The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-28
Chapel Services.


Rev. j. Ii. Albert conducted services
in the prison chapel Sunday, which
opened by the choir singing the anthem
"Jesus is Calling The scriptural les
son was taken from the first thirty
verses of the thirteenth chapter of
Matthew aud was followed by the con-
gregation singing the hymn Grown
Him. After invocation and the choir
singing the anthem Give Found a
Friend, the chaplain preached sermon
on the influence Of Christianity on CIV
ilization, taking his text from John w.
80. "They said therefore unto Him,
what sign shewest thou then, that we
may see and believe thee? What dost
thou work: ?" The following is brief
synopsis:
Christianity has been in the world
nineteen hundred years--a period of
time which has marked the greatest
progress in the history Of mankind. If
viewed specifically, the value of Chris
tianity does not always appear on the
surface. In round numbers there are
| fourteen hundred million people in the
world, and of these not more than four
hundred million are Christians, real or
nominal We all know that of the
number embraced within the Christian
religion. comparatively few lead de-
voted. conscientious and righteous
lives. But when we measure the value
of Christianity to mankind, we must
consider what man was before the adj
vent of Christ. In this modern age we
look deeper into subject than our
the history of man dates back. not six
thousand years. bnt ten thousand and
perhaps one hundred thousand times
six thousand years. From low order
of life he has gradually developed,
through many changes and degrees of
intelligence and forms of religious wor-
ship, to his present standard of enlight-
eminent. and in this countless ;pons of
time have been required for the devel-
Opment. Compared with this vast ex-
tent of time. the nineteen hundred
years Of Christianity are but moment
on the dial plate of time, a mere stage
of progress, but one that has been more
beneticent In its good influences on
mankind than the results of all others
combined. All religions differ in their
origin and fundamental forms of wor.
ship. The Hindu god created his creed
and left the world in the darkness of
blind obedience to superstitious ideals,
without the hope of ever raising above
it's original crudeness The gods of the
Greeks and Romans were but deitied
heroes of other days. elevated in the
minds of their worshipers. and as they
were Of human origin. they had human
vices. imperfections and jealousness,
warning among themselves and med
ding in the affairs of the world. The
God of the Jews was God of tran
scendent righteousness, but they be-
lieved Him as Being hating the world
for its sin and refusing to care for its
welfare. The religion of Christ ap-
peared and He taught the divine truth
that all men are the children of God,
that He is their Father. loving and
wishing to forgive them and that all
men has the gate of salvation open to
them. The Jews believed God above
caring for sinners. and when Jesus
mingled among them. His enemies
found this their strongest argument
against His divinity.
The nineteen centuries that Chris
tianity has been on earth has given
mankind true conception of the
grandeur of human nature. We shud-
der when told of the atrocities in Cuba
and Armenia. but when we compare
them with the barbarism of other times
they are as nothing. During the siege
of Jerusalem, Titus crucified every
Jew he captured; in Rome slaves were
fed to cells to give them flavor and all
manner of cruelties were perpetrated
on the lower classes by those in power,
without thought of the demands of hui
manity or feeling OF pity. Today hui
manity is first in the thoughts of men,
the humblest are cared for and their
wrongs righted and all through the en-
| lightened civilization that is the direct
result of the religion of Christ swaying