Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1900-11-22
BETTER WORLD.
By Rev. G. N. Sheldon.

*ss-s-s-s-
We live in the most wonderful age
that the world has ever known. Won
derful not because of the money We
make, not because of the great
churches we build, not because Of the
material prosperity which we possess,
but because of its opportunities to
! make a better world.
/ The very first way is to make a bet
ter Church in the world. I wonder
sometimes what Jesus would think Of
US if He were to come into our
churches to-day. I wonder whether
the .formality that sometimes sur
] rounds the message about truth in
pulpit would not grieve Him to the
heart, if He would not feel that h
man who stands behind the desk-I
am speaking of any great church in
the world to-day-was losing his
privilege to preach the gospel be-
cause he was afraid of somebody in
h congregation. I sometimes think
If Christ were to come into our
churches in the great centres Of life
He would go away saying, These are
not my people,"
The Church Of Jesus Christ to-day,
whatever it's faults may be. is be-
s. ginning to come together in a common
purpose to lift up a common human
ity.
Another great hopeful fact to-
day is the organized young life. I am
beginning to think that the best thing
a minister of to-day can do with a
large part of his time and strength is
to put it right in with his young peo-
pie. We must cast out of the Church
the formality and deafness, the things
that keep the workingmen away from
US and the things that offend Christ.
= Md rr,o ~, %roSo 4Lo NY ~~o~J1
into a body that will make the Church
of the future.
A second way to make a better
world is to make a better business
world. If the commercial world were
Christian through and through it
seems to me we would be living in
heaven.
When I look at a great building I
sometimes ask who owns it and how
he got money to build it. Very often
they tell me that man made most of
his money in a large city hotel, where
there vas a bar over which he sold
liquid hell to men. I would rather
look at a barn out on the prairie that
was built with honest toll than look
at that building. Then I go out into
the suburbs Of the great cities. Peo-
pie do not live in cities nowadays.
They have bedrooms outside, and they
ASOFS I4kS ~ " (4kC 0o1 C14oCE dkk0
ward heelers. I see a beautiful home,
and I begin to ask troublesome Ques-
tons. I find out perhaps that the
owner made his money in speculation
Or gambling, in ways that he knows
Jesus would not approve. I would
rather look at a dug-out in Kansas
|. any time that vas built with honest
!, toll.
Another thing we can do is to make
| possible a Christian Journalism. I be-
t lieve that in the next twenty-five
: years there will be at least one Chris
j. tan journal in every city in the Unit
+ ed States that will stand up for the
B Kingdom Of God. Love will pay bet
p ter than selhshness. We have never
; tried it. The principle of love of man
, to man is the only thing that will
e solve the difficult problems of to-day.
r There is another thing thai we can
II do. We can make a better world by
making a better home life. Some
81 times it seems to me that our homes
/ are almost gone. We have an indef-
u mite number of clubs of all kinds. It
u is an age Of committee meetings.
f. Ever the Church takes hold of the
home life and sometimes seems to
wipe it out. I have been into minis
ters' families this Fall where they had
no family worship. Go and knock at
the doors of some of the most beau
tifu1 houses of this city tomorrow
night and how many families will yoJ
ID find sitting together in a simple way
d father, mother and children?
&c If you will go out tomorrow and
Z begin we can make the world better
u You can make better churches in you
: city. You can make better citizens
You can make a better daily press
You can raise your voice III protest
K, against what is evil.