Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-07-10
BRO. HARMAN
AT III AGAIN
VIII Build Tabernacle for
The Poor"


than ordinary interest. There was a
large crowd present 10 hear Senator
j. n. Hartman preach, who delivered,
as was expected, a sermon bordering
at least on the sensational.
cit had been whispered around for
time that Mr. Harman had an idea OF
building large but very plain taber-
nacle on Tazewell Avenue, for the ex
elusive benefit of the poor classes, and
that he would explain his new idea
on Sunday and make the fur fly. and
those who went TO hear him last Sun
day were not disappointed.
"Tht these poor, plain people were
not welcome In the churches of the
rich, and are seldom invited To attend
and are often slghted if they do at
tend"
Had the Editor been present, as he
ought to have been, to hear that SER
mon, the last sentence above quoted
would not have been written. made
exactly the opposite statement con-
cerning the poor / said that there
was not preacher in the town who
would not gladly welcome the poorest
OF the poor to his services, and that
every church joined the preachers in
extending such welcome. i further
criticised the poor people for their
pride and sensitiveness upon the sub
iect OF dress, and their absence from
church services on that account.
Much adverse criticism has been
heaped on me for making the state
mcnt enormously attributed To me by
Clinch Valley News. Some have gone
so far as to say that ] should not be
permitted 10 preach i'm any church In
the town If / did make such a state
ment. Many of my friends have stood
by my supposed "sensationap state
ment, saying that it is true. The dis
cussion that has followed has led me
20 doubt the accuracy of the state
ment that / really did make. Were !
TO bc called up now 10 repeat the
statement, 1 should modify it some
thing like this: There is not n preach
er in this town who would not gladly
welcome the poorest Of the poor to
their services, and large majority OF
their members would join them in ex-
tending such n welcome" But / in
sist that the preachers and the majon-
ty OF their members have unconsciously
allowed small minority of their
worldly minded members 10 set the
pace in the matter Of costly dressing,
to fix the social standing founded up
on money, education, and family, and
fine clothes, rather than To moral
character, TO such an extent that the
masses Of plain people have been ali
neated from the churches. These
people will never return under present
social conditions, and false standards
which are the curse OF the churches to-
day. This yawning chasm between
the churches and the plain people is
widening and deepening daily The
church can bridge this chasm if she
will, by reproducing former conditions.
under which the rich and the poor may
meet together and realize that the
L. ord is the maker OF them all.
To meet n long felt want and to sup
ply this real deep need, / have yield
ed to the pressing demand to erect a
modest tabernacle on Tazewell Avenue,
that we may assist in producing the
. necessary conditions, to restore the
OLD order of things and the old FASH
ioned times when churches were not
used for dress parade occasions. The
plain people will set the pace at the
tabernacle. The old Jerusalem gospel
will be preached there i'm United States
language and in the Tazewell tongue
. that the unlearned may understand.
Moral character will be taken as the
true measure OF manhood; that God Il
no respector OF persons, and His peo-
pie must not be. We wll use no book
but the bible and have no creed bu,
Christ. The bond Of fellowship for the
tabernacle worshippers is expressed rs
follows: "I believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ with my whole heart, / will be
diligent in the use Of the means he has
placed in my reach TO know his will
and obey him as understand him."
Attention will be called to all the du
ties we owe to God and man. In doinc
this we will not shun teaching as |,
n found in 1st, Tim. 2: $40; James 2nd
! chapter, and Pet. 3: 3-4-5. No churcI
or society is to be organized in th,
Il tabernacle, except Sunday -schoo
:. which will be conducted at 2:3O p. m
p and Thursday night prayer-meetino
Preaching every Sunday at $50 p. m
Tabernacle worshippers will be uroe,