Evening journal., 1908-05-18

OF the labor and means to be expend-
cd in the rearing Of it. say: What
waste Of time and means and energy.
How much more profitable they might
be expended on other things than re-
ligion. on schools. Libraries. parks 5o-
cial centres. charities. and the like.
This attitude toward religion re-
scmbles very much that Of ungrateful
children toward an aged parent. Once
they have matured sufficiently thanks
to their parents self-sacrincing labors
and care and watchfulness-to think
and act safely for themselves, they fail
10 see why they should be under the
necessity Of reverencing their parents
or contributing toward their well-be-
ing Thousands and ters of thousands
display such ingratitude toward re-
| ligion, at the present time. when,
thanks TO thousands Of years Of the
hardest kind Of toll ana trouble on the
| part Of religion. they or iov the moral
ity ana enlightenment. the peace aud
safety the freedom and Justice that
make life livoable. society enjoyable,
homc-tica sacred. commerce and in
dustrv secure and equitable
Far from religion net paying.
| know of no investment Of society to-
day that yields so large and so unfan-
ing a dividend as tie church As
there are times when iosses are gains,
and defeats victories. so are there
| times when expenditure are profits.
and the money expended for the main-
J tenance of religion is ono of these It
/ was no mean appreciation of the SER
| vice religion renders civilized society
! which prompted former generations to
/ consecrate a tithe OF their income to
/ the maintenance Of the church. Such
! free-will Offering made manifest their
/ conviction that the Investment of one
/ tenth rendered secure the other nine
tenths of their income.
IF you would convince yourselves
whether religion pays or not. contrast
the state of society in which religion
is fostcred with that I'm which Il IS
neglected or scorned. on the one side,
YOU find law and order, peace and IN
tegrity reverence for parents, respect
( for authority, sacredness of virtue,
holiness of the Sabbath, you find
schools ana Libraries. hospitals and
asylums. You find provisions made for
tho orphaned and the widowed, for
/ the poor and the ignorant. for the weak
and the heavy-laden. on the
other side. you find the goddess and the
lawless the anarchist and the assassin.
the vicious and the criminal. the brutal
husband, the drunken mother. the ne
elected child instead Of church. CHAPEL
or Sunday school. you find dens of
crime, dives OF vice, brothels of de-
bauchery
Il doubt whether any man, and he
he the most enlightened, can fully ap-
preciate how much the whole frame
work of civilization rests on the church.
Believe me. one woman walking TO-
ward her church with prayerbook in her
hand. one Sabbath school child coming
with its leafot, renders more pro-
lection to the commonwealth than a
hundred policemen with club in hand
or a regiment of soldiers armed with
sword and rifle. Close the church and
Sabbath school TO that woman and
child, and you open wide the door to the
hall Of infamy and shade. Once teach
man that there is no God above. n1
soul within, no future before him. thai
the grave ends all, and that he, there
fore, is smartest who Gets most of sem
HhAl pressure OUT OF inc little existence
there is.--once teach man that there d.
no Supreme Justice righting wrong oi
Furnishing guilt, once take from mar
the hope that there viii be recompens,
for sacrifice, smiles for tears, gain FOL
loss, and you will have 20 discove
some new world whittier to flee from
the hounds of crime and bloOdshed tina
win track your heels.
Notwithstanding all the nauntin,
OF unbelief. all the indifference to
ward the church, all the levity towar
preachers. all the professions that on
can be good without being religion,
If we have a position OF responsibilt
TO mn. we prefer TO entrust il TO a ma
of religious principle II n true an
faithful helpmate we wisely seek fo
Yourselves or for our son or daughter
we prefer one whose life and prime.
pies are guided by a love and fea
of God. II we wish 10 see our chi,
dron grow up as honorable and use
full men and women. we prefer 20 hav
for their teachers and companion
such as shall strengthen the mora
law that religion has implanted. IN
stead OF undermining. it by their god
llessnesa