Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-22

for January. And the answer given tc
that important and timely question is:
1.-The dollar-mark fever.
The greed for gold.
Financial thirst.
'The worship OF Mammon
'All these different names for dis
ease that is calculated to kill or de-
stroy anything. The church Catholic
or universally stands today. divided into
as many grades as any social circle or
financial institution in the land: and
the dollar mark is its standard.
'Show your church trustees any help
unsupported by the glorious coin, and
see how cordial, your reception into that
fold.
Let us return to the simple form OF
worship of our Sayiors time and make
1t possible for the mechanic and laborer
to join the throng with that feeling of
fellowship that makes us OF kin"
The question is one that causes con-
Germ all over the country in church cir
cles. Prof. William D. Furry, of the
department of philosophy of the John
Hopkins University. took up the same
question before a class. the other day:
What is the matter with the church p"
And he answered it thus: 'Why it has
been doing too much singing and too
little lighting"
He explained that, in his opinion. the
church In the past has been derelict:
1T has" he said, mot sought to COM
bat social evils. While it sat back sing
ing vice got in it's deadly work, and
when the eyes were opened the disease
had got deep enough almost 10 discour-
age battling. The kingdom of God Is
here to correct social evils-to continue
the work started by Jesus. No matter
how low a man falls from his high mo-
tives, no matter how sorry a spectacle
of humanity he may be, II he keeps the
Ideal OF Christ before him, if he strug-
giles to live His life. then is he. 1 think,
truly a disciple"
There is a great deal of truth in both
Of these views. And. furthermore, while
the churches have been derelict in their
duty to fight the social evils, for fear
of losing the patronage of those who
profit by them; while they have exhibit
ed many symptoms of the dollar fever,
they have swelled up In pride over their
alleged orthodoxy and self-righteous-
ness, and engaged in hostility against
everything upon which they could not
put their own brand OF purity
IL we were permitted. tn this conncc-
ton. to utter a word of criticism OF To-
cal churches-and we do so in no spirit
OF idle fault-finding-we would say
that some OF them, at least, have done
too much fighting. and too little singing
They have engaged in war upon the
Church of Jesus Christ OF Latter day
Saints. while vice has got in its deadly
work. They have fought, not with
spiritual weapons, from their pulpits.
ondcavorins TO enlighten those who
from their point of view are the errIng
ones; correcting, entreating in brother
~ love. as is the duty of Christian min
listers. but they have fought the Church
under the command of political pirates
In the field for spoils, and in the Same
ranks as saloon keepers, gamblers and
managers of dens or infamy They have
fought the Church In the politica,
rrena- where. under tho American fiag.
$40 ecclesiastical differences can be
fought legally. because under that flag
all have equal rights. They have COM
mittcd this grave mistake, no doubt I'm
the hope that the ranks of the Church
would be depleted. II the political rights
of Church members could be taken
away from them. But. In the mean
time they have aided In the establish
ment OF city government that Is
blot on the name of an American city.
They have aided in the establishment OF
regime under which brutality, graft,
and vice are fiourishing, and they have
hurt themselves beyond estimation.
Why should It not be possible In an
American community. under the flag
that stands for equal rights. for all the
members of churches. including the
Latter-day Saints, to present a united
front against the evils that threaten
modern society? Why not labor to-
gether for the better observance OF the
Sabbath: for the closing of the saloons.
and the cleaning OF the streets: for
honesty in the city government; for
justice between man and man. and for
q universal brotherhood founded upon
equity and Justice?
We believe the churches of Utah
would today have more members and
be stronger, IL they had not, in an
unholy alliance with the world. en-
gagged in a futile fight upon the Nor
mon" Church. And we are perfectly
sincere in this criticism, and offer 1t
merely as a timely suggestion.