Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-12

LoreSLlng sermon dL Tie lulIu 1IcS-
| byterian church last evening, taking
for his theme. "The duty of protesting
against that which is wrong" His
text was according to Ephesians. 6:15:
Having done all to stand" The min
listers remarks, which were listened
to attentively by the congregation.
were in substance as follows:
There is false philosophy which
is now doing great damage with refer
ence to right and wrong. That phil
osophy asks the question, What is the
use?' Men say if we cannot. speedily
| succeed, what is the use of trying?
The Christian Sabbath is shamefully
desecrated, but what is the use of
trying to enforce the laws. Gambling
is rife in our midst, but what is the
| use OIL trying to stop it? Such argu-
ments are heard from people, who say
that they are opposed to these evils.
| Now, our text is an answer to such
weak, faint-hearted sentiments. 1t
calls upon people and public officers to
take their stand Business men pro-
test against dishonesty, and. yet they
know that they cannot absolutely
stop it.
Now, suppose that the Grocers' AS
ISOLATION Of Wheeling should pass a
resolution something like this: Where
as, We have not been able to stop all
forms of dishonesty in business. Re-
solved, That we cease protesting
against the people refusing to pay
their bills and that we countenance
dishonesty as necessary and un-
conquerable evil, for what is the use
of protesting against an evil which we
have not been able to eradicate. What
would you think of such a set of men ?
Would they not be ridiculed and
scorned by all fair-minded people?
And yet this is practically the view
our city officials have taken with refer
ence to gambling and Sabbath break
ing.
Society protests against insincerity
and social hypocrisy, is about the
commonest thing in existence. In
society you are flattered to your face
| and struck by ball of mud as soon
as you turn your back. There are
falsehoods and insincere complaints
on all sides of Us. But are we to sit
idly by and say, What is the use?'
These things always have. existed and
always will exist. Are we to throw
away our convictions of right because
we cannot overcome wrong by a single
stroke? A man is either a coward or
ignorant when he reaches the point
where he has not the manhood to pro-
test against that which he knows is
wrong. A man is moral coward who
does not stand his ground and protest,
no matter how greatly he is outnum-
bered by the opposition. What the
church needs to-day is more steadfast
because it is right. No matter how
many people do wrong. there are too
many people who want to do the pop
ular thing instead of tee right thing.
We need more bold, feaGess Christians
A protest is not meg:, negation. 1t
erects standard. YYlr firm stand
for the right and your protest against
the wrong may give scores of people
the courage to do the same thing.
THE world wants men, large-hearted,
manly men.
The age needs heroes-heroes who shall
dare
To struggle in the solid ranks of truth
To cluSch the monster Error by the throat.
To bear opinion to a loftier seat.
Charles Wesley said Give me a
hundred men who fear nothing but
sin and desire nothing but God, and l
will shake the world He got his hun
dred men and he shook the world
with a mighty religious earthquake
Give us hundred men in Wheel
ing who are willing to stand firmly for
better city government and we will
shake Wheeling to its foundations. 1t
is our duty to use the power of pro-
test just at this time. The expression,
The almighty dollar is 81 American
expression. 1t shows that money is
more powerful in determining the
actions of some people than all of the
eternal principles of truth snd justice.
Such sentiment is like rottenness in
the bones of any nation. 1t corruptS
politics and reduces the officers of the
law to bride takers. If there ever was
a time when clean, brave men ought
to loudly protest against such a sem
timent and practice is it now. Our
cities are getting to be cess pools of
iniquity, not because we have no good
laws, but because the officers of the
law blankly refuse to enforce the laws.
The only place that such officers can
be punished is at the polls. 1t is the
duty of every voter who has any pride
, in the good name of his city or any
love for the safety of his home, to loud
" protest by his voice and ballot