St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-01

Copyright 1896. Newspaper Sermon Asso-
clatlon. Boston. The right of publication
granted to all, if credit be given this paperO
They sacrificed to their net, burned in
cense to their drag.-Habakkuk l.. is.
The smile, you will see, is a fisher
mans. He sweeps the sea with his
wide net. This he uses for the upper
waters, and having caught what fish
he can in these, he drags his trawl
along the bottom. With open mouth
and long purse, it catches everything,
small and great. His haul is enormous.
and stupid, idolatrous that he is, the
prophet warns him of his danger. tells
him he is so intent on his own success
that his net and his trawl have become
to him god, as really a false god as
though on the sea sand he built an
altar and burned incense before the
tools of his craft.
l am afraid that we are not as
thoughtful people as we suppose we
are; that, on the contrary, we are more
mercurial and less intelligently sober
minded than we ourselves would admit.
We are apt to take life too much by
fits and starts. And so 1 think we will
do we'll this morning to take to heart
the words that the great apostle spoke
long ago, when he said: 81 say, through
the grace given to me, to every man
that Is among you not to think of him
SELF more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly." Sober
thinking is timely and necessary, and
In 1T the church must lead the world.
Our idol is our own success. 1 beg
you to think soberly with me on this
matter. SThis danger,-which> 1 venture
TO point out exists not alone in the en-
thuslastlc mind of a few religioniStS;
but go to men who think as well as
to men who pray, and you find them
agreed Go to the greatest living phil
oSopher, the great literary men. or to
artists, and in art, poetry, literature
and philosophy the warning is repeat
ed: We are in danger of Worshiping
our trawl
The adoption of a false standard
means the abandonment of a true STAN
dard. Let success once be a national
aim, and then every consideration but
success is laid aside 1t makes the
business man INSCRIPTIONS. 1t makes
the workman reckless and destructive.
In obedience to it solemn contracts,
binding capitalist and laborer, are torn
up as the interests of either party die
tate. In politics, national honor even
national well-being, are forgotten in
order to push private ambition. And
in the field of sport where gentlemen
meet, or ought to meet will the young
men of my readers bear with me, will
they believe me when / say L speak
that which / know and testify to that
which l have SEEM they do not race
or row as they did twenty years ago
The true idea of sport, in it's right
place healthy and ennobling thing,
is too often laid aside in obedience to
this ineXCusable worship of success.
Let us win, no matter what happens,
strain rules or alter rules, play with
professionalism, hunt over the land to
get likely athletes for our college, pay
mems way through, pile up great sums
in our club funds-for win we must
Yes, our own company, right or
wrong" says the business man. my
own fortune. right or wrong says
the financier. my own college, right
or wrong" cries the youth. My own
party, right or wrong" cries the poll
tician. And our own country, right
or wrong" cry we all.
What ale we saying? Do we know how
near for the Christian man this comes to
blasphemy? Were you baptized in the name
of your company, or your fortune. or your
college, or your party, or the United States?
beg and pray you, my brothers. let no such
talk as this any more pass unchallenged To
be a Christian means in some small, but real
sense to be follower of Him who said land
when he said these words he gave us the
watchword for all time) For this cause
was l born. for this cause came I into the
world to bear witness to the truth" And
If, for any sake-company, fortune college,
party, interest, or even country's sake-We
take sides against the truth. then do we take
sides against the living Lord God of all
righteousness and right, and we undertake
a pretty big contract
But yet moment further. The worship of