The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1901-05-24
FOLLIES AND VICES DISCUSSED


mlsslssippi bureau OF the Commercial Appeal.
One OF the most memorable ad.
dresses ever delivered from a Jackson
pulpit was that of Bishop Hugh Mil.
Ter Thompson before the annual coun.
Gil OF the Episcopal diocese of Missis.
sippi. He used only terse and plain.
spoken English, and some of his criti.
cisms were burning philippies on
certain follies of the work OF the
church IN Mississippi, mingling now
and then an expression OF his views
on some general topic, and it was 90
those general topics that his keenest
swOrd.thrusts were made. In dis.
cussing the relations existing between
the rich man and the church in the
present day, the bishop used the fol.
lowing words:
ut Is ridiculous, pitiful and pa.
thetic to see the way 10 which we
throw up our hands and praise and
glorify some absurdly and prepOster.
Ously rich man for the few pennies
few pennies, compared to his income
which he drops into some charity
box, expecting the worlds praises
therefor. 1t Is just as hard now as 1t
was OF old for rich man to enter the
kingdom OF heaven. And, as far as
can make 1t out, the rich men uf the
church are struggling frantically to
get in with the big bags attached,
while their intellects are so befogged
that they are dropping some of the
very small bags now and then with
the vain hope OF cheating the keeper
at the gate. The greatest burden OF
failure and shame which the church
carries today Is the burden of her rich
men. A poor, beggarly gift Of a few
thousand dollars for some work ap.
pealing to affection, sentiment OF
pride has been published far and wide
and chants Of praise sung for the
donor.
'"The church millionaire is the most
dangerous and disreputable enemy to
the church as things are now. The
poor creatures are trying to cheat
their own small souls by dropping less
than one days profit OF their business
to some small charity, and striving to
believe that they are conspicuous
Christian gentlemen.
"In the Middle Ages, when a rob.
Der baron had lived his life and col.
lected much gold and silver-even
church chaiices, plate and vestments-
into his castle, and was dying, his
cOnfessOr was not afraid to tell him
that he must make atonement. So
he left the money to huild cathedral
or found monastery to keep his soul
in good state when his earthly armOr
was OF no further use.
at was superstition, do you say?
Well, suppose it was ! 1t kept alive
the conviction that when man Is
going out into the great dark, when
his titles, rank. fame, name and
riches are of no value, that If he Is to
be tolerated there at all he must leave
something good behind him here.
"Our ten times richer and more
robber.like barons, our modern kings
OF wealth pass away with no one to
warn; with no arrangements for the
distribution OF their gathered boards,
and the poor, pitiful, disgraceful and
peeping church gives him not purga-
tory and several thousand years Of hot
Standard Oil product and fuel oil
from Beaumont, with masses for his
soul to help the heat, but paradise,
eternal peace, the companionship OF
saints and angels, because once after
a successful deal in the market by
which he pade 100000 or so, he
gave 5000 to some Undertaking Of
the church."