Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1906-03-14

ohoso were Inof0. expressing Jnt m
selves in the raising of the dead, in
healing the broken-hearted drying L e
tear stained face, giving strength to
the impotent, new life to the helpless.
pointing the way to eternal life to
every doubling seeker and holding op-
en- the gates Of Paradise to every peni-
tent sinner. All! yes, This is the
Christ, and whOsoever among man and
lnstitututions do the same to the meas
ure of their ability, are expressing IL
Christ spirit.
We are to think this afternoon of
the bearing of all this upon the church
and fraternal organizations, l am no
special pleader for fraternites, but |
love fair play.
| want you men who are members
of lodges and fraternities to give the
church fair play. And [ want the
church to accord the same fair play to
the fraternities. | realize that the at
titude OF many Of the churches of our
community is hostile to fraternities
of all kinds outside of the church; and
with grateful recognition of the good
these churches are doing, it still seems
to me that they are unnecessarily an
ia ri ipv of 40 hnC IF
city and country. Their attitude
serves t. dive these men far from the
church, and to accentuate a hostility
between the religious and fraternal
forces Which oIghf rot to exist
We ay RI htIy determine the value
of an o"g tniZati,n by a direct and i'm. .
partial invr-li! alton If il as it exis:s
In this WAY we may easily see the val
ue of The church The church has
made mistakes. Evil has beer done
in the name ofreIyon. 1t has some
times been cold, formal. and uninvit-
ing, foaiittg to touch she highest i'm
pulses Of men and To inspire them to
the higher endeavor. Confessng the
weakness of the church. we may still
maintain that the church has still
stood As the hulwark Of the highest
mortality. aud ae ii steadf;,st champion
of all that Is best and truest in our
highest civilization. Moreover, the
church Of Jesus Christ finds its UNIQUE
supremacy in dealing with the spiri-
tual side of life. AS mortal being
man is related TO man in d social bond.
AS religious being man is related to
the eternal. 1t is not enough, there
fore. that man be moral; he should
also be spiritual, and in full and free
fellowship with God. This is the
especial function of the church This
is its unique service TO which it has
been commissioned by the Great Foun.
der In the same spirit OF fair play
then, is there any value in these fra
ternal organizations? | think there is
First, oy banding men together they
provide these men with large and lof-
ty ideals. Many man, left to him
self, will not stop long enough to form
any intelligent ideal for his own life,
He will drift along without any large
purpose actuatlng him. Fraternities
often aid men of this character in
forming leals. they give them the
ideal Of their organization, which is
usually far from ignobe. Again they
provide for d needed and helpful social
diversion. Thus, lodge rooms become
the gathering places of men. Aud
these rooms are not dens OF inQuity,
nor haunts of vice. Finally, they en-
gage in practical minietrations How
many Il poor family has not in some
time of need received some practical
gift covering their necessity. A fra
ternal brother leaves his home CITY.
and goes to dstan and strange place.
where he has no friends Feeling lone
ly, he looks up some of the men of his
own fraternity, and Immediately h-
loneliness is forgotten in the bond OF