Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-04-11
FROM ANOTHER STANDPOINT.
The Chilcott Address 10 Criticised by 9
Minister of the Gospel.

FLANDREAU, S. D., Mar. 20, 1901.
DEAR REaIsTRR:---
have been silent long time, so
may be pardoned il ask for just
little space in your friendly columns.
Several items of more than ordi-
nary interest have appeard in the
REGISTER. Some Of these have been
personal and have referred to social
events involving the happiness Of
those whom / have known from their
childhood and others refer to the
early departure" Of those whom l
have known equally well, so that !
have felt to "rejoice with them that
do rejoice and weep with them that
weep" have followed your history
of two of the churches of Brookings
and in each case have read between
the lines" many things that such brief
accounts could not contain. hope
you will be able to present similar
views and views and news Of the other
churches In the near future so that
the future historian may have such
data from the same period of time
from which to compile the history of
Brookings twenty-five or thirty years
from now when the city will have a
population Of thirty thousand people.
have been especially interested In
two articles that have appeared re-
Gently by former professor and
present incumbent of professorship
OF the s. ID. A. O. These have shown
that you have some talented writer's
within your bounds who have sell
dom been heard through the press.
OF course these are only two of many
and / have wondered IL IL would not
be worth while for you to offer the
columns Of your paper each week to
contributors who could hold the
thoughts of intelligent readers as do
these two-in discussing questions Of
such vital Importance. While ! do
not agree with the spirit of either
writer, I'm glad to have the position
Of two somewhat large and respect
able classes of people fairly presented.
The two excellent presentations are
alike In the Significance of what they
do not say.
While / have not the least doubt
that the local Christian people are
competent TO deal with subject mat
ter of these articles, but since know
the man who wrote the more recent
one and somewhat OF his antecedents
and environments and ethical pripci-
Piles, l may be pardoned IL should
ask what 1 regard as few pertinent
questions:
To consider his last paragraph first,
/ find this summing up: sour whole
duty then lies In fearlessly facing the
present and meeting its obligations
as they come to US from day TO day,
thereby constantly striving towards
our ideal and thus coming nearer and
nearer to true manhood aud woman
hood, and let US never forget that 1t 70
a far nobler ambition TO become a
true man or true woman than to be
a Jew, Buddhist, a Mohammedan or
Christisn."
Here we have peoration that Is
not very different from that which we
hear FROM the ordinary preachments
OF orthodoxy. Let US see what there
is In the discussion that precedes that
will warrant such an eloquent sum.
ming up and enforcement of duty:
Ist. He discredits revelation (para-
graph last but two), but would have
us strive towards our ideals" These
ideals may be low ideals such as our
heather ancestors held; then the
striving for them will not lead to true
manhood and true womanhood, the
professor and being judges according
TO our standard. But when did the
professor find his standard OF "true
manhood?" Is it found In nature un-
Influenced by revelation? viii he
show us the products Of unassisted ma
ture In "true manhood and woman
hood" according to our ideals?
Whence come our ideals? 1t would
be easy to argue, to philoscphize, to
dogmatize and to preach at this point,
but l desist and will only ask ques-
tions and state propositions.
Can our professor point to one land
however small, where there are a
dozen decent, intelligent, honest men
who have not been influenced by rev.
elation to become such? Can he point
to any system except Christianity
that has produced or can produce the
civilization found In the New He
brides islands of the south seas? He
can point to abuses practiced by those
who imperfectly represent the Chris
tian system. He can point to coun-
tries where these principles have been
| Iaroely nullified by traders. slayers,