for monopoly-directly r
IT. sponsible. "'Tis education forms Il
common mind"; they have been amor
A the educators of the people, these di
oi results We see as fruits, and Il
le- churches have contributed to the
CIV We want men like DR.. Thompson,
TO fearlessly expose the descriptive tende
vi cies of the churches. Men who belle
q: o' in Christianity, but not in churchia
NJ, III ity, are increasing in number. Fro
to- last to;I.rs rho conviction is orowi
that the churches do not represe
: EI.. L.. .x,or<