The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-16

spirit / charge Nnees come out oL AAM-
silence Sometimes q Crime.
There has been apotheosization Of
silence. Someone has said silence Is
golden. and sometimes the greatest
triumph is to keep your mouth shut.
But sometimes silence is a crime and
the direct result OF the balefal inhu-
ence OF the dumb devil Of our text.
There is hardly a man or woman who
has not been present on some occa-
sion when the Christian religion be-
came a target for raillery. Perhaps it
was over in the store some day when
there was not much going on and the
clerks we're In a group, or it was IA
the factory at the noon spell, or It was
out on the farm under the trees while
you were resting. or It was In the club
room. or il was IN a social circle. or
II was In the street on the way home
from business, or it was on some occa-
sion which you remember without my
describing III Someone got the laugh
on the Bible and caricatured the pro
fesslon 0f religion as hypocrisy, or
made a pun out Of something that
Christ said. The laugh started, and
you Joined IN. and not one word Of pro-
test did you utter. What kept you
silent? Modestyg No. Incapacity to
answer? No. Lack Of opportunity?
No. II was a blow on both your lips
by the wing OF the dumb devil II
someone should malign your father or
mother or wife or husband or child.
you would flush up quick and either
with an indignant word or doubled up
fist make response. And yet here Is
our Christian religion which has done
so much for you and SO much for the
world that It viii take all eternity 70
celebrate it, and yet when Il was at
tackled you did not so much as say:
Il differ | object am sorry to hear
you say that. There Is another side
to this" You Christian people ought
IN such times as these to go armed
not with earthly weapons. but with the
sword Of the spirit. You ought to have
four or FIVE questions with which you
could confound any man who attacks
Christianity. A man 80 years old was
tellingme how he put to fight a scoffer
Ny aged friend said to the skeptic
Did you ever read the history o.
Joseph in the Bible?" Yes" SAID
the man. 1T is a fine story and as in
teresting a story as I ever read
well, now" said my old friend. Sup
pose that account Of Joseph stopped
half way2" "Oh." said the man, "theI
1t would not be entertaining" We'll
now, said my friend. I've have in thi
world only half Of everything. and d
you not think that when we hear tn
last half things may be consistent an
that then we may find that God wa
right?"
silence Gives Congent
Oh, friends, better load up with
few Interrogation points, You cannc
afford to be silent when God and tn
Bible and the things OF eternity ar
assailed. Your silence gives consen
to the bombardment OF your Father
house. You allow a slur to be cast o
your mothers dying pillow. In behal
OF the Christ. who for you wen
through the agoniez Of assassinatio
on the rocky blum back OF Jerusalem
you dared not face a slckly joke. Be-
ter load up with a few questions. s
that next time you will be ready. Sa
TO the sconer. MY dear sir. win yo
tell me what makes the difference be
tween the condition Of woman
China and the United States? Wha
do you think Of the sermon on tn
mountg How do you like the golde
rule laid down in the Scriptures? AT
you in favor Of the Ten Command
ments? In your large and extensiy
reading have you come across a lov'
lier character than Jesus Christ? Wi
you please TO name the triumphaT
ldeafhDeds Of infdels and atheists
How do you account for the fact th'
among the out and out believers
Christianity we're such persons
, Benjamin Franklin. John Ruski
Thomas Carlyle. Babingt0n Macaula
. William Penn, Walter Scott. Charl
Kingsley, Horace Bushnell. James
( Garfield, Robert z. Lee. stonewa
Jackson, Admiral Foote Admiral Fa
q ragut. Ulysses S. Grant. John Milto
! william Shakespeare, Chief Justl
= Marshall. John Adams. Daniel We
Z ster. George Washington? How
/ you account for their fondness for 4
{ Christian religion? Among the {
e Vulnerable colleges and universities
< the earth viii you name me thr
s started by infdels and now support
Z By infdels? Down in your heart a
3 you really happy In the position y
C occupy antagonistic to the Christi
refgion2 When do you have the mC
rapturons views Of the next world
|, Go at him with a few such question
} and he win get so red in the face as
Z suggest apoplexy. and he viii look
a his watch and say he has an engal
4 ment and must 60. You viii put b
4 in a sweat that will beat a Turk
4 bath. You win put him on a rout co
T. pared with vhssh our troops at B
e Run made no time at al. Arm yo'