The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-05
THE GREED FOR OFFICE
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS
DEADENED PUBLIC CONSCIENCE.
Rev. j. Canning Smith Talked of
Kentucky in His Sermon
Last Night.

Rev. ]. Cumming Smith delivered sermon
on 1.-The First Convert" In part he said:
1.-THE first convert to our Master was John
the Baptist, and then on his heels came
men of the caliber and cleanliness of
Andrew and Peter and Nathaniel. In our
age, when talk about reaching down and
saving men of notorious crime has sunk
almost into cant, it comes almost with the
tone of rebuke to the church to read that
Jesus sought men of high social standing
and unclouded probity as his first converts.
Such these early disciples were. John was
an apostle of solitary thought and unblenh-
ished reputation. The call of the Master
was to men already walking on high
plane to climb up and walk on a yet higher
plane. The proof Of their native talent was
their quick openness 20 the new teaching,
which was lost on the stony and straight
laced Pharisees. These few brainy, brawny
men, unchilled by schools and undwarfed
by traditional methods. responded to Christ
as the roots under soil thrill at the call of
spring. They were good men, but could
be better. They knew a good creed, but
could know better creed.
Let us linger here a little to show that
such an ascent to higher platform Is the
everyday law of an everyday world. A
tourist in California receives a telegram
urging his presence in New Orleans. He
goes by the quickest route; if the telegram
was message from generous employer,
he would be guilty of a high crime if,
knowing there was a vestibuled train, he
took a caboose train. How many church.
members ride caboose in preference to
a vestibuled car service? In the realm OF
art the same crime is committed when
man deliberately sets aside higher ideal
Of music because he is too lazy to struggle
towards 1t. The same crime is committed
when literary man will remain shut and
locked against the higher, simpler art, be-
cause it requires more effort and he re-
mains on an inferior basis The standards
Of the worlds life are ascending by the
Jaw of truceless struggle toward the best
Some men, open of brow and aspiring In
temperament, reach out toward the noblest
suggestions of their time. This does not
mean that men shall open their doors to
every untried dream or hysterical theory
In our American life there is here and
there tempting look of novelty, itch
and thirst for fads to Kill time, and
dizziness in some of our culture that tends
to weakness. But it does remain true after
all our cautious warnings against counter
feits, that the race is rising to higher lev
els; and the ideal man is he who, with
trained mind and generous eagerness, can
and work 1T out into life.
1.-THE politics of Kentucky is another in
stance. 1t appears to stand on the level
of one hundred years ago. The rage of
use of firearms have deadened the public
conscience and furnished the State. But
our surprise at the turn of affairs at
Frankfort is proof of our principle.
REPUDIATED BY OTHER STATES.
eff it is not crime to linger lazily on
a lower plane when higher plane invites,
then Kentucky is not rebukable. That State
stands on level long ago repudiated by
other States. A century ago men carried a
revolver in one pocket even when they
carried a Bible in the other. 1t was the
custom. No law frowned on it. But the
world has taken a long stride onward and
the crime of the State stained with CORY
violence is that it does not keep pace with
progress. An unprOgressive man is pro-
found criminal, even though he manages
to keep ont of prison.
Now all this applies to the church. The
talk of STOPPING down to rescue the mass
es as if they alone were SHINING IS very
misleading. I pity them. They move in
grimmest circumstances. They have long
lost the spring of hope for the fundamental
fairness of life as bird on her brood
when she feels the axe at the trunk of
the tree. Not to them should the minis
tiers go with the flaming message Of re-
pentance Where then? To us ministers
first: then to church members and church
workers; then TO tho classes that stand
for proud and highheaded culture. Are
churches selfish? Are ministers open to
larger conceptions of the Masters king
dom. Are church officers celebrated for
whiteness Of soul and nobility of manhood !?
Are we urging one another to higher
planes of Christian living? Have not the
poor besmeared underclasses been the
scaDegoat for the crawling luxurious upper
classes that are content with an easy and
unruffled religious life? At times one won
ders If the church reused herself to cleanse
and purge herself, whether that would not
be the true secret of drawing the world
that stands outside and perhaps is mean
enough to mock the church. At all events,
a church full of men striving to reach the
best possible spiritual culture, celebrated
for being the center of benevolent work
and missionary enthusiasm; such church
on such a plane will draw willing men to
God when all lower truc.,ng methods de-
servedly fail"