The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-06-10
w. C. T. U. U.COLUMN.
CONDUCTED BY MRS. NJ. L. HOBBS.
Rev. Hogan on the Church Question.

Editor Pnalanx Having reac
"Rev. Lasby vs. a Prohibition
church" in your paper. | am moye'
to say several things, and with youl
permission | will divide the SAINT
into two or three articles.
/. No one, with good sense, de
sires to form Prohibition church
in the sense assumed by Rev. Las
by. 1t is Christian church that i
desired Nor does anyone want Il
make "a prohibition plank ties
of membership" 1t is Christian
conduct and character at the ballo
box, as in 0. her rel"tions in life
that is demanded; yet prohibition
would be more honorable anC
consistent test OF membership thar
Republicanism, a is largely thu
test for favor, at least in such sect
"a Rev. Lasby represents.
We have too many polltIca
chuIches now, what we need Is
IChnstlan church.
The church, as such, support
the liquor traffic and otherwise dis
honois God. In the language OF
John IL, "He that endorses hin
and bids him God-speed is partak
er Of his evil deeds" 1t l. a Grim
inal act to belong to an organization
OF criminals who persistently an
tagonize God and condemn Hi
word.
1t is a criminal act for any mum
ber Of people to claim to be a churci
of God, while they are enemies
of his gospel. and despise his cove
nant, !, and trample under foot hi
commands, and Illustrate all his de
signs in the incarnation of His Son
That the churches are guilt,
OF these things is too palpable to be
denied. Before God and man they
stand convicted. They are fals'
and deceitful, and every man anC
woman who gives to one of then
his name and support is a partne
in the awful crime committed.
2. 1t is said that ''the heart o
the church is right on the prohibi'
tion question:" BY this Rev
Lasby does not pretend that the
church is right at the ballot box OF
Prohibition, but says she Is right il
her resolutions on the subject
Therefore, sin ce she says one thinl
and does another she is ''all right. =
a very honest heart indeed
But the church is not right or
the question even in her resolutions
no more than she is in her acts
Her resolutions are false on their
very face, and were passed for de-
ceiving. True, in 1892 they said,
''It (the saloon) can never be Ii
censed without sin, but the same
resolutions also declared: 1--WE
do not presume to dictate as to
matter of their votes" Tin this sin }.
The word dictate" simply mean.
to tell cut with authority. The fact
is the churches, while Confessing
that the liquor traffic is sin, have
expressly declared in resolutions,
which Rev. Lasby would have us
believe are "all right" that no sin
or crime that a man may commit al
the ballot box will in any way i'm
pair his standing in the ministry or
the membership.
II his church is "all right" why
did the NJ. f. church general con-
ference of 1896 strike out the strong
on the prohibition ques-
tion from their discipline of 1896,
the latest e6ition) which were in
the discipline of 1892? And why
did the Methodist Episcopal gener-
al conference endorse the Anti-Sa-
loon" league, which is composed OF
license voters almost exclusively?
The fact is, most of the churches
were guilty of taking back action on
the saloon sin in 1867. And
since actions speak louder than
words, il would not mend the mat
ter much even il they were right in
resolutions, which they are not.
Churches that say the saloon is a
sin, but that they do not presume
to dictate in the matter Of this sin,
cannot be "all right" no matter
what hired preachers may say.
The widespread assumption that
the church resolutions arr all right
is all wrong. The late Neal Dow
placed the blame for the whole evil
of saloons upon the church, and
would never join the church for thai
reason.
We will continue the discussion
in another article. Yours fol
preaching the Gospel instead o
preaching about it. ]. c. HoGAN
Forest City. Pa.