The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-10-05

or great reality. If it be sham, let
us disband our churches and Christian
associations. If it be reality then
great populations are on the way TO
the bar of God unified for the ordeal.
Comparatively little effort as yet
has been made to save that large
class of persons in our midst called
skeptics, and he who goes to work
here will not be building upon an
other mans foundation. There is n
large number of them. They are
afraid of us and our churches for
the reason we do not know how TO
treat them. One of this class met
Christ. And hear with what tender
ness and pathos and beauty and sue
cess Christ dealt with him; Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart and with all thy soul and
with all thy mind and with all thy
strength. This is the first and great
commandment, and the second is
like unto it, namely, thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. There is
none other commandment greater
than these" And the scribe said to
him; "Well, master, thou hast said
the truth. for there is one God and
TO love Him with all the heart and all
the understanding and all the soul
and all the strength is more than
whole burnt offerings and sacrifices"
And when Jesus saw that he an
swered discreetly He said unto. him:
Thou art not far from the kingdom
of Cod" SO skeptic was saved in
one interview. But few Christian
people treat the slteptic in that way.
Instead of taking hold of him with
the gentle hand of love. we are apt
to take him with the pinchers of &C.
clesiasticism.
You would not be so rough on that
man if YOU knew how he lost his
faith in Christianity | have known
men skeptica! .som the fact that
they grew up in houses where reli-
gion was overdoue. Sunday was the
most awful day in the week. They
had religion driven into them with
a trip hammer. They were surfeited
with prayer meetings. They We're
stuffed and choked with catechisms.
They were often told that they were
the worst boys the parents ever knew,
because they liked 10 ride down hill
better than to read Bunyan's Pill
grim's Progress" Whenever father
and mother talked of religion. they
drew down the corners of their
mouth and rolled up their eyes. II
any one thing will send boy or
girl to ruin sooner than another,
that is it. If had such a father and
mother / fear l should have been an
infdel.
Others were tripped up to skepti-
cism from being grievously wronged
by some man who professed to be a
Christian. They had a partner in
business who turned out to be a first
class scoundrel. though a professed
Christian. Many years ago they lost
all faith by what happened in an oil
company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The com
pany owned no land. or II they did
there was no sign of oil produced
but the president of the company was
q Presbyterian elder. and the treas.
urer was an Episcopalian vestryman
and one director was q Methodist
class leader and the other directors
porminent members of Baptist and
Congregational churches. Circulars
were gotten out telling what fabulous
prospects opened before this company
Innocent men and women who had {
little money to invest, and that little
their all. said: IL do not know any
| thing about this company, but Sc
many good men are at the head of il
! that it must be excellent, and tax
! ing stock in il must be almost u,
good as joining the church" ST
! they bought the stock and perhaps
received one dividend so as to keel
them still, but after awhile the,
| found that the company had reor
! ganized. and had different presi
| dent ard different treasurer and diff
! ferent directors. Other engagement
or i'll health had caused the formel
| officers of the company, with many re
grets, to resign, And all that tn,
subscribers of that stock had to SHOW
for their investment was beautiful,
ornamented certificate. Sometime
that man, looking over his old papers
comes across that certificate. and i
is so suggestive that he vows h
wants none of the religion that tn
president and trustees and director
of that oil company professed.
OF course, their rejection of religion
on such grounds was unphlosophica
and unwise. | am told that many o
the United States army desert ever
year, and there are many court-maI
tials every year. Is that anythin,
against the United States government
that swore them in? And if soldie
of Christ deserts, is that anythin
against the Christianity which h
swore to support and defend? How d
you Judge of the currency of cou1
try? BY counterfeit bill? Now. yo
must have patience with those VIII
have been swindled by religious pre-