The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-31
NEW SCHEME FOR A CHURCH BY THE REV. JOHN IT.
 PAIGE
REV.
 PAIGE
JOHN IF.
Who Wants One Run on Stock Com"
 pany Plan.

l 1 shal of Joliet, H., as well as preach
 CT has a plan for a church organized on the regular stock company plan with capital, directors and dividends | His ideals of preachers are John w. 1 Gates and J. Pierpont Morgan
 'The men of to-day" says Paige, ac- cOrding to the Boston Journal, prefer | the prize-fghter the aggressive busi- ness man, to the mossback college pro- 1 lessor who breaches all this rot about | living as Christ would live, and that sort of nonsense. We must get the men back into the church, and into such a church that they can live ordinarily de- cent lives without making hypocrites out of themselves every time they turn around. It is high time that a little common horse sense was injected into the modern church government, Morgan and Gates would prove att
 tractive preachers, for the reason that
 they have done something in this world
 to attract attention, and young men
 like to listen to a man who has some
 thing. They don't care so much what
 he has done, but they demand that the man who presumes to talk to them for an hour in this busy age must have ac- complished something worth talking about
 The men must be brought back to a church established along lines that they will support. They will not sit year in and year out and listen to the Worn-out exhortations to live as Jesus lived or to do as Jesus did. Nothing but clam would do that. If Jesus should appear to- day. He would be an entirely differ ent being from what He was then He was then greatly in advance of those times He would be greatly in advance of the time now. The men must be got ten together along present and prospec- tive lines.
 They must not be railed at for wit messing a fistic encounter. Baseball, horse racing or any other sports that are now denounced and legislated against must be recognized and not condemned Such teachings must be given as fit the times. Hide bound creeds that they don't believe-although they don't say so-and mossback col lege professors as teachers must be turned down. Such religious food as man himself desires must be handed down to him, and not corpse held up for him to worship Give him some- thing that is living, progressive, lively; that is positive, encouraging, invigorating something that has a revenue, some returns, and he will be- come interested and will help build more asylums and more churches, and more hospitals and more libraries. You have got to interest a man in your re- ligion before he will give very much to the support of the minister. It is very often the case that the pews know more that the pulpit.
 '"The church will grow and expand and expand and become a mightier power in the land when men will or ganize a stock company church and will boom the stock and pay dividends, at tend its meetings and place the church stock above all others. A live man will not then go blindly to church until his horse is stolen and his purse impov- arshed, but will receive his dividends here where he is sure he can enjoy them
 If J. Pierpont Morgan and John w Gates were preachers they would be att
 
 nave men, and young men at that, for their audiences, and the church would not suffer for funds with which to do good.
 Give the man a chance; he can be l trusted. Cease this senseless clamor l against everything men do or want to To- Make the church to suit them and | lot try to make them to suit the | church. Then men will again extend the | glad hand for church support"
 Paige has caused more trouble in | Joliet than all the other men put to- ,ether, because he is through and | trough an intrepid worker and fears nobody He is of a high type of hon sty and because of his honesty for une has been swept away, and he is o-day, at the advanced age of 65 years folding a political office and drawing q airy of $100 a month.
 q ascribe my financial downfall to he says 'I have been too i lonest with myself and my neighbors 0 make a success of politics.
 For the last quarter of a century Paige has held a political job in Joliet. Ie has been fire marshal for several ears under all administrations, is ated by the Democratic and epublican oliticians alike, but still holds on, as one dares to discharge him. for the eason that the people would not toler- te such action, and the fire insurance threaten to raise the rates Paige is removed.
 He runs his department on a strictly 1oral plan and permits no interference tith his affairs. He makes his men re- air the buildings, build sidewalks, re- uild engines, shoe the horses and do 1 very kind of job that comes up in the apartment. Not a man on the force ares to take a drink of intoxicating quor while on duty, and no man has yer yet worked in his department who ad the courage to answer him back or efuse to carry out orders to the strict tter. He is a general of his forces nd expects every man to do his duty, nd at the same time he would risk his fe and his reputation to assist one of 1 is men. He has held every office in Joliet from ssessor to mayor and has never yet { ad the least suspicion pointed his way { r attached to any of his official acts