The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-07-21
New Question In Bristol.

Bristol, Va, July 10. The question OF
whether q church member may champion
the cause of the saloons and oppose prohiol-
ton Is being discussed In Bristol; lollowins
the recent local. option election. The opinion
Of the majority OF the ministers OF the city ia
that the saloon is one Of the church's worst
enemies. and that a person cannot consistent
ly be In favor OF both.
q a resuit of the agitation a prominent
member of a large church In Bristol. who was
an officer and took an active part In the re-
rant election. has resigned and lett the
church.
A prominent Bristol minister and pastor
of one of the largest churches. declares that
he Ia in favor of asking every church memoer
who voted or worked for the return OF tne
saloons to leave the church.. The theory 10
that the church Is unalterably against me
open saloon, and that q man cannot De 'or
both. u
the question, and the general opinion nere
among the leading church men Is that those
who voted or worked for the vets should De
ousted II they do not repent.
It seems from the obove that some Bristol
brethren are about TO be eIcommuriicateo.
| No doubt the churchmen feel bitter toward
those who voted the wet ticket, but tney
should not let their bitterness vent ITSELF In
the excommunicatiun OF their brother church
members.
Even II the members are thought tn be IN
the wrong the part Of a minister Is TO Try 10
teach them the right. Show them Where
they are In the wrong. Nothing can I've gain
ed By accommodating q member. 1t only
widens the breach n makes an enemy OF
one who might have been made a friend, true
and tried.
II We were to be tried by our own standards
none Of us.would stand q ghost OF a chance
1t is a very hard matter to exercise charity
yet we are commended TO do II. II any one
runs contrary to our way Of thinking we line
him ND az q hereto Immediately, and proceed
to burn bim in the fires of criticism. We do
not ask the question whether or not he is
honest in his convictions. Suffice IL that he
runs contrary to our belief, that Is enough for
most Of "a.
What right have we 10 condemn any man?
Whence comes our authority for reading any
one out OF the pale Of the church, There is
SO much good in the worst OF az; and so much
bad In the best of US that 1t hardly becomes
any OF us 10 talk about the rest OF u.s."
When the woman was taken before Our
Savior for Judgementhe her accusers knew what
they were talking about. 1t was a plain case
only one thing could be done, only one YER
| QlCI CUulo 10 lCdoO1Cos AAS "NS
naughty and Incorporating in their stand
They had already condemned her but the
Master said, let him that Is without elm
among you cast the first stone. Their faces
fell, the missiles fell harmlessly from their
hands, and each In turn too q sneak, until
the Master and the woman were left alone,
Neither do l condemn you, go and sin no
more, were the only word OF rebuke that
came to the poor trembling woman.
But now 1t is different. We do not hesitate
to turn q man out Of the church for sins That
every one ofus have been guilty Of at some
| time in our lives.
We do not all see alike. What seems very
heinous in the sight OF one may be harmless
to another. Nc one has made US q judge in
this matter, n II we think q man Ia In the
wrong we should try TO show I'm where be 10
wrong, and we should not excommunicate
him when we have been unable 10 pursuade
him to our way Of thinking.
The churchmen of Bristol are, OF course
sincere in the stand they have taken but
when It comes TO accommodating members
who think differently from them they may
not be exceeding their authority as they see
II, but they are actuated By something OF the
same spirit that turned the burnb screws and
cut out tongues during the prosecutions.
The human element ID SO prone 10 enter
into affairs of this kind that injustice more
often than justice, ID %done-that Is justice
from the human standpoint.
What would be the object OF the Bristol
churchmen in accommodating these mem
ber% Would 1t be to cleanse the church
Would 1t be TO punish the evil doors? Would
1t be TO make better men Of the accused:
Would 1t be vengeance? On what grounds
would they excommunicate?
hit Is proposed TO cleanse the church and
make 1t pure 1t would be necessary 10 begin
at the highest functionary In the biggest
church in Bristol and make q clean sweep
If punishment 10 TO be IL f1!cted the curch-
men are certainly over stepping their an
thority. vengeance Is mine, l will repay
Would II be 10 make better men OF these
po or sinners? Then the proper thing to dc
instead Of accommodating them would be
to get closer 10 them instead OF father apart
Some people are ahead OF others In civlli
cation and advancement. AS one nation IL
ah cad OF another SO some individuals are In
the lead of othe- individuals. The focus o.
glass that fits one eye will not be suited &c
all others.
A hundred years ago there was nothing o
the whiskey agitation Of today. We have
grown wiser and may be a hundred years II