Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-25

CLEVELAND, Tenn. Sept IS.
- AM spending a few. days in the
pleasant town of Cleveland. Tenn,
with my co-worker and friend,
Rev. George Stuart. 1t is a real
treat and pleasure to be here and en-
joy their kindly hospitality and take
the rest 1 so much need. Brother
Stuart has a most pleasant suburban
home about one-half mile outside the
corporate limits of Cleveland: Jersey
cows, Shetland ponies, thoroughbred
sheep, and all kinds of fruits and veg
etables. All in all like his place bet
ter than 1 do Biltmore, and George
Stuart is a thousand times more hap
by in his pleasant country home than
any millionaire in America can be in
his.
Our Gainesville Tabernacle meeting
all in all was one of the best in the his
tory of the eighteen consecutive years
in which it has run; the crowds were
universally larger, closing last sun
day with the monumental crowd of H.
600 to $1,000.
I have been reading, with some In
terest, the utterances of the Oyster
Bay preacher last Sunday on Presi-
dent Roosevelt and his mission among
men, how that he was compared TO
David with sword in hand to cut the
heads off the trusts Goliath, and 1t
was said that the president was very
restless during the delivery of the SER
mon. and it is intimated that he was
displeased at the reference to him.
I wonder what David thought, l would
like to hear from old King David
about now. The president would not
have it understood that he has
knife up his sleeve or a sword in his
hand to cut the heads off the trusts or
this country, for he has neither; but
he has a bugle and he is blowing 1T
around over the country. The presi7
dent has too much sense and judgment
to tackle the trusts with deadly weap-
ons until after his second term be-
gins. but a preacher playing about,
what he thinks pleases the president
in his audience, presents poor spec
tacle Christ and Him crucified is
better theme than Roosevelt and him
magnified.
Again. 1 see that the Wisconsin body
of Methodist preachers are after
President Roosevelt about writing to
the pope, commencing Bishop Ireland
for office of cardiral; l do not know
nor care much about this church and
state business. but am backing
Roosevelt on that, just like pointer
dog backs the other dog that found
the first, not that favor
a rule of the Catholic church in this
country, but If we must have any klnd
of Catholicism, let us have it healed
by the best Catholics. Bishop Ireland
is a teetotler who is an anti-saloon
man. and am for most anybody that
is against whisky and against most
anybody that's for it, am sorry Tor
though I knew when
President Roosevelt started on that
speaking tour he was going to get
into trouble, and he is going to have
more trouble if the preachers don't let
him alone.
NV. what a sight Of trouble the
Methodist church could make for
candidate. The Methodist church could
do him almost as much harm as the
trusts. for they are about 100000
strong in this country, and they love
God and hate Catholics. But coming
back to bedrock facts, there is only
one open door to any preacher to enter
the political arena, and that is the
door for the fight against fragrant
moral wrong. The preacher who is
prohibitionist and fights in politics
for prohibition is fighting the dirtiest
and biggest regiment the devil has IN
the politics of America today. The
preacher who is lighting in politics for
anything else except prohibition and
against anything except moral cor
ruption is wallowing around with the
crowd that the devil is going to get,
and when the devil gets the crowd he
will get the preacher, too. and won't
get much when he gets him. Unless
the preacher shall rebuke effectively
the political corruption of this coun-
try. it won't be long until the gang will
be out of the reach of the preacher
and start wheeling toward the peni-
Tertiary of the state like the Doodle