The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-04-13

that the acceptance of the gift would have upon the
public.
gift and this will serve as better illustration
than any imaginary gift. Here is a gift from
man who is not only not penitent but, on the
trary, quite boastful OF the benevoence of his
business methods. He does not come with con-
science money but poses as a public benefactor
and as representative of an Industrial system.
He is not dead but very much alive, and his gift,
instead OF being presented through the contrbu-
ton box as IL from IAN unknown friend" is offered
at the front OF the stage before the fOotlights and
with his name boldly written card and the
card firmly attached to the bouquet. The accept
ance OF his gift by prominent religious associa-
ton SO far from Fastening repentance would nat
urally strengthen him in his conviction that he
is doing the Lords service not only in his methods
OF distribution but in his methods of accumulation.
Can church organization dedicated to christian
ity and teaching the doctrine of brotherhood and
brotherly love- afford to put itself in the position
OF encouraging corporation SO unbrotherly and
so destitute of love, compassion and pity as the
Standard Oil trust has shown. Itself to be? If Mr..
Rockefeller were simply stakeholder who had
grown rich by the methods Of the company, with
out personal responsibility for it's management,
the question might present little different aspect,
but even then we could not shut our eyes to the
responsibility of who would voluntarily and
continuously accept the benefits of wrong doing.
But even more important than the influence
exerted upon Mr.. Rockefeller is the influence
exerted upon the church Can church which
accepts money from Mr.. Rockefeller take an
active part in condemning the methods employed
by Mr.. Rockefeller? Whether the gift is intended
as hush money" or not, does it not operate as
such? man who was recently asked for an
opinion on the Rockefeller donation, hesitated
whether he should give it or not, because some of
the benevolent enterprises with which he was
connected received substantial aid from an official
of great trust. He expressed himself as in doubt
whether he should express opinion upon the
subject, and declared that it was the first time
that it had ever occurred to him that the receipt
OF money from such source influenced his own
action. And yet he admitted that he recognized
that to all intents and purposes gifts from an Off
Ger OF trust had on him somewhat the effect of
hush money, because he did not feel free to
criticise the methods employed by the Standard
Oil company.
If christianity is going to do the work that
the Master laid out for His church it must apply
christian principles to everyday life, and Christs
gospel applied to everyday life is condensed into
the commandment "Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thysef." The church cannot afford to proclaim
this doctrine to the world and then shrink from
the discussion of the violations of it. Mans rela-
ton to his God is a personal relation and one
which the outsider ordinarily finds it difficult to
investigate but we have Bible authority for the
statement that mans conduct toward his brother
furnishes the surest test of mans relations with
his Maker. In fact, the Bible speaks very posi-
lively upon this subject and declares that a man
is a liar if he asserts that he loves his God and