The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-02-07
ANNUAL INSPECTION |
AND MUSTER
MID-WINTER GET TOGETHER"
AT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
SPEECHES. SONGS, AND RE-
FRESHMENTS.

L
slogan at the head Of this story says
liz was Get Together affair IN
GOOD earnest. The plea for and ex
qualification of the broader acquaint
ance.
The address by Mayor Wise on
,l"cood Citizenship in General was
} full OF sound sense and witty sayings,
( in fact such u one as only Mayor
lWise can deliver,
i This was followed by the male
chorus and then Manager John H.
| Whyte Of the Chamber of Commerce
read an interesting address on
l.Churches and the New Astoria He
said Churches and the New Astoria
lis nv Text" Continuing, Mr. Whyte
said:
while some people have no pre-
text for living, others arise to the
dignity of the most sublime context
and still Others have text thrust
upon them
"A text is quite often only pre-
text for saying something else ana
many a text is ridiculous when con
sidered without context. An occasion
or an opportunity rs necessary before
one can have even pretext lot
speaking, :,
"As this is a social and soc'able
occasion. the amenities would pop'
ab,y best be observed by leaving the
discussion OF the at-the-present-time
unsolvable mysteries OF our religion
with the functions OF the pulpit where
they more properly belong, under
| standing that knowledge is the truth
| and that only the truth is eternal
| 1T is probably a fact that but lew
il any of us live up to that measure
Of the truth which we already under
stand, although it would be d'iheni'
for any OF us to explain why we do
no, do so. for all OF us have doubt
less experienced supreme moments
when we have determined 10 do 50
and each Of us would probably state
different reasons why we have not
done so.
Every man is made up OF spirit
nal and an animal part, Cod-part
and a fiesh-part, Thus the Christ lived
among men and exemplihed that the
spiritual part may entirely control the
other part.
"And because OF this lesson OF the
Christ, the human race is exalting II
self is with each cycle becoming bet
ter and better.
Religion changes through the
processes OF evolution and we do not
believe in many respects what our
forefathers believed, nor can we
Truth clothed in rags today sits on
throne tomorrow arrayed in royal
robes. The hereto OF yesterday be-
comes the hero; the leader OF trium-
phant hosts on tomorrow. Our
grandfathers heard their ministers
preach of a hell OF burning brim-
stone in which the sinner who was
not baptized burned and suffered ior-
ever. though was not consumed. NOW
probably most of us believe that
human suffering does not and could
not appease divinity. Probably most
of MS now believe with Tolstoi that
no human creature has right to
approach any other human creature
except love, and such truth comes
| from God. The philosophers OF Our
own generation they tower Ike
mountains over the graves OF those
who lie in the valleys OF the past
who have delved deepest in social
and political economy, would prop
ABLY be a unit in telling US that who
Iimprisons another enslaves himself
| w eonly benefit the world as we re-
place wrong ideas and conceptions
with better.
"Inasmuch as we all find great
difficulty in living up to the Ideals
we set before us, we should cultivate
|. the greatest amount Of mercy and
charity for those who are judged to
fall still further below the standard.
Reformation and not destruction IS
now considered the highest aim OF
society. But law is fixed prin-
ciple and can not be violated without
consequent suffering and confusion
else the sun and the moon and the
: stars might not stay in their places
and water might ruin up hill. Neither
!, is ignorance of the law any excuse
} for violating it. Christ, believe
r never violated any law in the mani
5 fcstations of the so-called miracles,
$ but merely demonstrated that he un-
: dcrstood more of the law than the
| t ...I La,.k t,;,x, A s7d tf we