The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-27
ABOUT POLITICAL SERMONS.
Gold-Bug Papers Roasting Tom Dixon
For His Assininity.

| Gold-Bug Papers Roasting Tom DIXON
For His Assininity.
One OF the leading religious papers
published a symposium the other day
| in which the views of leading ministers
were given pro and con on the question
whether preacher should go into poll
tics; whether he should discuss the
political situation from the pulpit, and
advise his congregation how they
should vote.
! Several Of the ministers thought it
their duty to preach politics, especially
| in the present campaign, so they
declared the political issue was a moral
one; but the others protested against
! this view, and declared hands off in
politics." that there are enough mat
| ters that ministers can legitimately
! discuss without bringing in politics.
! That the latter are right is proved
| by the late experience Of Rev Thomas
| Dixon, Jr., one of the most celebrated
of New Yorl's divines, who preached
a sermon on the silver question the
| other day, taking his text from Mat
| thew xii, 81. The sermon was the
scene OF one of the most boisteTous
meetings of the campaign. Said Rev.
Mr.. Dixon:
1.-THE proposition of Mr.. Bryan and
his followers to pay the bonds of the
| United States, upon which 100 cents
on the dollar was raised in coin worth
! only IS cents, is downright rascality.
That's false, You are wrong Shut
up were the angry cries that ratified
like musketry in various parts of the
sanctuary. But Mr.. Dixon continued:
IF the government does that, it goes
into the bunco-steering business This
was greeted with prolonged kissing
and shouts of, That's not right You
don't now what you are talking about
One man arose and exclaimed: 1 won't
stand this any longer' and rushed
from the building. He was followed
by about fifty others, who cried,
'Shame' as they left the hall. Then
Mr. Dixon again: In such a crisis as
now confronts us, it is the duty of
every patriotic citizen to vote the
straight Republican ticket. [ voted
for Mr. Cleveland, and now before God
/ acknowledge my sin But some one
shouted: I'm going to vote for Bryan
Here. too cried another Liar yelled
a third. Finally, after the preacher
had received one or two challenges to
a Joint debate from irate persons, who
walked up to the pulpit and left their
cards, the disaffected portion of the
congregation got weeded out and the
worship was allowed to proceed with
out further interruption"
Now, no one can dispute the fact
that a scene of this kind in a church
is neither Christian nor edifying; that
it does no good to the cause of Christ
or the cause of politics. And even the
gold-bug papers at last realize this. |
They were disposed at first to bring
the gold question into the social clubs
and churches, and to applaud the
preachers who spoke out for Mckinley
and advised their parishioners to vote
for him. But they see that the Rev.
Dixon has got just a step too far; that
he has done the cause more harm than
good, and, as a consequence, they are
denouncing their own orators in the
most violent terms.
The Brooklyn Eagle, which is about
as extreme a gold-bug journal as any
in the country, says of him
For one thing, Mr.. Dixon said that |
he voted for Mr.. Cleveland and desired |
before God to acknowledge his sin. |
Before he had proceeded very far he |
was roundly Missed. Many of his au- |
ditors left the building. One of them, |
HlOACu 10 iuSb luNAE IdbiOu dU Il SldlC~ |
ment which, whether true or false, had |
no more place in a sermon than in |
the Ten Commandments, arose to his |
feet and called him liar.
THAT was exactly what Mr.. Dixon |
wanted No doubt he would have been |
more pleased if he had been pelted with |
stale eggs, because in that event the |
newspapers would have taken more ex-
tended notice of the incident, and the |
notoriety of the preacher would have |
been proportionately enlarged. We can |
understand why there are people who |
sustain the tendency OF the pulpit to |
keep in touch with the events Of the |
hour, and we can concede that there |
is much to be said on their side, albeit |
eontending, for our own part, that it |
is the duty of a minister of the Gospel /
TO preach the Word and nothing but |
the Word first, last and all the time"
The Chicago Times-Hcrald equally |
gold-bug, speaks even more vigorously |
of Rev. Dixon, and says of his sermon,
alias speech:
This is the language of a luantic |
or of an incendiary. The brutal farce
into which lie degraded his Office was
terminated, we are told, in the pathetic |
irony of a 'benediction' More logical |
indeed ~ould it have been if his con
gregation had replied with a maledic- |
ton upon him who did not bless but |
on that occasion at least defiled tenn
pie they had dedicated to Christian |
truth"
From which it will be judged that |
the gold-bugs have had rather too much |
of the preacher-politicians, and want
to put muzzle on them . 1t is a good |
sign. There have been too many Nc |
Kinley sermons this year, and it has
Disguised the public.-New Orleans
Times Democrat.