Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-08

for the right. And the most forcible
appeals against the wrongs Of the la
boring people to-day comes from min
listers and churchmen. The signs OF
the times indicated that Zion is get
ting ready to put on her strength In a
greater measure than ever in behalf OF
the working people. even at the risk
of being accused of preaching politics.
The discussion of this must be deferred
to another place.
But for any man to advocate that
the laboring classes should be religious
and obey Christ ana at the same time
take an attitude of hostility to the
church, is to do the cause Of Labor in
calculable damage. To bring about a
reform you must look tt people who are
willing to sacrifice time, means and
effort, with no selfish motive in view.
II you expect to find such among
the n%on-church going people, you are
sadly mistaken. This talk about be-
lieving in christianity, yet not believ-
ing in churchanity' is foolish in the ex-
IRENE. We do not claim perfection for
the church. That she has failed in
some respects. no honest person will
deny; this is due to her human compo-
sition. But that nothing else approx
i'm afnC hU nnn Ctnn IN nnit1iNn hnr
purity and power for truth and righte-
BUSINESS we do most emphatically claim.
II you stay out of her, where else will
you go for religious instruction and
Christian ordinances? She alone has
the words of eternal life. Blot the
church out OF our land and tell me,
will it make the condition of the
laborer any better? No; you know
that in ten years it would be all the
worse. Blot out the church and in ten
years where would the reverence for
Christ be? And yet we read that a New
York audience a%pplauded the name of
Christ and Kissed the mention of the
church. What would this country be
like in twenty-five years from now #
the churches should close and quit?
Who can ten the degradation to which
society would sink? What do men Of
fer instead of the church to keep the
knowledge of the Lord in the world?
"a few years ago, when a new Sec
ton Of public land was opened to those
wishing to claim homesteads in Okla
homa Territory, a colony Of so-called
free thinkers established a community,
into which they declared that no
churches should come. But alas! So
ciety became so corrupt hat neither
life nor property was safe, and the wall
was sent into our home mission board,
Send us missionaries!' The men who
rushed to the Klondike regions IN
search of gold did not realize that they
were leaving behind them something
more precious than gold, until they
found themselves away from the re-
straining influences of the church, an
influence which affords more protection
than guns and revolvers. And the cry
came from the 4Aiondike: Send us mis-
sionaries.' These men wanted Chris
tianity and they looked to the church
to send it to them. Then it was that
they appreciated the church. How
weak it is for men to talk about
Believing in Christianity
and at the same time reject the church.
l have taken the pains to notice par
ticularly some individuals who claim to
believe in Christianity, but who are
hostile and bitter against the church,
and | tell you no one would ever think
of calling them the salt Of the earth
or Witnesses for Christ. Such people
care for little but what will feed them,
clothe them, house them and make
their bodies comfortable The real
fact is that they care little for religion.
Men have sought substitutes for the
church, but they have been dismal fail
ures. Augusta Comte offered as a SUBJ
stitute his religion of humanity which
was to ~regenerate society. His high
priest was to be the supreme director
of the intellectual, the moral, the indus
trial and the social development of So
ciety. His priests were to teach SCI
ence, and humanity was to be the di-
vinity and be worshipped. Twas all
that this great philosopher could offer
instead of the church. 1t is needless
to say that it never amounted to any,
thing.
I'm England, about five years ago,
some misguided men organized what
was known as the labor church. A cor
respondent OF the New York Independ-
ent visited their service one day. In
stead of the Scripture reading a selec-
ton from Carlyle's Past and Present
was read. Instead of the sermon a
young man read a paper on strikes
and their settlement. The singing con-
sisted OF songs on social and industrial
questions, etc. Such a service might
have been very helnfuf in o lodoa roo.