The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-15
RESENTED BY ELKs
They Understand That Robb Roast
ed Them by Implication.
HE SAYS HE WAS AFTER CLERGY
fine Themselves to the
Pulpit.

Indignation ran high among Mime
apolis Elks yesterday because ofthe rehec-
lions which Max d. Robb, the attorney,
was reported to have cast upon the order
Thursday night at the prayer meeting
OF the First Baptist church. Mr.. Roob
was said to have scored Rev. G. L. Nor
rill by implication for addressing the
Elks on the evening Of Lincoln's birth
day.
The inference which some members OF
the congregation drew from Mr.. Robb S
remarks was that the organization was OF
such character that a minister should
be ashamed Of himself for mixing With
it's members or presuming to address
them.
IF Mr.. Robb was correctly reported,
said prominent Elk, "he ought to be
ashamed of himself. There are many good
people in the world to-day who believe
that organizations like the Elks, are doing
as much practical work toward helping
suffering humanity as the churches. It
seems incredible that in this liberal age
| a churchman can be so narrow as to deny
minister the right OF free intercourse
with the people, both within and without
i the church, in the character OF pubic
| speaker or otherwise. Let Mr. Robb know
that the order of Elks is founded on the
broad. Christian principles OF charity,
benevolence and fraternity, and that every
man who enters the order does so with
| the profoundest reverence for the Bible
and the Christian religion. The Bible
occupies a conspicuous place in every
Elks lodgeroom.''
When Mr. Morrill, heard the construc-
ton placed upon his appearance before
| the Elks, he gave as free rein to his feel
| ings as is proper for one of his calling
hn1 hn hat hric in1
to save the Elks, just as he made the
! sacrifice for all mankind. I don't believe
| that minister can reach the people I'M
less he can go to them. want to say
that would rather address a crowd com
posed Of the fine class of men who listened
TO me Wednesday night than any audience
in the world made up of men or women
who are supposed to represent the views
which are credited to Mr.. Robb'
! MI. Robb's Position.
Mr.. Robb says he was msquoted. He
! declared this afternoon that not hing had
| been farther from his intentions than to
give the Elks bad name, and that moth
; ing personal was intended in what he did
say. He has no doubt but that the Elks
! are worthy Of public commendation in
stead Of condemnation 90. -.
1.-The fact isl he explained ''that there
appears to have been deliberate at
| tempt on the part Of some one to pervert
my meaning. My remarks were aimed at
! ministers generally and l deprecated the
prevailing tendency of clergymen in all
churches to seek notoriety and get out Of
| their proper spheres. I said that | re-
garded the ministerial calling as a sacred
one and that when man entered the
ministry and took the solemn obligations
to preach the word Of God, he was differ
ent from oil her men and should interest
himself less in matters altogether outside
of the church. Having dedicated and con-
| secrated himself to the cause of Christ
maintained that there was work enough
for him to do in the church.
Il then called attention to the fact that
on the preceding evening three ministers
Of different churches had been the prin-
cipal speakers at Lincoln's birthday
events Of political significance. This is
what I actually said: AT one meeting q
certain minister was furthering the in
terests of politicians by holding Lincoln
up as man who really represented the
principles of the democratic party to-day
while he soundly belabored the dominant
party for its attitude on public questions
At the same time, at another meeting
a bright, young minister was lauding Lin
j coin to the skies because, among other
things, he was a member of the republi-
can party. And at third gathering q
minister of the Baptist church was ex-
plotting hlmSelr De1Ore the Order OF ElkS
THAT was the only reference I made
to the Elks, and it was more for the pur-
pose of locating the minister than fol
any other reason. l did say, in conclu-
sion, that preachers who didn't have
enough gray matter in their craniums moi
to allow politicians to use them for the
political effect of their presence at public
gatherings were unworthy of their high
calling.
"I am not opposed to the discussion O.
public affairs by ministers, but do be-
lieve that the place for such discussions
is in the pulpit.
"Of course I had no fault to- find will
what was said of Lincoln. The three ad
dresses which I had in mind were al
uplifting, so far as they referred to thu
great man whose birthday was being cele
brated. I simply believed that the pas
| tors were out of their place."