The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-05-10

Of Christianity, but We overlook the
engraver's knife and the painter
pencil. The antiquarian goes and
looks at pictured ruins or examines
the chiseled pillars Of Thebes and
Nineveh and Pompeii and then comes
back to tell us of the beastliness OF
ancient art, and 1t is fact now that
many of the finest specimens-merely
artistically consldered-of sculpture
and painting that are to be found amid
those ruins are not fit to be looked
at, and they are locked up. How Paul
must have felt when, standing amid
those impurities that stared on him
from the walls and pavements and ba-
zaars of Corinth, he preached of the
pure and holy Jesus. The art of the
world on the side of obscenity and
crime and death.
Much of the art of the world has
been in the possession of the vicious.
What to unclean Henry VIII. was a
beautiful picture of the Madonna?
What to Lord Jeffreys, the unjust
judge, the picture of the Last Judg
ment?" What to Nero, the unwashed,
picture of the baptism in the Jor-
dan? The art of the world on the
wrong side. But that is being changed
now. The Christian artist goes over
to Rome, looks at the pictures and
brings back to his American studio
much of the power of these old mas
fprc Tho Chr ic fior mi
to Venice, looks at the "Crucifixion of
Christ" and comes back to the Ameri-
can pulpit to talk as never before Of
the sufferings Of the Savior. The pri-
vate tourist goes to Rome and looks
at Raphael's picture of the Last Judg
ment." The tears start and he goes
back to his room in the hotel and
prays God for preparation for that day
when
Shriveling like parched scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll.
Chrlst's Social Position.
So l remark it is with business
acumen and tact. When Christ was
upon earth, the people that followed
him for the most part had no social
position. There was but one man
naturally brilliant in all the apostle
ship. Joseph of Arimathea, the rich
man, -isked nothing when he offered
a hole in the rock for the dead Christ.
How many of the merchants in Asia
Minor befriended Jesus? | think of
only one-Lydia. How many of the
castles on the beach at Galilee enter
tanned Christ? Not one. When Peter
came to Joppa. he stopped with one
Simon, tanner What power had
Christ's name on the Roman exchange
or in the bazaars of Corinth? None
The prominent men of the day did not
want to risk their reputation for sanity
by pretending to be one of his follow
ers. Now that is all changed Among
the mightiest men in our great cities
today are the Christian merchants and
the Christian bankers, and If tomor-
row at the board OF trade any mar
should get up and malign the name of
Jesus he would be quickly silenced or
put out. In the front rank of all our
Christian workers today are the Chris
tian merchants, and the enterprises of
the world are coming on the right side.
There was a farm willed away some
years ago, all the proceeds of that farm
to go for spreading infidel books.
Somehow matters have changed, and
now all the proceeds of that farm go
toward the missionary cause. One of
the finest printing presses ever built
was built for the express purpose of
infidel tracts and books.
Now it does nothing but print Holy
Bibles. I believe that the time will
come when in commercial circles the
voice of Christ will be the mightiest
of all voices and the ships of Tarshish
will bring presents and the queen of
Sheba her glory and the wise men of
the east their myrrh and frankincense.
l look off upon the business men of
this land and rejoice at the pros
pect that their tact and ingenuity and
talent are being brought into the serv-
ice of Christ. 1t is one of the mightiest
Of weapons. There is none like that;
give 1t me-"