The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-13
CITY OFFICIAL PAPER.
SEATTLE, SUNDAY, AUGUST ls.
THE CHURCH A. 4 MORAL ORGAN
IZATION.

THE CHURCH A. 4 MORAL ORGAN
IzATION.
We republish today an excellent arii-
Gle from the Daysman, the organ OF the
First Presbyterian church Of Seattle. In
. gentle spirit and In courteous tones 1t
answers the criticism Of the secular
press uron the weakness Of some OF the
men In the ministry, and upon the hy-
pocrisy sometimes to be found within
the church fold. So far as the Post-ln-
telligencer Is concerned. the rebuke does
not apply It has always spoken In
terms OF respect Of the church In It's
work, Its ministry and Its membership.
It has no desire to interfere with creeds.
church. When II has commented upon
the subject 1t has been In an effort to
explain why the church Is not SO sue
cessful as II desires to be. and In an
swer 10 complaints that 30 many men
fail to become members.
The rebuks to the critics In just The
be produced than the plan uf the church
lor bringing about Of moral reforms. 1t
y the duffy Of the critics to make that
plan known. II they have no better plan.
then let them help perfect the plans
that are now being utilized. and pro-
duce good workers for the tasks to be
done.
This appeal. II will be seen. refers only
TO the church in relation to moral re-
seem to be inconsistent. we may refer
10 the fact that the Post-Inteiligence
has always distinctly separated the
church az a moral organization and as
. medium Of dogmatIsm. There Is no
better institution whose object Is the
bringing about OF moral reforms. 1t IL
ehe only institution which has that pur-
pose directly in view. II has accomplish
cd wonders. and no Intelligent man viii
md fault with the good II does accom-
plish- Its method Is the right one.
when II Is confined to education OF the
people To the right.
The criticism Of church work comes
when unwise action Is taken with the
result that greater evil follows. Unfor-
funately. human nature IL a mixture Of
water and Gilt. There IL apparently no
way by which that silt can be elimisi-
uted. Sometimes the silt sinks to
the bottom and leaves an upper
stratum of fairly clear water. II Ia not
eliminating the silt IL stir II UP and
muddy the water by promiseuously mix
Ing them. This is what the church some
times does,
Noiscme flies sometimes congregate
In n corner where they annoy only
those who so near them The rest Of us
are free from contact with them. and
exempt from their soil Suddenly an
nnwise and overzealous preacher calls
at ention to them with a warning that
shoy are there. and proceeds In scatter
them So that none can be free from their
annoyance until the furry IL over ana
they settle down In their obscure re
treat once more We have had an en-
perien1e az this kind IN Seattle en- more
than o:e occasion. and the hes, az ci;i-
gems have had reason 10 deriore the u,f-
A..
II would probably 10 difficult 20 per-
tuaae preacher trained hi the routine
cf church thought that there are viola
items of the decalogue which are as
helnous ana as pevnIeieus - the soa!
ns the evil which the church usually So
lects as an object of its mast senSa~
,,onai attacks. That eva Is 80 ~ de-
riored tuss az war il. or rs some q the
other fellles II human nature arc 81 be
eepiorel; but truthtulness. honesty
charity. SELF control arc virtues which
should BE- cultivated am which would
make an almost perfect human being
even accompanied by a failing which
makes particular esil the apparently
uneonauerabie fae so morality * Is II
IL a nsrp,sxlng sahject; The man wha b.
lieves IL his kind cannot contemplate Il
wsthou. resre: bat Il is sometimes wor-
dercsi a. ths; ths Church does nct deal
mere vigorously With i9o less vicious de-
;oess ot even more general prevalence.
The raysnsar sdrzlts that occasional
h. hyr&sess,vs are 90 re found asseng
eAurch members, Asss very rsst'I4ertly
resorts that the xanse may ss ssia ef
business sns social circles, Such csitI-
J eism Is not worth nesfsang. ss The work