The Monte Vista journal., 1909-01-09

Yet. I was sure that each had other
and more personal interests than the
subjects we talked about from day to
day. The deepest concerns of every
mans life are spiritual-his loves, his
hopes. his sorrows, his burdens. As
lay there above the music of the whir-
ring wheels, rejecting on these mat
tiers. there required to my mind sen.
tence from little advertising pro-
gram that is given away on the Sound
steamers-"We have bodies; we are
souls"
do not know at Just what point in
my cogitations I went to sleep, but the
subject walked up with me I have
come to the conclusion that every man
is spirit-hungry and spirit-sensitive
once In while. Then is the time
that joke book or a gay crowd will
not satisfy him.
The popular" Preacher.
Right here is where l have q kick
coming against the popular" preach.
ers the men who bid for hotel patron
age and advertise catchy topics, and
when they meet you are at pains to
show you what good fellows" they
are, and how thoroughly men of the
world. In all the preaching that l
have heard from these pulpiteers they
never so more than skin deep. They
take their texts out of the newspapers
and then proceed to talk lot of cheap
bincombe, with mighty little religion
or sense in it. One OF them caused a
lynching In Delaware few years ago
Out OF varied experience with
these pulpit performers | have come
to formulate sort of recipe for turn
ing out a successful popular" minis.
ter: maybe ! can sell it to one OF
these rich theological semnaries
let him be big and handsome, with
plenty of girtE. Then he must have
lungs of leather. When ideas fail he
Will need his lungs more Next would
put an unabashed manner, which
would not be Hurried by the presence
or popes or potentates. and which
would jovially slap the Angel Gabriel
on the back. This insures the crown
ing qualification of popular"
preacher-ability to utter the tritest
and thinnest platitudes with the self
confident air OF great philosopher
anu orator who is handing down
freshly coined truth from the mint OF
heaven. Given these furnishings, and
you have a man who will draw crowds
until the almost inevitable scandal
comes along and sends him to pas
lures new and greencr.
How can such creatures help
mans spirit? They are better quail
fled to mend soles at shoemaker's
berrh (meaning no disrespect to that
honorable calling) than to lay their
great and grimy paws on the sensitive
souls OF living men and women.
wouldn't give the unworldly old pastor
OF my boyhood. who never preached
to more than 200 persons at ons Zine
In all his life and who was so wrapped
up In spiritual concerns that he would
not have been able to identify his own
clothes were he to see them on
tramp's back. for CARLOAD OF these
ranting fellows who are the idols OF
foolish women.
The popular" minister's desire to
he popular is so great that he is will.
ing to sacrifice his high calling for
the sake OF being called a good fe.
low" His ambition Is to be man
among men, and he is always afraid
OF being considered too religious. We
had one OF them in a smoking car a
year or two ago He didn't smoke him.
..l( f<,r I... haI L. ,.sl. 4.
W. c. 7. L. crowd. and / have no
doubt that he Is favorite speaker at
their conventions. but he fairly fell
over himself in his efforts to make us
understand his liberal and tolerant
views on the matter OF smoking. yes.
and OF drinking. too. For the express
purpose OF shocking him, one man
passed his flask around: but 1t didn't
jar him little bit.
The boys were bound to faze him
somehow. 80 they got to telling
stories. the ripest In their repertoires.
That minister never blushed or
sQuirmed: not he-and when his turn
came he left the lot Of them out OF the
running. Now don't let me lose you
here: don't want to misrcprcsent
any goods I handle. This lobster 10
not a fair type OF the Christian minis.
try: he is only one In hundred. He
Ii not ht to travel In the same crowd
with most OF the ministers know. l
hear lots Of would be.wixe guys blow.
Ing OH hot air about preachers as .
whole. but II In only hot air: they
iudRe tho whOle nv \ ANAL mart Thev