The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-12-05
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The Colliers, Faith.

Inc OOAAlcF9' F01t0s
This story appears as a footnote to
an article in the Church Quarterly Re
view, called Fathers and Sons" It is
a simple story told in a dozen lines, and
yet it is the most impressive thing In
a discussion which touches on the re-
ligious life Of many distinguished men.
The writer shows that the early re-
ligious lessons learned at the fathers
knee have served great men through
long lives Of turmoil, dispute and
changing convictions in philosophy and
religion:
Young men often disagree with their
outgrow the theologies that
they were brought up in. Whole cycles
Of belief come and 60 during mans
and sweep him far from the
principles his child mind was taught
to hold eternal. Doctrines change, the
tenets of faith remove from one high
place to another, churches revise their
creeds and seminaries alter the re-
Quirements for degree in divinity
but the communication of religion from
father to son goes steadily on in the
home. The foundations Of faith are
laid in many a mans life by the simple
words Of his father and mother. The
bond between God and the new gen.
GRAFTON is knotted in the sacred init
macies of the fireside, and no influence
from without can ever loosen it.
A professor Of philosophy was dis
coursing on the attributes Of deity,
when one of his students cried sudden
ly: But how does that take away my
God?" Some of the other students
smiled at this outburst, but the pro-
fessor was wiser. He answered ear
nestly:
1T does not take away your God.
Not all the books can do that if you've
really got your God in your heart"
The love of God and goodness are
deep emotions that controversy does
not uprOOt or even disturb with it's
most violent gusts. No learning can
add to or detract from an honest mans
on Christ. Such is the drift
of the wise and simple essay in the
and then near the end one
reads this footnote:
At the very moment these lines are
being written, the following comes
from the West Hamstead colliery, the
scene Of the late disastrous fire:
"a search-party has just come to the
surface. They have traversed practi-
cally the whole Of the south works,
and have found six of the missing men.
They were found lying at door in
peaceful attitude, and on a board was
written in chalk:
""The Lord Preserve U.s. Then fol-
low the names of the men: H. Curtis,
]. Guest, H. Watts, T. Cole, T. John
son, Joe Hodgkiss, and the words:
"'For We Are All Trusting In
Christ"
Comment on such an utterance Is
surely needless. Youths Companion.
The ReliGiOns Of Pain1essness.
Much Of the modern fad movement
N so-called religion, despite Its mud
lied transcendentalism and high pre-
ensions to an uncorporeal spirituality,
8 really a specious form Of material
SIN. 1t puts it's chief emphasis on the
,ody and it's comforts, ease, and free
lom from all pain. 1t is kind OF
1t flies to Its psychic
to get rid of pain, with the
,ame promptness that some people exer-
Use in getting out the chloroform bottle
,r the cocaine tablet. But may 1t not
,e that pain is not thing that we
should be in such extraordinary haste
% get rid Of? May it not have very
Useful function for us? Is 1t not an
invaluable medicament? It may be
hat danger lies in hushing the warning
# pain too summarily.
Was st. Paul entirely wrong when
re found in pain lofty discipline for
he soul-putting a man into the exer-
Use of patience, trust, endurance, cour-
which purify, energize.
ind exalt the soul? If we are going
o have a race grow up that shall stink
way ANONYMOUSLY from meeting, In
manly fashion, any pain or anything
Use that is hard to bear, by and by we
hall get nothing but slushy, effeminate,
md wishy-washy neutrality-suspicious.
Visitor.
The Right Way.
Look around you in the world and
zee what way it is that has brought
-FOUR fellow men to peace and quiet
ness of heart to security and honor