Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-04-25
CONNER CIALISM
ITS SPIRIT PERvAOES NEW
ENGLAND CHURCHES.
Rev. Dr.. Rails. Of New Haven. Connecticut,
Talks Straight Out in Meeting About Legal.
lied Robbers who try to Square Themselves
With Contributions.

The New Haven Palladium publishes
sermon recently delivered by the Rev.
DR.. Rails of that city viii h shows how
the commercial spirit is invading even
the church, and casting its shadow over
religious institutions. The following
quotation from the sermon presents the
facts as related by the minister:
"Let us illustrate this. A few month 8
ago preached in this place a sermon
against stealing. pointed out some OF
its modest forms and showed that some
things that passed for high finance were
simply robbery on large scale. cited
several instances. The report of the
sermon came to one OF these men, one Of
the most prominent OF these modern
financiers. He made his complaint to
me in two letters. He denied nothing.
He simply asserted two things. One
was that should have been silent. for
the chief christian virtue was charity.
The other was this sentence: Although
have given several million dollars to
churches, since your attack upon me l
have decided to make no further contri-
buttons in that direction Now that is
what some men call the old, orthodox
idea OF the gospel.
The gospel Of Christ means the forgive.
ness of sins and charity for all. Let the
preacher proclaim this and be silent on
on all else. Let the Morgans and Rookie
fellers and Schwabs float their wa'ered
stock, and then bring their gifts to
church and college, and say, I'VE are
delivered to do these things Charity is
not the chief christian virtue, but love.
And Christian love is no maudlin, senti-
ment. 1t is the passion OF the cross,
clear OF vision, loving men, hating
iniquity, with eternal enmity for all evil
And it is that preaching OF the cross
applied to all life, rebuking skin and
warning and inviting the sinner, con-
demning the wickedness OF men and
lifting up the broken heartfelt is that
that we need today. The dangerous
heresy today is not a theory about the
person Of Christ, but the opinion that
there is any part Of life or OF the world
from which Christ may be shut out as the
king and the rule OF life.'
This incident shows how the trust
magnates are attempting to coerce the
church and its ministers. The Nor
gans, the Rockefelers and the Schwabs
have silenced many tongue that ought
to be laundering against wickedness in
high places and against larceny on a
grand scale. 1t is fortunate that we still
have many preachers who, Ike DR..
Rails, will not be siienced, and who will
speak out against the demoralizing and
corrupting tendencies of present dav
commertialism. The sanctimonious sim
ners who rob their neighbors all the
week and then rious'y contlibute part
of their plumber to the church, tslk about
old-fashioned religion much as Mr.. Cleve.
land and Mr.. Hill talk about old
fashioned democracy. Just as democracy
is of no value except as it aims at justice
in government and equity in Legislation,
so no religion is Of any value that does
not lead to virtuous living.
There is great need today for more
ministers who will stand up in their pull
pits and apply christianity to the every
day life of their members, and by SO
doing withdraw their membership from
association with those who debauch cleo.
tons, bride legislators and corrupt gov.
eminent for the purpose Of exploiting the
people afterwards.