The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-10-01

70 ~ ~ esW ~toHAkASzsSiCuu ~ tuGLuuu-
estsseeker after morality and justice,
but rather to drive such far away
from them, and to drag down relig-
ioa as whole into the disfavor and
ridicule of every disinterested spec.
tator. This observation might be
illustrated by maAy events of
church history. of which only two
or three recent pnss are here to be
naticed.
The case of The divided Presbyte.
rian church of Scotland today, va
rious factions Of which have been
at law with each other for years
over church property, and when ri
,otous and bitterly revengeful acts
towards one another had in some
instances to be quel1ed by the gov
erDnent forces, is one instance in
point. Another instance is the
woman in Portland who wiiled her
property to the church and, trnst-i
ing the latter to draw up the will,
found herself dispossessed in her
old age and sickness by her bene.
6ciaries and driven to a charitable
Institution penniless to die. And a
third instance is the one recently
decided by the supreme court of Or
egon, prosecuted by the First u. B.
church OF. Eugene against J. L.
Akin. as administrator Of the estate
I of Uncle Peter Mason, and Akin.s
bondsmen. J. W. Ingle ard ]. @.
Rogers. .s..- !. ~ ai.s's'sS-
| Like the Portland woman, Mason
was induced to will his property to
the said First U.eB. church Of Eu-
gene, and, Tks her, trusting his
bene6 ciaries 10 draw up his will,
snbse quently discovered that that
will had been drawn SO that he al
90 could have been dispossessed in
bis lifetime. From this. predica-
ment, however, death suddenly re-
}lieved him, and his friend, DR.. J. L.
Akin, was appointed his admins
TRAITOR. As is customary in the
eases Of other nmior officials, DR..
Akin's neighbors, J. w. Ingle and
1d G. Rogers went on his bond--in-
pocently and unsuspectingly and
/ 1s . ssaG4ss sssssss, as@all hordsmen
do in such cases. 1t happened
that DR.. Akin, at the time of his
appointment, owed the Mason es.
tate the sum of $9O3, but being in
solvent, this debt could not be col.
lectsd of him and was therefore
worthless to the estate. However,
on a mere technicality Of law, the
First U. B. church Of Eugene dis.
covered that this debt could be
made good by collecting it of the
bondsmen, and this they at once
proceeded to do and finally accom-.
plished; SO that the bondsmen now
stand to pay, en- account of limo.
Gently favoring their friend by go,
ing on his bond. sum of about
$1,000, of which J. W. Ingle ha:
already paid in $61S.50. IfJ..Q
, Rogers pays his share, it will take
all he owns in the world and leav.
him penniless; and, if be does no
, pay it, the whole falls on J. W. In
: gle, who for long years has been 1
} liberal supporter of the u church
3 though at the same time strugglin!
to support large family.
3 The animus Of the prosecution il
! what is the most remarkable. Th,
church people knew that Akin wa
insolvent and that his debt wa
: consequently no asset of the Masor
9 estate; but in their desperate greco
: for the almighty dollar, they violat
ed their obligations to Almighty
f God, and sought to create money
out of nothing by taking it ava,
from parties whom they knew to b
e absolutely innocent. Hasthe churcl
in this day and age descended t.
the religion of the highway robbie
< and the thug? The Eugene churcl
/ no doubt breaches the Gospel O
e Christian Mercy from its pulpit
: but from its practice and dealing
e even with its own church brethren
it appears to be brute from whicl
one is to expect as little mercy e
: milk from a male tiger!
e Judge Wolverton, one Of the su
r preme judges, who finally tried tn
j. case, although forced by the stric
technicalities of the law to assen
to the decision, is said to have de
l., elared that there was no justice O
n equity in it. Yet the First Unite,
g Brethren church of Eugene, Ore
a gon, is prosecutor. in this case Q
9 daylight robbery in which one Q
!. its own brethren is it's victim