The daily sentinel., 1908-03-20

wholly triumphed over the good. al
though the good were strong, and
the selfish weakling who, after hav-
ing committed a crime, graver in
some respects than murder, pleads
self-justification at the expense of
women.
This is the Reverend" Jere
Knode Cooks. the whilom minister
who broke the laws of God and man
year ago when he left his wife and
family and eloped with a simple,
trusting girl, mere child, who had
been member of his flock, and
whom he had knavishly betrayed be-
fore the inexperienced young woman
could possibly know the fearful con-
sequences of her act.
Cooks attemts to escape censure
by blaming present day conditions
and the conduct of his wife. He
glorifies his own cowardly action
and chafes that the world does not
condone it. He admits that kindly
people, have helped him. but infer
entially, he blames people generally
for not making him out the hero he
would wish to appear. No word for
the poor child whose life has been
ruined by him, except the plea in
self-extenuation that she was more
mature than most girls of her years.
Nothing, except the poltroon's whine.
the cringe of the evil-doer found out.
the poseur whose poses no longer
deceive.
The former minister, rightly de-
prived of his right to preach the
gospel, has no doubt often spoken
from the text "The way of the trans
gressor is hard There is dittle
question that he has enlarged in
glowing platitudes upon the fact
that a man must lie upon the bed
that he has made. That was prob
ably before temptation had come to
him. Secure in the Righteousness in
which he believed himself clothed,
because what Kipling calls the "sin-
full lust of the flesh" had never
tempted him, he had undoubtedly
called upon other men to be strong
minded and strong of heart, to put
Satan behind them, to triumph over
evil, but the first time that tempta-
ton came to him, he succumbed and
became guilty of a crime, not only
gross and indefensible, but cowardly
to a degree.
The thieves, the burglars, the mur-
derers, the hordes of criminals whom
he no doube reviled during his min
istery, many of them had excuses
and real ones for their acts. They
were probably largely victims of the
forces of environment and heredity.
Surrounded by evil, bred in an at
mosphere of vice, they are, to GER
tain extent excusable. But this man,
who all his life had been environed
only by good influences, is not only
a criminal, but a rank moral cow
ard. which many criminals are not.
They at least, in many cases, having
the saving virtue of being men,
strong, virile, self-reliant men, and
many of them, even the most de-
graded, would recoil from the degra-
dation shown in the crime of that
SNUG and complacent hypocrite. Jere
Knode Cooks.
Human sympathy is a wonderful
| thing. 1t will even cause many to
pity or to extend sympathy to this
sniveling, canting cur, although
morals-the poor little child whom
he has wronged will be damned unto
all eternity by many. especially of
her own sex. The sympathy extended
| to Cooks is of the same sort that
prompts the hysterical to send flow
ers to the cell of the murderer who
has committed the most revolving
crimes, and should be abated
The solid fact remains that he has
| profaned one of the greatest call
| ings, for most ministers are right
| thinking men, doing and believing
in the right and helping humanity
in the upward struggle. These are
prejudiced by the acts of such men
as Cooks and he should be made to
| feel the stern weight of general dis
gust that his action has earned. He
has transgressed, open-eyed and
| knowingly and he should be punish
ed in the same manner as any other
man who deserves disgrace. He
should not be permitted to hide be-
hind skirts. to make the old plea
of Adam, the woman tempted me
and l did yield" Sympathy should
be reserved for the deserted wife
and the wronged girl and not wasted
upon this Pharisaical egoist.-Pu-
eblo Star-Journal.