The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-15
|WHEN ELDERkIN
REFUSED TO DRINK
Tell Shady Then His Troubles Commenced Within His
Congregation Talk Congregational Divine
-'iDignifed Silence of Other Ministers Worried Hin

In a lengthy pulpit editorial read at
the First Congregational church Sun
day evening. Rev Noble Strong Ell
derkin, took for his subject a review
of the i've years he has spent in the
local pulpit
The violin offertory was played by
Mr. Emerson. Miss Holberg sang
Wrightmans, Just As / Am A
trio composed OF Misses Holberg,
Hendershot and Gunncn. sang "Twi-
light" at the close OF the service.
Rev. ElderkIn's editorial was as
follows:
am at the close of Ave years
ministry in Ogden. | came here
fresh from the Divinity school.
came here with certain convictions.
They have been put TO the test dur
Ing these five years. have not lost
one of those convictions. / am taking
them out OF Utah with me
My convictions all touched upon the
right OF justice and righteousness 10
rule. and upon the duty of men and
women with Christian ideals and
hopes 10 lead in the work of social
reclamation.
Because of these convictions. | have
for Ave years vehemcn;;y protested
against chaos In municipal ethics.
against anarchy In hign places.
against favoritism before the law.
against the rule of indecency, and
against all colusion between govern
ment and the haters OF government
And have zealously. pleaded with
those who ] fancied we're tho real
leaders of community thought to real
ige that righteousness would never
come and that justice would never he
established by men whose very live
libood depended upon their ignobe
conceptions OF brotherhood I have
persistently urged that the new day,
II Il ever arrived. would a rrive only
40 good men wanted 1t to arrive
Christian optimism doesn't believe
tfat things better themselves Things
walt They go so far and then they
wait, as Paul puts II. for the reveal
ing of the sons OF God Only false
optimism waits Evolution is only
lava description of how things get
done. Rip Van Wrinkle found A bet
ter world after his long sleep be-
cause others had been at work
nave III tdfuth heCtutF
for five years and have encountered
all sorts of opposition. From a GER
tain element down yonder | expected
opposition. From the suave and oily
agents of that element I expected op-
position They even wormed them.
selves into our church meetings |
rSther expected that.
But | didn't expect men who pre-
tended to Christian Ideals and who
had a vision OF the world as II is to
Le-I didn't expect these to yeti and
run confess that this was some
thing of a shock 1t took me consid-
cradle time to recover But | have
completely recovered
! believe these are the ones who
By their courageous attitude have
driven me 10 certain conclusions.
think | shall leave the conclusions be-
hind me
The first conclusion is here. One
might better preach red-flag anarchy
here in Ogden than simple decency
The second conclusion follows
gently; The gospel that hurts busl
ness, the gospel that assails political
jobbery the gospel that dIsturbS
ones pleasure In indolent ease is not
wanted In Ogden. first Of all by the
members OF Christian churches. and
second OF all by the purveyors of
vice
The third conclusion touches my
brothers in the ministry, who have
maintained a dignIiled silence In the
presence OF monstrous injustice
have concluded that they are giving
h,n
pews demand silence Ii the pews
can't get II from the present incum-
bent, they know where they can get
it Not TO keep silence means
miniature hell-a hell manufactured
by Christian pews than which there
is no worse The reflection, to my
mind. Is not upon the preacher who
maintains diSniied silence The
reflection Is upon those In the pews
whose souls are shrivelled and whose