The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-24
CLAD IN SMILES
AND SUNSHINE
WOULD MANY CHRISTIANS BE
III THEY PAID ALL THEIR DEBTS,
SAID REV. MIR. MCCONNELL.

Docs Not blame Business World for
Not Taking More Stock in Chris
tinnIty-Has Had People in His
ChOirs Singing "COme to Jesus"
Over Set of False Teeth That They
Had Not Paid fOr-Such People Not
Worth Ten Cents Per Dozen-BOb
Into Church Like Chicken with
It's Head on.
II don't blame the business world for
not taking any more stock in Christi
anity than it does. The way a great
many people act is bound to drive the
merchants and the grocers and the
meatmen to take that position. The
practical application made by some
people is what casts the doubt upon
Christianity"
Cornell, in his sermon at Trinity
Church last night, scored the non-pay-
ment of debts. which he claimed is very
common among Christian people, just
about as common as it is among the
non-professors. The matter arose in a
discussion of the plea that a thing is
right because the mans conscience let
him rest in peace over it.
4 "Of course it WILL" said Rev. Mr.. Nc
Cornell, mo one ever heard of mans
conscience bothering him about a thing
which he believed he had a perfect
right to do. People often act strangely
about paying their debts. don't blame
the business world for not taking more
stock than it does in Christianity. Our
actions drive them to it.
did you ever think how some people
do? They buy so much from the gro
Gerry this month and pay for half of it,
latter they have eaten it alb. Then
they buy the same amount again and
pay for quarter of it. Then they buy
the same amount again and-move.
That is bound to make the groceryman
suspicious of Christianity.
Clad in Smiles and Sunshine.
I'VE always charge everything we
lose to the man we owe. If we owe a
grocery bill and the calf dies, we charge
it to the groceryman We let his bill
pect there are many in this church who
have bills standing, who have had bills
standing for so long that If you were
to ask them about it they would say
that time and tide had settled it.
Il want to tell those people that if
they ever do get religion, they will dis
cover time hasn't settled those bills.
They will have to pay them. / expect
If l were to levy on the clothes and
adnrnn1anfG of oil in
church tonight in an endeavor to pay
their debts, that a whole lot would go
forth clad only ile smiles and sum
shine"
At this point the speaker turned to
Rev. Mr.. Williams, who was seated on
the platform, laughed. and said: well
Brother Williams, that may have bust
ed your church ali;tp. But if it does
l can stand off and shout: Bless God,
bless God, that it's busted "
Continuing in the same line Mr.. Nc
Cornell said: II have conducted meet
ings in different parts of the country.
| had large choir. of more than 300
voices back of me at one Western town.
and know there were a lot of people
back of me singing Come TO Jesus
over a set of false teeth that they hadn't
paid for. I felt like turning around and
telling them to take them out and gum
it. The singing might not sound so
well, but it would be more acceptable.
Not Worth Ten Cents Dozen.
Il wouldn't give 10 cents a dozen for
that comparatively common class who
come bobbing up and down into
church like a chicken with its head
off, and shouting, Praise the Lord
and then go out and bend their best
energies to beat their fellow man out
of what he has earned. There are a
heap of polite cheaters, thieves and
swindlers in this world"
An earnest plea was made for all
to accept the Bible as the standard
of life and to cast aside the fallacy
of holding to conscience as the sole
source of determining whether or not
act is right
Most of the people going to hell"
he said, ARE going there conscientious
ly. l say that in all seriousness, for
/ do have serious spasms occasionally
And right here l want to say that
don't do like some preachers, lay
everything on the Holy Ghost. When
/ begin any of this monkey business
1 don't want you to lay it on the Holy
Ghost; lay that on me. Whatever
good l may do, the credit belongs to
the Holy Ghost"
Asked Ladies to Remove Hats.
rather unusual request for church
service was that made by Mr. Neon
nell before beginning the sermon. AS
he took his place he said:
Now want all the ladies to remove
their hats-that is, unless they are
small bonnets. l make this request in
order that those sitting behind you
may see all that is going on. I want
you to do it as a matter of cour-
tesy.
Don't you take your hats off when
you go to the theater? If they don't
make you take them off there it's
bum theater, and l wouldn't go to it.
1t is generally a case at the theaters
of Curtains up! Hats OFF, Well, it's
the same thing at this place. The cur
tain is up, and the show is about to
commence. So please remove your
hats"
With that request only about half
of the ladies in the audience removed
their hats. The evangelist looked .smil-
ingly over the congregation for q mo-
rnent or two, and then said, in a half
apologize tone of voice:
"Of course, you know more about
how your hair is put up than do and
whether it's ready to be seen in pub
lie So, If there are any protests