Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1905-04-06

under bushel'-no small amount Of
good will have been done. For the
popular sense that the acceptance Of
such gifts places The churches in an a.
titude of practical opposition to the
very fundamentals Of New Testament
Christianity IS undoubtedly correct.
A good deal of rubbish will be clear
ed away from the battle field if the fact
is recognized at the outset that there
is no such thing as "tainled money
There are no moral qualities attaching
to either gold, silver, greenbacks,
stocks or bonds. The money, then, OF
any ster Of disreputable finance, OF
any { mbler or bLachleg, is as ''ciean
and considered apart from lis source
will do Just as much good when spent
COR church or benevolent purposes IS
any other.
But the trouble is that the church or
other Christian organizations, when
it accepts the money Of tainted man,
practically cOndones all the immoral
ity, all the crime, all the oppression
and evil doing which has been used in
its requirement. 1t takes the leprous
creature into practical fellowship,
makes him its partner and co worker.
goes back on all the teachingsof Scril-
ture condemnatory of evil associations.
1t seals the lips of its preachers in the
presence OF prosperous, open. handed,
strutting evil, embodied in the man
whose ill-acquired money fills its treas
ury. With what grace can church
condemn robbery and extortiOn when
the rObber and extortiOner sits in its
best pew and has perhaps given more
than any one else toward the erection
of its building? With what effect can
it condemn the bucketshop or the
gambling den when the owner of either
is retained as member in good stand
ing and heads all the church subscrip-
tion lists? OF what avail is it to
preach obedience to law, the rendering
unto Caesar the things that are Cae
sar's," when the owner of millions
made in violation of law is recognized
as "a pillar of the temple" and held up
to the aspiring young man as model
for his imitation?
The golden calf" of ancient Hebrew
story was the prototype of the tainted
man before whom too many churches
fawn to-day. Were they animated by
the spirit of the Apostle Peter, when
any modern Simon the Sorcerer" offer
ed gold for the purposes of the sanctu-
ary they would turn on him with Peters
exclamation, Thy money perish with
theew
Were it not that men of the type here
under discussion desired their idenllti-
cation with the church 20 be openly
advertised they would bestow their
gifts in secret. Money coming from an
unknown source would accomplish the
work intended if beneicient service
was the real motive for its bestOwal;
and its use would neither shame or de-
grade. But the publicity of their gifts.
If accepted, pulls the church down TO
their level; and this would seem to be
their desire. The church's acceptance
shows at least that it has no enmity to-
ward their sins, since the fruits thereof
are so pleasant.
If the churches should withdraw all
from men known to be
openly and shamelessly engaged in
business operations whose carrying on
can have no justification in the moral
law, and which are often violative O
statutory law as well, no doubt their
treasures would suffer for a while.
But their gain in influence would far
offset this-their power as "forces of
Righteousness" would be increased
MANIFOLD. Such at least is the gener-
ally expressed opinion of a multitude of
upright mep-withouta as we'll as within
the fold Pioneer Press.