Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-05-02
Cssaschc. aass ssccscs soescssrs ~
viewed ss ssc>. ssossssoa.

On Sunday sssnins lac, tho itsv.
NuSrispa spoke ss his congregation 81
the Christian riaFvh oa why SECRET soci--
ties SN.st." Ills iest 80. tho Incident OF tho
discipire ulia eomplaIn-d that som- ~ho
uvf- nnt followers OF Jesus were found cast
Ing out devils In iiis name. Tho preacher
.aid that sanar of hi. h-arcr. might not SEQ
the relation 81 hi. text to the subject In
hand Lu, Il -uuld not do for a preacher tn
preach without istins issi. lie nr.i cit-si
same fopuisr obj-ctisa. To secret societies
Sotnu made the obj-ctlnn that .-crvt society
could not bc iapfai society. and that no
church n.cn.tcr coaid properly brioas Ia
anything that has .-crvcy about Il. TIL.
was no valid objection. The family l. kiad
OF .osTv, sa,'ict,. Il has it, private interest.
aud secret. that arc not Tor the World at
iArsr. The church l. in some degree a secret
-ncirty aud some Of it, affair should tc kept
secret. not published to the world.
a second ohIcctian was that bad men belong
Ia secret socictic>. that they Eot into secret
.ccictic. for selfish ends and that secret .oci.
ctics shielded these lad mcn In their badness.
II could H. SAID In answer io thi. objection
that had tlcn got Into tho church: got Into u
for selfish purposes. and II they were not
shielded by tiiv church IL might h. .aid that
the church was often too i-nicnt with them.
lie did not believe u was true that secret
societies protected criminals In their crini.
naiIty.
Tue other objection wa. that secret .ocic.
tics took the place OF the church for some
men. who said that u they lived up to the
principles OF their Order they would be n.
well nticd for another world rs they would
he la the church. The men who said this
were not generally the men who lived up to
tue principles of their order. The hest md
most active people In the lodges were also
the best and most active people In tho church.
Al the high principles incuicatcd by the
-ccrot societies were the principles of Jesus
Christ. ir-t inpulcated by .thc church. and II
tho Church OF Christ had not first taught
these principles the secret societies would
never have known anything about them.
The speaker then r, fcrrcd to the enormous
multiplication OF secret societies. They were
mt only tratcrnal societies but insurance
societies, trade organizations aud other kinds
OF societies. The existence of some OF thc,c
he attributed to the growing inhnrmony Of
society In general and the disposition to
magnify differences. This was true OF the
church ~ pf everything else In tho way Of
organization, and was greatly to be deplorcd.
/ showed that society was greatly put of
lint when 1t worked In so many diverse and
opposed directions. Still he was optimistic
enough to believe that the general tendency
In the world was upward to II better condi-
tion of things. and " hen the church itself got
into harmony and fulfilled its God.intendtd d
egj these antagonisms would cease.
BIT tho secret societies of the fratcrnnl
orders multiplied bfraysc man was social
being. Ills nature called tor eoGubllity,
Mankind are linked together IN thousand
ways and there was growing feeling OF
need of contact and union and mutual help
fulncss. comfort and consolation. Then the
reason why so many of these societies had
Dpuc to exist was that the church had fntled
Iu It's mission, which was to provide this so-
ciabillty, this kplpfulncss. this comfort and
consolation, that man felt the great need of.
The church which Jesus chIist founded was
intended TO fill this very want: God sent His
son into this troubled. stoi nl-tossed old world
to bi ing society into right relation with itself;
to perfect society. But the church of God
was spcndng its strength in petty jcalousics
and in scctarian rivalries instead of doing
tho work FOR which Christ Instituted 1t.
Many of the churches today were cold heart
luss institutions in which tho preacher dcliv-
cred his littIr polished essay and the paid
ohoir chnnicd It's Ligli-tqpcd music, but the. Q
ysau gerry little go cabiiity Fery iit,ie brothei.
" kindness ,rgnifested, very little PRACTICE
Of tho Gold0n Isnin, pr OF that higher rule
given by Jesus, that mon should lpvp ono nlis
other. 10 did not mean to condemn MI
churches. did not intend that his romnrk-
should be taken too broadly. but he believed
Tint IL the church of today were doing Its
duty there would be no need for secret So
riptips