Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-02-09
NO. 81.
WEATHER REPORTyt
tForecastby T. B LLOYD 4
FRIDAY, snow storm.
SATURDAY Fair.
SUNDAY. Fair.
Observer.

professor James in his varieties of
Religious Experience" draws distinc-
tlon between two types which he de-
signates as the ''strong man" and the
'salnt." The ''strong man" is the rep-
resentative of forceful genius, full of
initiative and enterprise. He is the
strenuous man who does things, and in
dong them is not hampered by CON
slderatlons of mere sentiment. In his
CONSCIOUSNESS the sense of strength ex-
Guides the sense of weakness or depea-
denea. He is apt to look upon the re-
llglous sense as confession of weak
ness and as such it is abhorrent, or at
least meaningless, to him The "sainp'
IS one in whose consciousness the sense
OF dependence upon higher power is
dominant Apart from connection
with that higher power he feels him
self to be utterly weak and unworthy.
The foregoing classification may 60
for what it is worth 1t is recalled to
the Observer by an article in last
weeks Outlook by Gerald Stanley Lee.
! entitled "The Church of the Strong
Men" The writer assumes that the
great body of ''strOng men" are hold
ing themselves a!oof from the Church,
because the churches of to day repre-
sent God and religion i'll a wav that
seems very trivial and unworthy. 'It
does not interest them to go to a church
whose God is so hard put to it that he
conducts his business affairs in such a
way that the aver age business man in
| the street can look down on him,
! Who cares to accept an invitation to
come and pray to Q God who has just
worked out the last week some new
way Of picking one's pocket or of corn
ering people into giving2 IF the
| church building that represents God
on the streets is vulgar or hideous or
shabby Or insincere, or if it is a mere
sitting room, with colored windows,
where people drop in pleasantly for q
cozy, comfortable chat with Him be.
| fore whom hell is naked, who stretch
eth out the north over the empty place,
and hangeth the earth upou nothing,
why should one notice God2"
| Our churches may be more or less
open to these criticisms; but these criti-
! cisms are far indeed from representing
the whole truth about them. Neither
is it true that ''strong men" in goodly
numbers are not to be found in the
churches. 1t is the belief OF the Ob,er-
yer that the majority Of ''-trong mon''
in the country are men of wide enough
vision to see now central and vita IN
! our civilization are the institutions OF
Christianity and Of large enough social
| spirit Ito say the Ieast) 10 do some
| part towards maintaining a Christian
| life and atmosphere On the other
| hand, it is very misleading to sappose
that all who hold themselves alooftsons
! the churches are strong men En
the majority of cases If is something
besides the possession of the noble
qualities of strength that leads some
men to hold themselves aloof from the
churches. If it is sign of strength to-
! be so exclusively absorbed in private
| business that one has no inclination TO
! take any part in the public activities of
the community, whether political,
! social, or moral; than perhaps the ma
jority of non church going men are
Strong men" If it is a sign Of
Icf,. ,r,I, 6, u