The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-15
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
AS Bad as Ananias Are Some Men, Says
Bill Arp, the Philosopher.
AtlantG Constitution.

! / reckon. Hypocrisy, deceit, exag-
geration are not confined to traders;
Professionalism and politicians use all
these to gain their ends. Yes, and
even some preachers will make up a
pathetic story to move their hearers
to tears, or to give sensational effect
to the sermon. Then, there are the
white lies that the women have to tell
every day: sob, am so glad to see
you; you are looking so we'll; your lit
tie girl is dear little thing, and as
pretty as a pink; DO sit longer; won't
you take dinner with us?' Sometimes
she is not glad, nor is the little girl
pretty, nor does she want the visitor
to sit longer or stay to dinner. But
these are social deceptions, and keep
up good will. What an awful thing it
would be for lady to tell her visitor
that she had stayed long enough, and
had better go. Not long ago lady Of
! our town told two boys who came to
see her boys that they had better go
home, for they had stayed long enough,
and it raised rumpus that is not yet
allayed.
Ordinary lying that has no malice
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in it is not cardinal sin. 1t is not
forbidden in the ten commandments.
Ananias,was not suddenly punished
for lying unto men, but he had lied
unto God. he sought to defraud the
Lord treasury-and there is many a
church member doing the same thing
now. They make no sacrifice. They
withhold part and lie unto thei-own
consciences. The poor widows mite
is still bigger thing than rich mans
large donation.
I wonder what kind Of a world we
would have if everybody was good. 1
don't mean religious, but kind and
just and honest. Our courts and
prisons would be abolished. Just
.hink of it. But it cannot be. Ori-
ginal sin and total depravity and
moral turratude are still in the way.
The mystery of evil still hangs over
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us. John Stuart Mill and Herbert
Spencer and other great thinkers say
that the Creator made the very best
+, world aud the best inhabitants that
He could out of the material that He
had, but that it is improving as the
centuries roll on. And John Fiske
says that evil is necessary to teach US
what good is. That if there was no
crime or pain or grief we would have
no JOY or happiness and would not
know what it was. Plato said 1000
years ago that we had to limit God s
omnipotence or His goodness, one or
the other, and many learned and. sin
cere men, like Calvin and Edwards,
have tried to reconcile predestination
with free agency, but it is all incom-
prehensible to me and [ have total
back and eutrench myself on those in
functions which say 'Deal justly
Il
love mercy aud obey the Lord thy
God" and the later one which says,
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart and thy neighbor as
thyself," and then accept David s
faith, wh:sh saith, "Though He slay
me yet will trust in Him." I'm not
going to strain my mind over perplex-
ing problems that have never been
solved. Mr.. Fiske is beautiful
writer, but if evil was created as a
contrast so that we might know what
good is then how can we enjoy heaven
when there is no evil, no crime or grief
or aff1iction. One thing do know,
that this is beautiful world and this
life is happy one to those who choose
to make it so. President Dabney, Of
the University of Tennessee, said in a
recent speech at Huntsville: ENG
land is about to perpetrate great
crime against the Beers in expelling
them from their own domain. But
this is progress and is inevitable. 1t
, is the law Of nature and the law OF
nature is the law of God. That
sounds like strange doctrine to those
who believe that God is love. The
Savior said, "Offenses must needs
come, but woe unto them by whom
they come" Then what peril are
those rulers in who have the power to
oppress and use it to carry out sell
fish policy. After all it is safest to
be an humble, honest citizen and have
no policy. BILL ARP.
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