Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-11-17
Christianity as Factor in Civiliza-
tion-Part 8.
From The Jefersonian, by ], L. LODGE
d. D., Editor.

Trade introduces opulence, and wealth
creates leisure. Leisure in numerous direc-
tons helps forward refinement in taste, in
habits, and productions. The wicked waste
OF time by gaddng women and lazy, loung.
ing male trifiers, indicates the animal grade;
human class with Undertakings Of divin
ity, snatch opportunity from all the press of
essential duties, and are resolved to possess
leisure in some measure, no matter how hard
they may have to labor for it, or what it
may cost in self denial. Princes often come
out OF poverty king can create lord,
but only the Lord can make man. Leisure
affords time TO think, to devise, to execute in
lines whose natural and constant trend is
toward augmented cultivation and conse
quent ennobement of human nature
Among the greatest benefactors of the world
have been those who either inherited or
won competency, and used the opportu,
nifty thus derived to enlighten, to guide, TO
inspire their fellow men. They set in motion
tide OF influence for good which even the
muck rake workers cannot wholly evade,
and which flows through minds receptive
and prepared, nor ever ceases, no, not
through all eternity. All such who have
stood in an art gallery, in hall of sculpture,
or have cen accustomed to analyse and APP
propriate the discourse OF great tongues, or
fused into their very being the principles
and instructions flowing from diamond
pens, have felt the influx and increase OF a
power not one Of them is able to describe.
These words OF mine can never be under
stood but will be ridicued by that numer
Gus class in whose formation nature EN-
ployed only her refuse material; who know
not how to appreciate anything they cannot
sell, or spend, or hoard. just now, we have
Nha lot .,ft ha Ann hi aff.
there shall come the aristocracy of brains
Auxiliary to material prosperity is that
worthy pride which works wonders through
a commendable emulation. The hut, with
its squalor, gives place TO the palace, with
its cleanliness and comfort The wilder
ness Is transformed into rose garden
agrestic boorishness is substituted by urban
ity, the politeness of the town. Libraries
are founded, and the love OF literature ex
cited or fed. Better, far, than all this, nay,
In the last analysis productive OF all this,
and more, has been the adoption of the ave-
nues oil trade as the highways over which the
message of life has been transported to revo
lutioniZe human thought, and motive, and
action. That ship OF Adramyttium, rs alter
the shipwreck on Malta, the Castor and Pol.
lux, which conveyed Paul from Caesarea to
Puteoli, carried as their passenger the most
precious freight that ever traversed the
Levant The nucleus OF almost every New
Testament church founded in the several
cities and visited by the first preachers of
the gospel, was Of Jewish converts who had
gone thither as merchants and traders. And
in later centuries commerce has opened up
the way to foreign missions. In those in
stances in which the initiative was taken by
the missionary spirit, and International com
mi nj ta1 ira ma "a Al
supporter in giving permanency Ia effort.
So, civilization is in u measure indebted to
commerce.
am not unaware that, like any other in
strumentality which is for good under proper
regulations, and wisely directed, economies,
perverted and abused. may tend to form
of barbarism, and eventually overthrow that
civilization whose benevolent servitor and
agent 1t formerly was. Wicked and disas
trous wars have been waged to gain en-
trance for profit, and, like Galgacus's Ro-
mans, the victors have "caled IL peace when
they had made desert" History seems to
show that the civilization which advanced
along the line of imag nation, created and
controlled by the emotional, has been dis
placed by the love OF gain, greed usurping
the place of spiritual forces. In this world,
as there surely is no unmixed good, there is,
perhaps, no unmtigated evil. AS we have
seen, God reigns, and knows how 10 make
subservient to His own purposes the most
blinded and selfish agents. There may ap
pear TO finite intelligence an oscDiation be
tween advance and retrogresslon, but He
sees that toward the limit eternally set the
march IL practically forward. The cen
tralzation OF wealth does. at this very hour,
threaten to annlhlate civilization and pro
woke vengeful violence through that con-
centration OF power which never fails ruth
lessy 10 trample under foot, impoverish and
enslave the weaker, because poorer, element
10 society. But then, certain as God, retri
button suPervenes. Foulon says, "The peo
pie may cat grass" and comes the French
Revolution. II is pitiable where, as In this
country, the villains who are scheming Tor
the overthrow of our hitherto benevolent
system and institutions for the establish
ment of tyranous plutocracy are upheld
by the bond slaves whom they already tread
into the earth. There will come AN awaken
ing; but they will be bloody hands with
which men shall rub their eyes. Anarchy
will have Its season. But the uRtDersdL gov
eminent will not stagger; the age lasting
purpose shall hold on. We do not lose faith
10 the ultimate success of civlizing agencies.
because we believe in the corrective energy
OIL which IL Is now Jlinc 10 bp6hk.
The most powerful factor In the reclama"
ton and development OF men has been and
ia 70 be religious education To avoid that
shallow thinking which leads 10 limited un
dertaking and meager accomplishment, we
must never use the word except in the sense
OF the derivative from its LatIn root. Edu
cation ia bringing out and enabling the en-
Dryo; not examining the emptiness with
something from without. Nor Is 1t per
mitted To attempt, what can never be done,
the enforcement Of moral cultivation from
the intellectual. Each may, indeed, pro-
coed somewhat with slight reference 10 the
other; but without an indissoube union
the worthiest and best is impossible TO either
And a slavish restriction 10 knowledge OBJ
tainabe IRON books must enchain progress
TO miserably inadequate ideal. 1t IL most
evident that the divine scheme includes
circle OF gifts and graces whose uses and
advantages are simply infinite. Take, for
example, the provision for culture through
companionship; not an afterthought, super
induced by subsequent reflection, or the
remedial outgrowth OF experimentation, but
as primal ordinance on the birthday Of
mans mortal career. Therefore, we indorsc
most earnestly the sentiment OF Goethe, that
marriage Is the beginning and end Of all
culture. II makes the savage mild, and the
most cultivated has no better opportunity
for displaying his gentleness. lndissolubIe
II must be, because II brings 30 much happi
ness that what small, exceptional unhappi-
ness II may bring counts for nothing in the
balance" They two shall be one flesh II
nj ways requiring two halves ~ make one
whole The man was as II half made, Till
comp lementej by the wOman-Oods wO
man not the epicene nondescript designated
~ the Newt
Story Of q Slave.