Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-02
81 80
OGDEN Q PASTORS
STAND on POLITICS 4. ].
Rev. ElIderEg1 Says It Is Duty Of
The Church to Take a
Hand.
.--------------
POINTS TO LESSONS OF PAST
POINTS TO LESSONS OF PAST
In Utah Efforts to Better Condi-.
lions Are Condemned
As Unholy.
Elsewhere, As IN ca,non's Case, Ap-
plansc Alone Follows Attempt 10
secure Civic Purity and Law.

t"+il, NoV. lin Il stirring sermon
delivered last night by the Rev, Noble
strong Elderkin. pastor of the First
Congregational church, discussed ~.
question OF the right Of the Church to
be active in politics. Th4leverend een-s.
tieman declares with emphasis that un-
der certain conditions the Church nor
9tlX mas the right To enter this field,
plls faces duty OF entering the cam
paigns 10 better civic conditions.
Il1eg sermon has brought about much
discussion In Ogden and the Rev. gEi-g
derktn has furnished Il local paper the
tolioWins statement over his signatures:
endaaNosed at last evenings serv-
ICE 10 present the problem which con X
fronts 'is i,l$tjtall from the point OF
slew o. Justice and fairness, / sought
lo@sto@2 that outside OF Utah when the.
Was sigh of hopeful Vitality Every
Where the church seeking to lift the
moral status Of the communicative com 4
Inlehded. Only linE Utah do / find tie
ptlnciple assailed. The Methodist
church has openly insisted that Joseph
o. -; 5anion should be cteposed from 20
ei because he blocked certain legisla-
, zion 1n which that church Din common
WITH nther churches i; co,irse) desired
ana demanded. 1t has thrown the
weight OF that powerful Institution
astihst 1T. We have not condemned
tbs Metlspdist church.
NON. lahoi.f Unions ana lodacs ana
INC ifduor3i interests are Ill In politics
ana rlost'fof55t hem for tlieir. own selfish
Interests, What can we do for$ouls-
selves ,s$ they constantly ask s 3i
CHURCH HAS IpE IS h .8S3
ne church has certain ideals of
riBhteousness Justice and brotherhood
lttuayaaccamplist, much by the impress
It makes upon character. But, tilt Is
wise, II Will set ;nvet a gninst !personali-
| ~ and en9irounlent. The church has
| notianls the right but the duty sl,1ls
iites.s tese q tipott siroilineiit \. Ent the
NEST potent changes in environment
| as the Socialist has gractousiy taught
ts.-tnay be accomplished through ana
By the ballot
THE church is heartily accorded
The right TO minister to the wreckage
Of the saloon and the gambling hous,,
and the brctbel, These are openly iii
politics to uphold their ideals, such as
they are The church, too, has ideals,
In order to realize those ideals Of
brotherhood 1t goes into politics 10
fight the institutions which de
humani2e and devitaize human life a
The old sacramento idea OF the
church has about gone The church
is simply an organization believing
IN the righteousness Of God and IT.;
ultimate victory,
HOW SOME VOTE
Il pointed out that men of other
denominations vote for those who by
aSSociationgaie OF the same faith. did
not comend that. in fact said, that
IL was Just as vicious for gcntilel
to vote for a Gen.le simply because he
was n gentle, as it was for a Mormon.
to vote for a Mormon simply because
he Was II Mormon. If the Congrega-
tionalists vote for Mr.. Gideon simply
because he is :, Congregationalists they
are 10 be condemned just as roundly
as Mormons who vote for Mr., Harris
simply because he is a Mormon.
THE Mormon has a right to follow
his file leader blindly If he will. but
he ism. wise if he does He ouslll
TO stauy the file leader If the fiie
leader is unscrupulous and violates
that confidence the trouble is with the
nlc leader. People have asked inc
how to vote have told them de-
fintely and explicitly we want GER
tain things in our community. certain
men stand for those things. / have
told people how 10 vote tomorrow in
order to gum those things ! havnI
.thou..at OF myself, but / frankly con-
.fess that / am thinking of my children
and the children OF others. That's
sentimental aud Furthermore it's SET
fish. suppose But these people think
that I have studied the question and
that know certain legislation may
lie obtained II lie to them: use the
opportunity TO deceive them they sill
and they ought to lose confidence in s.