The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-16
THE WILL OF GOD.
Nary e. Lease Tells a Pittsburg
Audience
That the Social Revolution Is
the Working Out
OF THE DIVINE LAW.
Discomfort Is a Preparation for
the Overthrow
Of Old and Unjust Laws and
Constitutions.

Pittsburg, March 16.-The auditors in
the old city hall last night of Mrs. Mary
T. Leases lecture on THE Two Great
Contending Forces in Civilization were
repaid manifold for their attendance
Some preconceDtions of the woman's
motives and views were doubtless aban-
doned, and at least few would oppose
the particular ideas advanced in her
address Her tall and slender form
was CARRIED in black silk, with jet col
Iarette, which admirably suited the
stauesque pose she maintained, even
during the most fervent moments of her
delivery.
With ones eyes closed, her deep bari
tone voice suggested a masculine ora
tor. There was no meditation, but
the monotone a chorus recitation in
opera preserved. Her phrases were
picturesque, but the dominant key was
that of a jeremiad, solemn and calam-
1tous- And yet it breathed a deep re-
hglouS feeling, and was an impressive
and brilliant essay.
John H. Stevenson introduced Mrs
Leas as IF not the foremost lady in
the land by act of law, foremost by ma
ture.' He said: You have heard of
Mrs Lease many a time and so has
John J. ingalls,. And the battles she has
mad with him have qualified him to re-
port prize fight
Mrs. Lease began her lecture bv de-
filming evolution, and claiming that civ
1l1zation is growth. There is no luck
III LllG WOGlQ, DQI only the Inevitable
law OF compensation. Men receive what
they earn. Then she dwelt on the rapid
strides of today. Every day there are
achievements which surpass the fairy
tales we read in youth. Society is now
confronted with gigantic problems In
creased production is associated with
decreased consumption. But the giant
trusts themselves are arrayed against
each other. The sugar trust seeks to
destroy the coffee trust the steel trust
to cross swords with the iron All must
lead to a readjustment of the social
fabric. With Swedenborg, let US be-
neve that every evil has within it the
germ of its own destruction
The problems of the day are centuries
old, but the conditions are absolutely
new. She then showed how all parts of
the world are in close and quick COM
1nunicatiOn Here she uttered with q
softer pedal, the keynote of her lee
ture, that all was working out the in
flexible will of God
Next she traced the dawn of liberty
from the Athenian republic, that anon
ally where there are ten slaves to one
freeman, down to the present by CEN
fury periods. Civilization had moved
westward, but now the journey is COM
plete. We cannot escape from the con-
gested cities by flight. We must meet
the veXed problem. America is free
dom's last but sturdiest child. The
world is profoundly disconnected.
Events are making a traVesty of the
gospel of Christ but the hand of God
She next discussed European affairs
Russia seeks to establish her capital at
Cons tantinOple and bring destruction to
the interests of England, France, Ger
many and Italy. The key of EngIand's
is India, and Russia will seize it. She
spoke of the burdens of aristocracy,
militarism, and the greed of the church
in the old countries Rule was never
so largely in the hands of the mob.
Rulers are preparing for mighty war,
because afraid of each other, and pri-
q marily of this mob. She spoke bitterly
= or Spanish butcherieS in Cuba, and said
the United States should interfere in
behalf of peace. We are sending Red
Cross angels to Armenia, but do not
stop the butcheries near home All
the powers have ordered great battle
ships, for after 1000 years of Christi
anity we are preparing to butcher our
fellow man. Ministers seem to be
obliviOus of the fact that either Chris
t1anity is a failure, or themselves ignO-
miniOus failures. Even near-sighted
politicians see the gathering storm.
The way is preparing for an era of
industrial democracy and social JUS
tice. The Golden Rule is to be reintro-
duced. The ideas of the holier and
higher civilization are born in this age
of unrest
events that have marked eras in his
tory. John Brown took from a Vir-
ginia scaffOld to the throne of God the
letters of a race. - She finally reached
the central idea of her lecture. There
are two methods of meeting this storm.
First, the policy of Caesar; second, the
method of Christ. The former was
brute force, duplicity and hate; the lat
ter was goodness sympathy and love.
Hate and love were the two great con-
tending forces.
She then abandoned the somber style
of dire prophecy, and entered upon a
discourse that had sweetness and light
She told how Christ had abrogated all
imperialism, and taught the brother
hood of man. He Denounced nobody
until he met the uSurers, and scribeS
and PhariseeS. There were such to-
day. The sole difference between the
religions of Brahma, Buddha and Confu-
John xiii, "a. The new commandment
to love on another. All our evils came
from ignoring the brotherhood of man.
She told the story of the deacon teach
ing the tramp to repeat the Lords
prayer, and the dawning on the for
mer's mind that Our Father meant
this brotherhood, and he shouted to
have the bread for the tramp cut quick
and thick She continued analyzing
how the people violate everything for
which they ask in the Lords prayer.
We celebrate Christmas and see not
the little children in the coal mines. Our
eyes are focused on the historic Christ,
and are blind to the God in our neigh
Dor. If we are Christians, why intro
duce military tactics into our schools
to train the plastic mind of youth in
warfare? Let deed conform to creed.
Christ is buried beneath theology, dead
Journalism and cold ritualism.
But the day is not far distant when
the gold, purple and incense of the
church will be placed with the rusted
swords of war. The churches, how
ever, will still send for-the Red Cross
laborers and carry sympathy and help
to the oppressed. Then she made her
solitary political allusion by saying that
the church is standing between the
reckless anarchist and the devotee of
the gold standard who would sacrifice
20 MoIoch the humanity of the world.
Then Mrs. Lease said there would be
n SiSterhood of women, too, and the