The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1908-01-24
Get Busy, Christian Soldier


lew Te1lldIkS WHICH, II tnSy ullhB ASSutS'
will more than repay me for my distress
of mind at having trodden upon some
ones corns.
Primarily, want it distinctly under
stood that the object Of this letter is
not to cast animadversion upon any
class, calling or person, but to point
out as coolly, calmly and dispassion-
ately as is but meet from compare
tive stranger, one vital point Of prog
ress in which Leavenworth lacks.
Leavenworth is busy, lively, go
ahead town, for money making and in
vestment; she has mighty possibilities
before her, and, in the event Of certain
possibilities becoming actual certain
ties, her future promise will be brilliant
almost beyond present computation.
But, in more ways than one, Leaven-
worth is a quarter-century behind the
times, with no present disposition evil
dent of any desire to catch up, or even
to hold her own.
One thing, above all others, which
makes for or against the future we'll
being and prosperity Of every growing
town is the manner in which the youth
and future rulers of such town are
trained.
WILL someone point out to me a
single, solitary place in the town where
youth or the stranger within your
gates can pass an evening in healthful,
social intercourse with his fellows, or
in storing his mind with useful reading
of books or the happenings Of the
world cleaned from the leading papers
of the day? There is no such
place !"
"' There is no such place p" And
whose fault is it !?
You have churches Shame on the
members and the pastors thereof !!
You have men and women with
growing sons and daughters, who own
comfortable homes and are striving
to add just little more to their bank
account. Shame on such What
profteth it that man gain the whole
world and lose his own soul !''-or the
soul of the son who is flesh OF his flesh
and bone of his bone.
You have church societies, in which
the members and officers hold an in
ter-congratulatory gabfest when they
have made a few paltry dollars by
working like slaves for the success of
some social or supper, for the benefit
of the church"
And they delude themselves that
they are working for the church and
for the cause of Christ !''-and Satan
grins back at them over his shoulder,
as he follows their sons and their bro
theirs to the saloons and poolrooms
where they go to pass the remainder Of
the evening. And Christ and Him
crucified may only moan and cover His
face, for where they go He may not
follow.
1t may be that we are doing the la
dies injustice in seeming to belittle
their. honest, earnest work. They are
NOT at fault. They work faithfully,
according to their lights, and the onus
of responsibility rests solely with the
pastors and male members.
1t does not seem possible to the
writer that it should be difficult to
raise money to, if necessary, buy the
land and erect suitable frame struc-
ture for a reading room and gymnasi-
UNI. In years to come we could see,
if we were but gifted with prescience,
such investment yielding many thou
sand per cent in happiness and gar
nering for Christ the inestimable treas
ure of immortal souls.
Let the churches, and their pastors,
sink all jealousies and all denomina-
tional friction, and join in common
cause to raise sufficient fund, by sub
scription or otherwise, to make possible
the establishment of this safeguard and
protection to youth. If success is
slow of attainment, use your churches;
put a Christian man or woman in
charge, his or her salary will be forth
coming-Christ hath said it; and your
church could NOT be consecrated to
any work that would be more pleasing
and acceptable to Him.
Thus, and thus only, will you be
working in the cause of Christ" and
raising your churches, with you, from
a merely social, worldly plane, to the
sweet, sweet dignity of handmaidens
of God. Very respectfully,