The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-30
az ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

fcTudpS, said LLC SsulS, We ASSu
to save more souls
"However," he went on soul saw
| ing is expensive-they rate EN- at so
much a hcad-or soul, l should say.
$373H-or something like that"
| The inquiring one deprecated this.
Thought that soul saving wasn't mer
cenary. Thought people misjudged ev
angeIists. Said the latter had to live
just like anybody else Didn't see why
soul wasn't worth s3.731s. Thought,
in fact, that that was cheap.
| I'm just what" asked the cynic,
does soul saving consist?'
The cynic derided the vaudeville tao
tics of the evangelist. He said they
whooped it up. scared people to death,
worked on their emotions. got 'em
wrought up to climax Of body shud-
dering and teeth chaltering, shattered
the nerve centers--general emotional
collapse following.
At this point they were handed a
pledge to join whatever church caught
them first.
Then they We're gently showed to-
ward the mourner's bench where they
wept copiously and said they wished
they hadn't done it, BY ut" they mean
Il sort of panoramic vision of their
sins floating vaguely in the offing
in combination with a goneness in the
region of the digestive apparatus.
"The fact u.s. the cynic said, EVAN
gelists put their victims through a sort
of spiritual third degree where they'll
promise anything to be let out of their
misery"
"Oh. tut. TUT" said the inquiring
one. "Theyre not all like Billy Sun
day"
"Why l wasn't thinking about Billy
Sunday" said the cynic. Il was think
ing of something elsa couple of old
gentle-women nearly starving to death
down on our street, and wondering
why somebody didn't give a little at
tention to their physical habitat. For
they're both angels and are ticketed
for heaven when they die"
whats that got to do with the
price of sOul?" asked the inquiring
one.
"Oh. nothn'," said the cynic flick,
ing off the ashes.
The truth is that people don't need
to have their souls saved so much as
they do to be ordinarily decent to
each other.
What's the object in joining church
if you spend your time in envy, jeal
ousy and all Observation-Disclosures.
There's no use lodging the point
that most people spend a good deal OF
their time in adverse observation and
comment upon their respective fellow.
men-and women.
Its all right TO attend divine ser
vice and sleep gently through to the
benediction, to pass the plate and be a
deacon or what ever the case may be. ,
When you do this, however you are
presupposing a certain superiority in
the observation of the moral law. You
should be exempt from those petit
side
Boil it down and you will too freQu
emily find in the sanctuary the most
social injustice and cruelty. Outside
you can't tell the difference between
those who do and those who don't be
long to the church.
Lei it be shown that those withir
possess spiritual advantages ove1
those that don't and the churches viii
soon enough be filed.
| Why, to return, can't people be de
cent to each other? Why instead of de
ccit and traachcry and unfaithfulnes:
: can't there be trankness and honest
and sincerity.
1t is lamentable. but true. that the
world is one vast armed camp. Every
body suspicious of everybody else
Everyone on guard against the mex
fellow. Each person ready to swervt
their allcgiance-or what is termed al
lrgiance-tO that one who will serve
l his interests best Ready to knife hi!
friend at the drop Of a hat or dol
lar. Colby annihilating the associa
, ton OF years for beggarly sou mar
kec. Laying bare the most sacred con
tidences for the price of election tt
some insignificant Office. Willing to b.
a turncOat, a renegade. a traitor To-
the smile of snob
Good heavens" calculated the Gym
ic. ARE you preaching a Sermon"
= We'll. its Thanksgiving. isn't it?'
asked the inquiring one.
Let's change the subject and tall
about men, said the cynic.
, Go ahead" murmured the inquirin,
: one.
God never invented any animal,
pursued the cynic. las amazing and al
= together prepos, erous as man. FRS
and all the time keep it in mind tina
; man is the great. the consummate. tn
J superlative. the concentrated egotist.
Never forget that. II you do 70,
lose your grip on the situation. Thi
is one of the first things women hav,
Z to learn. That is. that inconsiderabl,
t minority not engaged in his pursuit
t The majority don't have to learn that
Y They know it from the beginning an,
play to it. That is the reason the,