Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-15

the Rev. Mr.. sheldon told at length
how he would manage q Christian
daily newspaper, and tn THE Confess
| sions Of John WhitIock, Late Preach
er of the Gospel" Mr.. Howe told how
and why the ministers had failed.
In his book Mr.. Howe puts the
words conveying his ideas into the
mouth of John Whitlock, who has
been a minister of the gospel for for
ty years, but who, becoming weary of
/ preaching things he did not believe,
resigns his charge and writes his
confessions" In this book Mr..
Howe vigorously exonerates
the modern minister,
asserting that he has not only misin-
%terpreted and misapplied the word OF
God, but that he has been preaching
doctrines specially forbidden by
Christ. Howe asserts that religion
has been surrounded by doctrines.
dogmas and creeds which has tended
to confuse the average mind, and has
made pure religion practically an inn
possibility. He asserts that, while
the world is more intelligent than ever
! before, there is less religion in the
world than there was ten years ago,
and he places all the blame on the
ministers. Unless there is a reforma-
ton and a revolution within the
church, Howe writes, the church will
eventually meet ruin and disaster.
1t is not the fault of Christ's teach
ings, he says, nor of the people, but
rather it is the fault of those teach
ers who have assumed to interpret
and instruct the word of God. In
stead Of preaching pure religion and
true morality, they have been spend
in gmost of their time discussing
foolish dogmas, and, hence, he asserts,
they have made an ignominious fail
ure.
Some amusing incidents have grown
Rev. Mr.. Sheldon and MI. Howe. In
the Atchison Globe Mr.. Howe one day
printed a burlesque advertisement,
which he said might appear in the
Rev. MI. Sheldon's Christian Daily
Capital. 1t read:
Wanted-A Christian Man Wants
money to invest; will guarantee 20
per cent per month; no chance to
lose, as everything will be managed
by Christians. Address BROTHER
BOLTON, this Office.
William Allen White copied the
joke in his paper the Emporia Gazette
and on the next day received the fol-
lowing letter from a woman living in
Emporia:
Dear Brother-I saw your aid in
Commercial street any time except
Saturday afternoon next, and oblige
A SISTER.
Mr.. White sent M of his reporters
to the house indicated by the number
and found there a woman
who actually had $1,000
to entrust to a good Christian man.
She had inherited the money a short
time before. The only condition she
eXacted was that the man to whom she
entrusted her money should have a
certificate from his pastor that he at
tended church and prayer meeting
regularly. She asked no further Sc
curity.
The Rev. Mr.. Sheldon has always
commended, both in his pulpit and also
in I'm His Steps" that the publication
of the news Of prize fights was wrong,
and that such news should be suppress
ed. 1t so happens that on the Tuesday
of the week when the Rev, Mr.. Shell
don will be editing the Topeka Cap
ital the big fight between Jeffries and
Corbett will come off. For a time
much speculation was INDUCED in as
to whether Mr.. Sheldon would print
the news of this fight. He set the
matter at rest in an interview, declar-
ing that he would print the news Of the
fight, but he would suppress all the
narrowing details. In the Atchison
Globe, Mr.. Howe suggested that Mr..
Sheldon's account of the fight would
read something like this:
Round 1-Mr. Corbett evidently felt
the humiliation of his position. and
the Spirit seemed to be working, until
Mr.. Jeffries steppd up and struck him
real hard. eve doubt if Mr.. Corbett
is a praying man for the Bible says
if a man smites you OF n cheek, turn
the other also, whereas Mr.. Corbett
became very angry at the action of
Mr.. Jeffries and struck back.) Then
came what some low men neal the
ring called a mix-up, and after some
more of the wicked spectacle, it for
tunately ended by a man whom all
present seemed to respect, ringing a
bell.
Qntermission.)
Round 2.-We were much ~disappoint-
ed in seeing these two sinful men
come out again. We had hoped that
during the intermisison they would re-
pent. Without any seeming provoca-
ton, however, Mr.. Corbett sprang at
his adversary, and was SO fierce that
we expected a conclusion of the af-
fair, but Mr.. Jeffries stepped to one
side, evidently knowing that Mr.. Cor
bett had been brought up among low
surroundings, and was vicious. At this
moment the ARRAY became so sicken-
ing that the Capital %rpDortar turned