The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-14
DR.. MacLachlan Declares That
thousands Will Accept
McAllister's Word
SPEAKS PLAINLY ON
MINISTRY IN POLITICS
Gifted Pastor of Seventh Street
Declares That Duty of Minister
Goes Further Than Merely
Preach on Ethical Questions.

Tho minister of the rosneI
whose conception Of his naisaion
bread enough to include tl1e
redemption of Christian politics
- saet- ssss~ny-- Snfc from nfisfgnfN-
seh.ation even In the public
press. l do not know Mr.. Nc.
Aiister PERSONALLY, hut his poei-
ton as field secretary Ut the Antt-
Saloon League IL sufficient rnnr.
ante OF hts integrity. and there
are thousands of voters in Wiz.
ginia who are willing to take hts
word as to what he says ON thu
ptipiic platform as true version
of his speech"
In these terms the Rev. DIR. II. b.
I. Maciachlan, pastor Of the Seventh
street Christian church. cham pionad
the Rev. ]. u. aTcasister. OF the Antf-
saloon League. In the pulpit Sunday
night. Rev. DR.. Maclachlan commeise.
ed on the editorial criticism directed
toward Rev. Mr.. McAIister recenslr-
when the latter denied the acc,rs1,e
with which he was quoted in rerarsf
20 the action the Senate took on the
Statewide prohibition bill 80 rs
occasion of the Sermon.
br Maciachlau delivered his aer.
Can Do. ~
While the Senate deiiheratsd ever
the Statewide bill. one OF the soIune
who opposed the measure said.
Richmond has her remedy. Why
don't the four thousand Bible cla1e
men mot Bible nen) march .,ut fur
this bill as they did last year..
The pastor OF the Seventh Street
church was obviously asking the xny,fe
question. He said the women were
more numerous in the churches and
Bihie classes, and ii was evidently Nh
intention to spur the men III, Is -
ton. In the course OF his rsmar5D
be referred To the statements maA4
In the Senate about the 4.0D1 HthJo
cfuss rreH. ara said "the gage Of nxUs
tie has been thrown down; lef ~
accept IT." nr. Maclachlan cnnmemtbs
ed on the fact that CominlssIoner u
Labor Doherty told him that stHrlne
the fight for and against the hili u
lowing children to work ten ana Z 3
half hours five days a week, 80 a. 10
have half holiday on Saturday. ono
Bible class man fought the plll. while
there Mere Scorn+s-esf women nff1yAA
against IL. The minister touched on
the ministry In politics'' and tool
the view that a pastors duty To haa
people does not end with preAching
from the pulpit, but that he shouts
help better civic conditions.
The Sermon.
DIR. Mac Iachlan said In part: nj
No one who was privileged -
witness that great procession OF HI
bile class men, four thousand strouG.
march through the streets Of our city
last November can doubt for q mo-.
ment that a movement OF vast SIG
nifieance has begun, which It u the
duty of the church to stimulate and
conserve in every possible way. do
not know that ever felt In the pres
ence of such vast power as when "
sat on the platform OF the audt~
torium and looked into these four
thousand faces from that of the boy
OF sixteen to that of the aged saint.
with his revered hair. felt ~
Archimedes must have felt when ~;
discovered the law OF the lever an6
said: Give me a fulcrum and 1 Will
move the world l felt as the enc
t,rprising Yankee must have felt
when he looked down on the tor.
rent Of Niagara and said to himself:
There Is power there to light 4 hun-
bred cities and to run a thousanol
mills And as l sat there l found
myself saying; What could not thesa
four thousand men do II their power
was rightly directed
Unutilixed Energy.
Much depends. however. on that
If. There Is power in the engine. but
that power will waste itself In the
mere whirring of wheels II the ma
chlnery lis unbelted.
There is power in the Hood o.
Niagara: but Ii must be diverted into
sluices and mill races IL ii Is TO do
aught else than carve deeper the.
gorge through which 1t sweeps. Tho
Ia. ~ ri . So.
how to utilize this tremendous rener-
voir OF spiritual power for the besk
interests Of the church and come
munity.
Il have laid emphasis on the NUM-
beers OF these men not at all because
there is any magic in numbers theuJ-a
selves Vi the aim of our Bible clAssen
be merely to enlarge their rolls 9nAl
report large attendances. cannot -
that there has been much gained. ButI
what If these four thousand men -
Christians What IL they be follow
ers Of the Nazarene inspired by Hin
spirit of service and making Hts VIM
the rule Of their daily iives? WHAT
If. like Him. their pity goes out ~
all the oppressed and their tndiGs|
nation flames forth against all hyp0&
efisy, injustice and the exploiting ~
the weak by the strong? What Nh
like Him, they have girded thes4eE
selves with the napkin OF service aa4
are ready to wash the feet OF eh9
brethren? Then, indeed. Gods eti@ ri
metic applies: One Of you shall cANa46
a thousand. and thousand shall ~
+ ten thousand to flight. ss
I'm the first place. let me ~ the&
the four thousand men Of the b!al9
classes OF Richmond can put new N4M
into all the churches az the c1ty.
the mere matter Of church estenQaa9n
felt. There arc churchessin tn19
that have mems classes enrolllNE NXs'
tween two and three hundred.
Of these were 10 attend church
j would constitute Almost An y
in themselves, exclusive OF tA&
mer, and children. There waGl
no empty benches The eoN01
tinnal singing would N h1ekz
men love 10 sing. The mintGk
be Inspired 70 groatef
- fConflntI6d n Mf&1 fs3E I|