Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-07-06
CHURCH CREED AND POLITICAL
PRINCIPLE.
A Remarkable Sermon by the Pastor Of St.
Johns Church

On last Sunday morning at St.
Johns church in this city, the
pastor, Rev. +. X. Howard, delivered n
sermon on conservatism and innova-
tlon. As applied to conditions found in
thu religious. and political worlds at
the present time. The reverend gem
tlcman began 10y referring TO the agi-
tation in the realm of religious thought
in the 10th century, when Martin
Luther raised the standard Of revolt,
claiming the right of private Judg
ment in the matter ot religious wor-
ship. The Anglican church did not
adopt the extreme individualism of the
Protestants; neither did this church
stand for she absolutism OF the Rom
ish church. In all organisms there
are two principles; lndividualism,
which expresses itself in restless self
assertion, and that force, sometimes
called collectivei,m, which tends to
stamp out individual effort, which il
subversiye OF the liberties OF the
masses.
The English church happily avoided
these two extremes. After the strug-
gle for religious freedom, there were
revolutions to attain political liberty;
now we are face to face with the prop
osition Of economic freedom; what
WAS regarded as anarchistic or social
isiic ten years ago is now seriously
considered by the thoughtful men and
women Of Earth. The contentious OF
extremists cannot, amid so much
social unrest, he readily brushed aside
for extremists are always logical; he
might have added and have been
more accurate by saying, ain their
own estimation"
The speaker said he considered that
women. as a general thing, kept bet
ter posted on existing conditions than
men, who are too much inclined to
think in the same grooves as their
ancestors thought. The ideas of thirty
years ago are in great measure super.
seeded by modern thought. He did
not believe in substituting the dead.
level policy ofsocialism for the tyranny
OF capitalism; this government was a
happy blending of Jeffersonian individ-
ualism and the policy of Capitalization
led by Hamilton and his fellow feder
alists, similar to the principles ex-
pressed in the Anglican church in the
domain of religious thought.
We will doubtless encounter Bryan
individualism, and the Dangerous
socialist tendencies" of Roosevelt, as
ironically characterized by the meat.
trust magnates.
At such times ae these the man
with the muck rake will be much in
evidence endeavoring TO bespatter his
fellow.men. Individuals will have to
be up and doing to meet revolutionary
conditions; the conservative, who
stands for the petrified part is an OBJ.
structionist to progress and will be
swept aside. The learned divine ad-
mitted, however, that all reformers are
apt to attach too much Importance
to new opinions, instead of giving
proper consideration to old truths.
Mr.. Howard failed to chow that in
this country Jefrsrsonian Democracy
and Hamiltonian federalism had ever
blended. The fact is they were an
tagonistic from the beginning. Per-
haps the pastor avoided entering this
field because he did not wish that his
discourse should have a political sig.
niticance in this connection. The
socialists will not agree with him
when he talks about harmonizing the
interests OF "cspital and labor" They
contend that their interests are an.
tagOnistic, must always remain go, for
the more capital gets the less labor
will have. Therefore the conflict is
irrepressihle. The socialists further
claim that an economic system will
continue to be out OF harmony with
the principles of justice, as long as
commodities are produced for profit
instead of for use.