The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-07-08

Senulug news 10 nedVtH.
The tone of church services should
be always impersonal. The most sue
cessful preachers are those who can
thunder against wrong in such abb
stract ways that every member of the
congregation can pick out some other
as a mark of the preachers righteous
wrath. Naming names, or so clearly
then is the eyes of the congregation
would not be charity, even in a ser
mon. The negro preacher who an
nounced that he had detected a men,
Der of his congregation IN chicken
stealing and threatened to hurl a
missile at him, did not need to be
more specific. When, with the missile
in hand he struck the attitude for
hurting it, that brother in front pew
who ducked named himself. Neither
was this Christian charity, dn the
stric.est sense of the word. But 1t
had in it more of the essence OF char
ity than would be in the quality of
a sermon which would designate,
CLEARLY enough for the general iden;i-
f!cation, any member of the congre-
CATION as being guilty of deadly sins.
To grow personal in prayer is not
only uncharitable, but is highly ridfc-
ulous. A prayer is heard by, but not
addressed to, those present. 1t is
spoken to one who, knowing all
things. and SEARCHING all hearts, may
safely be assumed to have advance
knowledge of any shortcoming OF any
member of any flock. If one of the
brethren in congregation. looking
for evidence of a brothers guilt shall
happen to find it, he may be sure the
Lord knew it first. Wherefore that
member of a church at Maplewood
who asked: "Oh, Lord, help the off
cial board of this church to deliver
us frcm the black-hearted demon in
our mids: who now seeks to celebrate
the second anniversary Of his advent
in this church" was so far as Omnis-
cience was concerned, going to wholly
unnecessary trouble for purposes of
Identification. II there is "a black
hearted demon" in tina. Maplewood
congregation, that fact was known to
divinity before ever it was known to
him who pretended to be telling the
Lord some hirg he didn't know. The
result of this wholly useless gossip
iD0 was that the only member of the
congregation who is about to cele-
bra.e abe second anniversary walked X
the front at the conclusion of the
service and caEed the reporter to the
Throne OF Grace liar. The reporter
reported with a blew in the face
which was no. returned, fact Seem
ing to indicate that the ''black-heart-
ed demon" has more of the Christian
grace of humility than has he adviser
of the Lord.
A Just human view of such a situa-
ton as this was handed down by the
Supreme Court Of New York a year
or two ago. A self-itghteous hus-
band mad, at family prayer, fallen
10 the habit of relating to high
heavens what ne called his wfe's
faults and weaknesses, and implor-
ing Divine forgiveness for her sins,
and a better understanding of her
duty. Exasperated beyond endurance
at last, the poor woman one morn
ing selzed TIRE family Bible and hurled
It at his head. He sued for divorce.
The wife filed a cross hill in which
this humiliation in the presence of
their children was set out. The court
Is granting the wife decree, with
liberal allimony, pointed out what it
called The eDormty of The husbands
offending. The judges implied their
conviction that as much time as THE
ordinary man gives to prayer could
all be taken up in asking forgiveness
for hds own transgressilons, and they
denounced, as rank hypocrisy, that
arrogated virtue which presumes not
only to sit in judgment upon trail
and beset humanity but also to in
form Omnipotence of what is going
on in the world. This Is yellower
than the yellowest journalism. OR a
Paradise edition of the sensational
extra has not yet been thought Of
Gl0ha napooorat