The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-16
THE PRAYER TEST.
IN ITS APPLICATION TO THE AU
THOR OF MISTAKES OF MOSES.
DIR. John Rusk of the Militant
Church Addresses Letter to
Col. Bob InSersOn, Inviting Him
to Occupy Its PuIpit-Thinks that
Christian and InfideI Alike
should Work For the Uplifting
of Humanity.

CHICAGO, Jan. 15.-Thousands of pray
ers were said for Colonel r. G. Ingersou
a little while ago. DIR. John Rush, of the
Militant church, wishes to know how
eticacious these prayers may have been.
To bring the question to actual test
the clergyman has forwarded the follow
ing letter to the author of The Mistakes
OF Moses.
Colonel Robert C. Ingerson, Adrian,
Mich:
Dear Sir:-The Militant church, which
is organized for the purpose of lettering
the condition of mankind, regardless OF
creed or lack of it, desires to extend
to you an invitation to preach for us
some Sunday morning in the near future
on the subject of your views as to what
the Christian church should do and how.
The motto of our mems club is Act in
This World, TheoriZe in the Next Some
of our most earnest workers hold your
views; others are deVOut Christians All
work together, however; think for them
selves and no criticism of creed is ex-
changed.
eve have a volunteer orchestra of
twenty-five pieces and legal commits
sion composed of over thirty of the lead
ing lawyers of Chicago, who are each
pledged to try one case a week free of
charge for the poor or to take up the
prosecution of lax city officials or law
breakers.
"Our committee of physicians hunt up
the poor and care for the sick, delegates
visit the police stations and cure drunk
ards by practical methods. The health
committee OF ladies light the saloon by
trying to provide for the Workingman a
better club house, not by invectives.
knowing your interest in honest, prac-
teal work for humanity and feeling that
the fact that 1 am a Christian and you
are not should not prevent US from work.
ing together for the uplifting of human
ity and leaving it to the individual helped
TO Judge for himself what is true, 1 earn
estly invite you to give US the assistance
of your ability for one Sunday in build
ing. up a movement great enough to
highest to the lowest. Very sincerely
embrace and love all humanity, from the
yours, JOHN RUSK-''
Since DR.. Rusk mailed his invitation
many think it is the first stage in the
fulfiIment of the thousands of prayers
that he might be turned to the vocation
of the church.
Speaking of the matter DIR. Rusk said:
81 do not see that the invitation is at
all astonishing. It may be remembered
generally that Colonel Ingerson at one
time visited modern institutional church
one of the many practical working
churches which are doing grand work for
humanity today. He was interested in
what he saw and expressed admiration of
the possibilities of such church activity.
In fact he said that he should like to
join that kind of a church himself. So
why is it all strange to think that he
may. be glad to speak from the pulpit
of the Militant church, whose creed is
the good of humanity?
81 firmly believe that if there had been
an institutional church when Ingersoll
was boy he would have been America
greatest divine instead of the greatest
enemy of organized Christianity. AS Il
is he has made people think. The clergy
too, are thinking. The people of the
church may have been cold and lifeless
| In fact they make more infidels every
year than Ingersoll has made in his life
time. They have been negligent of mans
temporal needs and we'll being, thinking
only of his spiritual needs Ingersoll OBJ
| jected to that. Now there is beginning tC
see which ca. do most for mems bodies
] here in this world