Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-08-18
The President in the Pulpit.

President Roosevelt is bundle of
surprises. On Sunday, the 9th inst,
he appeared in one OF the Oyster Bay
pulpits, with a small Bible in his hand,
and expounded the law of Moses to
about 200 members of the Christian
Brotherhood, in forcible and con-
vincing manner. He first read the
text, Judge not that We be not
judged, (Matthew vID and discoursed
on "The True Christian Life" pune
tuating his remarks with frequent
reference to the Book of Books. Such
verses as the 10th, 18th and 18th Of
the 7th chapter of the same epistle
were used:
q Ye shall know them by their fruits Do men
gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles:
Even so, a good tree bringeth forth good
fruit, but corrupt tree brnseth forth evil fruit.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit:
neither can corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
He supplemented these by quoting
from the 25th chapter OF Matthew,
using the 37th to the 10th verses, in
elusive, in which the Saviour counsels
charity and holds out the promise Of
like clemency to the truly beneficent,
ending with the assurance that "Inas-
much as you have done it unto one Of
the least of these, you have done it
unto me-"
1t was matter OF very general sur
prise among his auditors, the dispatch
says, that in view OF the fervor and
vigor OF his remarks, that Mr.. Roose.
welt had not embraced the cause of
the Saviour as life mission, instead
of plunging into what the public gen.
orally characterize as the filthy pool
of politics" He could have found
many texts to justify loss of political
prestige, and to have turned him aside
from that snubbing.post, the root Of
all evil, the love of money; to have
taught him the worthlessness and
hollow mockery of earthly honors
compared with spiritual gifts, with in
functions to lay up treasures in heaven
where he has assurance they will be
safe. See Matthew W.: -, 20, 81:
Lay not up your treasures in Earth. where
moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves
break through and steal.
But lay up your treasu res In Heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where
thieves do not break In and steal.
For where yorr treasures are there will be
your heart also"
Then turn to Mark VIII: &c, 81:
For what will it profit man II he shall gain
| the whole world and lose his own soul.
"Or what shall man give in exchange for his
| SOUL"
This should be enough for man OF
Mr.. Roosevelt's talent and compreheu.
sion, We think, to have induced diff.
ferent choice of life. mission, for in
Matthew vII:13 we find these words:
"Enter We in at the straight gate, for wide is
the gate and broad the way that leads to destruc-
| ton. and many thore be which 60 in thereat.
because straight is the gate and narrow 10 the
way which leadeth unto life and few there be tina,
| find It,"
What splendid shepherd would
have been provided for the lost sheep
had Mr.. Roosevelt chosen the pulpit
as his field of endeavor, instead of a
short pilgrimage with a pocket Bible
in hand and the words Of inspiration
on his tongue, which like the meteor
glare on the armament dazzles for a
moment and then disappears to leave
the darkness deeper than before.