Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-07-18

lists IN society and poiitfcs. Win oiare
of trumpet they herald their own broad:
mindedness. but if they had their way, and
if t..cv could sweep religion from the face
of the earth. burn up the Bibles. dynamite
the churches, 1T requires no prophet "a
foretell what a dreadful situation would
ensue as the result OF their havoc. HE
man who puts agnos.icsm against the
creed has nothing to give this world except
what would make men more narrow than
they are. and would speedily plunge them
into conditions first OF civilized paganism
a d little later OF rank barharism. The
skeptic Is no more an apostle OF liberaaty
than is the anarchist an apostle OF liberty.
With great regret it must be confessed
that there are and have been multitudes
of narrow minded Christians. Inasmuch
as human nature finds it difficult to attain
unto libsrallty. i Is not To he wondered Al
that so many fall snort %: the breadth oi
our holy religion. Christians have not
only been pcrsecutcd. Eut they have ac-
tua!ly prosecuted one another. because OF
differences OF opinion. Oniy 100 frequently
have they iaIcd 10 recognize the com
prchensIveness Of the Gospel. and :iIey
prefer their confessions to the ca;no'ic
faith end their >ectS to the catholic
churca. 1t is Simply impossible to apo'o
gize for them or 10 offer any argument in
attenuation o: their grevous otfenSeS a'on:
this line. They have restricted their Sod
and their Bi6,c and their creed. and
have stood w s;out,v TO resist the large
mndedness % their Lord. But tins does
not really affect tho issue which we have
in hand. It does not ar all impair orr
contention that the gospel OF Christ itScii
mot Professionalism or Pnrhanism or
Medieval:sm. hlt the Gospe'-contains the
hroadest doctrines. the broadcast ideas OF
God and of man and OF deS inv. ard the
broadest wor!li-:; principe Q; tn pag:It and
Of life.
Gods commandment is evcccd;n.
broad" in its practical application 10 mans
conditions. 1t breaches Gods Fatherhood,
which is mighty foundation for the in
tellectual life. and mans brotherhood
which makes the scope of moral obligation.
Gods relation 10 us is most assuring. and
our relation to Him and 10 al oIr broth
ers makes the theatre OF action and sets
forth the sphere OF G. Hscienec sympathy
and endeavor. Oae o. the miserics OF ir
religion is that ii desroils humanity of all
this. The hear: which cares not Tor thc
doctrines OF Christian belief is sadly i'm.
poverished and reduces this present exist.
ence to small affair. for it has nothing
To .ay OF the higher things or OF an eternity
of b.essedness. and nothing that avails for
the enlargement OF aspiration and the re-
inforcement OF energy. Christ truly dis.
covered the individual. He argued that
mans soul was more important than the
gain of the whole word; He came ex,
iTesslN 10 MT human nature out OF It's
sma!lness and to place 1t IN an environment
where the sons OF God rightly belong: He
revealed the model which i nothing less
than the charartc: of the King OF kings.
and called all the sons sof men to roval
life: lie disclosed a large meaning for du.
tics and griefs. pleasures and poss Utilities:
He woald have His peope stand on the
Mount OF the Ascension whence they can
see the present in IFS persncctivr and have
an expansive outlook for the study nj them.
selves and their lives. The hroadm;nded
Lord has given hroadminded religion for
men when they pray and work and safer,
and He would inspire them to rise up
TO the obligations and opportunities which
wait upon them every ho;:r in the day
How narrow Is the average man. Mod
ern conditions are not IN unnixed boon
to the masses. There have been many
gains, but there have been MANY losses
also. Among the losses in the world a. we
tendency Of our way OF living and our
methods OF business to curtail the individ.
ual in the living OF his life and the doing
of his work. More and more are the peo-
pie OF the workaday world hamrercd and
restricted hv the demand for specialization.
lie individual is being, called upon to do
some one task and TO DO il over and over
again three hundred days in the year all
Of which is equivalent 10 shutting him
within confines where lie can scarcely nope
TO develop into his hest self This effect
is one of the dep'orah'e ills OF the times
The rules OF Offices and. factories and shops
which encourage cNncrts is r;:inous to the
individual who indeed learns to do ono
thing perfectly. hut who is thus hindercd
from knowing anythin. else outside OF his
daily task Then. too. the spirit of the
business mHn that makes him ambitious
and satisfied to become man OF business
and thus reduce his life 10 the level ri a
mere monevmaker. is likely to produce
the same dircful result. No one should
Willingly become a machine. In spite of
the advancement which is one of the won
dcrs OF the age. the people of the United
States are now face to face with Il situation
which soIelv requires a crusade in favor Of
Observation-Disclosures crusade that will OK.
hort the peopie. in spite of discourage.
ments to the contrary. To find leisure for
considering tonics and rcsor:ing 10 occu.
pations in addition 20 those which belong
to their daily engagements. We mast sim
ply make time Tor thought and reading ana
recreation: we must rise to the glorious
liberty OF the children OF God: we must
insist for ourselves that the most import.
ant things are not meat and drink. but the
kingdom OF God and His righteousness
We need the observation-disclosures OF ,leSrs
We need His outlook. His doctrine. His
model of thought and life His symmetry
of character. His proportions OF manhood.
The Saviour OF mankind would save ~
from pettiness and i,iiheralitv. He would
have us accept Gods largest estimate OF
ourselves. He woud call Us 20 a life which
will Issue at last i'll the heavenly land. He
would fill Us in mind and heart and soul
with Gods commandment which is so OK
Feeding broad.