The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-27

time or another. that the affairs OF "the
I world" would he much better managed II
all the directors thereof were animated by
religious. that is, clerical. principles. They
have suggested that newspapers. theatres.
hotels and other businesses be run accord
ing to their ideas, and have intimatcd that
they could so conduct them. Mr.. Sheldon
evidently believes that he can. and will try
1 the experiment.
1t IS not in any way disrespectful to real
! religion TO say that such talk is simply
! Pharisaical rubbish. under the present
conditions Of the commercial world bust
! ness must be done on business principles,
I and every man must decide for himself
! where and how far he will adopt altru-
/ istic methods. He may be forced
/ into a position where he must
choose between one OF two courses
neither of them exactly right; he will. if
he is honest and conscientious, choose the
one which comes nearest to the ideal which
he has set up for himself; and he will
make this ideal as high as he can. There
has been a great deal of unnecessary
preaching. for example, against the carry
ing on of business on Sunday. Old-fash-
toned people have declared that il was a
sin 10 allow street cars to run on Sunday,
ignoring the fact that this is the only day
On which poor people can visit their friends
or go into the country for q breath of
fresh air. or course. Sunday traffic ne,es-
states the employment Of conductors and
motormen, and the question is simply to
choose between the good of the many ard
the good Of the few. If some of the talk
which has been wasted on the matter of
Sunday street-cars had been direetei
toward another end. it would have done
some good. There Is probably enough in
huence among the takers to induce COM
panies to give the motormen and conduct
ors some other holiday, If they are obliged
TO be on duty on Sunday; but that scems
not TO have occurred TO these rabid Sab
batarians. The same argument might be
made in regard to hotels. People have TO
eat on each OF the seven days of the week;
the hctel cannot Be closed to give the en-
ployes day of on Sunday; but with suf-
icient agitation a law might be passed
making weeks work consist of six days
and no more
The theatre has. Of course, suffered most
from this theological denunciation A
clergyman, more earnest than polite. asked |
his congregation not long ago if they
wanted TO spend eternity with actors and
actresses" II is about time that such
preachers should understand that these full 1
place them on record as belong
ing to the same class as the Pharisees of |
the New Testament-the only people upon
whom Christ was particularly and invari-
ably severe. II is stated distinctly that /
Christ himself was familiar and friendly
with 'publicans and sinners''-people out
side the theological pale in His day-and
1t is not recorded that He spent his time
altogether in trying to convince them of
The error OF their ways. though the ascot
alton made Him very unpopular in the
best society" II He were on earth today
1t is quite safe TO assume that He would
'hoose as His friends very much the same
sort of people that He did nearly nineteen
hundred years Appropriations unpreten-
ious and unreiigious, but straightforward
md warm hearted.