The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-11-13

~AA AVN "A 0NOI
If dey have changed too. If dey haven't
it's bekase Il trust hasn't got hold of
'em.
I'm de old fashioned days, when we
built a church buildin'-dey called it a
meetin' house den-we had to rake and
scrape and build a leetle at a time.
Ebery dollar was honest money. Eb-
cry dollar was honestly Armed. If we
got huff together to build a $500 build
in we felt almost ashamed of de ex-
traragance. If we could pay our
ashamed to take it.
up my way dey am jist now build
in what may lee called a palace Of de
Lawd. De lot cost $4,000, de buildin'
am to cost $4,000. de organ am to cost
$4,000, de steam heat and cushions
and odder fiXins will cost as much
more, and dey am gwine to pay de
minister de same salary annually.
Oar will be a choir Of paid singers,
and dar will be dozens of carriages
roll up to de door on Sundays.
When the Church Is Built.
"When dat palace am finally com
pleted and opened, when de organ
peals out. when de choir stands up to
sing, when de minister stands up to
preach. what's he gwine to preach
about to make men better? Jist de
same things dat our preachers preach.
ed about in de long ago.
HE will ask men to be honest.
He will ask men to love DER Teller
men.
HE will ask men to forgive DER en-.
emies and praise de Lawd.
HE will ask men and women to help
in de betterment of de world and to SO
lib yere on airth dat when dey come
to die dey will 60 up higher.
Oats all he kin do. Can't add an
odder word to it. And If he asked
those things in a $500 meetin' house
would de consciences of men respond
jist as quick as in dat palace?
But he won't ask it. 1t would he
old fashioned to do SO. 1t wouldn't be
to date. 1t might hurt de feelin's of
some Of de congregashun who have
come dar to show off DER clothes and
hear de choir sing. He'll take a text
and he'll talk, and when he gifts frew
talkin' meeting will be ober and no,
body de better nor wuss off.
"In de old fashioned day any man
who libed widin five miles of you was
q naybur and a human bein'. In dis
modern age de man libin' on de odder
side of de wall dies and is buried, and
you don't know his name nor care to.
Fifty years ago dnr was a feelin'
Of sympathy fur a man in misfortune,
fur a widder in black, fur an orphan
cryin' in its loneliness. Dat feelin' was
too old fashioned, and it has been done
away wild. We can't miss our street
run ober and had his bones broke, and
We fgger dat widders and orphans will
be taken care of at de porehouse.
Sin dose old days dar was some
politics around. but men didn't look
upon it as they do de politics of today.
It didn't smirch e 1t didn't make
liars and thieves and rascals Of EN-.
Men didn't sell their votes. and Office.
holders didn't rob de people. It was
decided dat de old way wasn't pro,
gressive huff fur de American people,
and so de present one was invented
De result am dat dere am not ober five
men in high places today in all dis
land dat de people thoroughly trust.
"In my time. when l considered my
--IA H. L. -,~ 80 ~-l 90 5000
away at least 80 cents agin sickness
or old aige. OATS what we preached
to each odder-economy and saving
Dat looked like good policy. but l have
libed to see how foolish it was com
pared to de up to date idea. De thing