The National tribune., 1911-01-05
STAB IN A FRIENDS HOUSE.

STAB IN \ FRIENDS HOUSE.
It might be said that the war for the
ma:et nance of the Union was far more
than for any other denomination "a
Methodist war" The moral objects and
purposes of the war appealed most
strongly to that great, progressive, mill
taAt denomination. 1t was the largest
in the country, and it threw itself with
all of its old-time fervor into the work
of saving the Union and abolishing
slavery. Every little church became a
recruiting camp, and every itinerant
Methodist minister recruiting officer.
The Church was aroused as it never
had been in its most fervid moments to
the great work of National salvation.
Methodists by the tens of thousands
went into the army. Whole regiments
were largely made up of Methodists,
and more than one company was COM
posed almost exclusively of divinity
students from Methodist seminaries and
colleges, with the professors and in
structors leading their pupils to the
field as officers. While other denomi-
nations might tolerate Secessionists
and Copperheads among their men,
bers, any sedition or disloyalty in a
Methodist congregation was Immediate
ly burnt out in a hot flame of indigna-
to-day there are far more Methodists
on the pension roll than of any other
evangelical denomination. Not only are
Methodist pensioners leaders in thou
sands of churches, but their widows
and children are among the most active
members of the organization. Conse-
quently it comes with particular poig
nancy that an organ of that Church.
the Christian Advocate, published in
Chicago, should be continually stabbing
at pensions, and that ii should recently
give credence and moral support to the
farrago of exploded charges and allega
tions published in the Worlds Work.
If the editor of the Advocate were
better informed as to his Church ard
the history of the country, if he knew
better what the war really meant to
hundreds of thousands Of Methodists, ie
he knew that the saving of the country
was one of the brightest laurels in the
crown of good work which his Church
proudly wears. he would not only be
more skeptical of such palpably mere
tricious diatribes as those of the Worlds
Work, but he would have far kindlier
feeling to system that brings such in
calculabIe benefits to so many of his CO.
religionists. The people of no denomi-
nation would suffer quite as much as
the Methodists if pensions should be
cut off In none would there be found
so many well-deserving men and women
who are recipients of the Nations
bounty and gratitude.
The editor of the Advocate has only
TO go out among his own congregations
and examine the members of the vari-
Gus churches whom he finds in receipt
of pensions to be fully convinced as to
the worthiness of those who are bene-
ficiaries of the Pension Bureau. We
challenge him to go into any country
church in his bailiS.ick or outside of it
and investigate the members who are
in receipt of pensions and the reasons
which entltle them to Sucn. 81 w nat Is
true of his own denomination is true of
al other pensioners. A very large pro-
portion of the pensioners, possibly four
out OF five. are members of some church
and among the best members of the
church. We know how quickly he
would resent the charges that pension
ers who are members of the Methodist
Church are frauds in any degree. He
knows them to be sincere, devout Chris
tians, and we can assure him most posi-
lively that the members of the other
denominations who are on the pension
roll are quite as sincere, devout and
God-fearing men as those in the con-
gregations he is acquainted with. 1t
Will not do for him to talk of number
less frauds somewhere else in some
vaguely mentioned place. The pension
ers everywhere are exactly of the class
that he finds in his own churches, and
1t is arrant twaddle for him to assume
that anywhere there are worse men
and women than those he finds around
him