Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-02-25

~ ~ lss1 \ sSzss1 one or these from
the text. righteousness Exalteth O
Nation; But Sin Is Reproach to any
People" proverbs xiv, 34l. The speak
er said:-
Many besides myself surely were as
tonished to read the following extract
from the Wall Street Journal. under
the caption. What America Needs: =
What America needs more than rail
way extension and western irrigation
and bigger wheat crop. and a mer.
chant marine. and a new navy. Is a
revival Of plety. the kind father and
mother used to have-piety that count
ed 1t good business to stop for daily
family prayers before breakfast. right
In the middle Of harvest; that quit field
work half hour earlier Thursday
night 50 as to get the chores done and
gOstO prnyer-mpetlng. That's what we
need now Ia clean the country Of flth,
OF graft. ana Of greed. petty and big.
OF worship OF Gnt houses and big
lands, and high office and grand social
functions.
This reached the eye of Bishop Can
dler. whose comment Is so appropriate
that ! cannot do better than quote 1t
here;-
This editor Is right in calling us
back to more earnest forms of life than
all these things involved. He wants
religion In the home; he calls for lives
OF prayer; be insists that we need the
most earnest type Of religion to save
the country from moral wreck And
he Is right. But can we get thar sort
of religion under the spur of the mo.
five 20 which he appeasl Hardly.
we cannot get n revival Of religion
by seeking II revival of religion. No.
where In Gods Word are men ndmon.
ished to seek religion or to seek re.
vival OF religion They are always
urged to seek God All the revlvnls
OF religion which have blessed the
world In the history Of the past have
come when men have undertaken to
seek God. None have ever come 9th.
erwise. We cannot defy even revival
of religion God must be the suIireme
object of orr love and desire
MEN CaliSd Preachers tlavo Explained
Away tho Word Of God"
Herein * our trouhle-we nave lost
God. Men called preachers have ex
planned AWAY the Word Of God max.
ing II no longer sure word Of proph
ecy, but an antique for the critics to
analyze and discuss. The moral law
has been lowered The ten command.
ments have been reckoned ms piece
or Mosaic plagiarism applicable to the
moral needs Of ancient nomuds I'm the
wilderness, but have no more than
qualified bearing on the life Of today
The Sermon on the Mount has been
treated MS An irIdescent dream.
The Lordship Of Jesus Christ has
been denied, while treacherous com.
pliments have been poured out upon
his name, us that Of great teacher
and noble martyr Ills teachings
nave been detied or set aside wherever
they have stood In the way Of a ram.
pant worldllness or an lnsursent ra.
tonallSm The outcome of II all is
that multiplied thousands have lost
all knowledge OF God In their souls.
To all ntents aud purposes God is
dead 20 them They take no account
of His viii In any Of their plans and
dolngs. but live as II there were no
God They are atheists without tax.
Ing the trouble to declare formally the
atheism which they have iuwardly ac
ceptcd
The people must now he called to
seek God lie Is real, living Person,
and lie will be found Of those who sin
cerely seek Him. Rut lie must be
sought as the supreme need OF the
lives of men He must be sought for
His own sake He viii not be found !
OF men who seek Him simply TO rene.
dy . bad commercial situation, or to |
cure soclaland political ills lie will |
not consent 10 be used as sort of
celestial and omnlscent chlef,ofpolice
10 help us suppress grating and steal
ing and licentlousncSs.
II Is quite true thar II all the peo.
ple turned Ia God they would be turn.
ed away from every evil thing But
they win never turn 10 God until they
feel that the worst disaster In life is
that one should fail to know our Heav.
Aaly Father They must he made to
'ecl the sorrowfuness Of the orphan
',ge Of the soul until like the prodigal
~ the parable, they begin to say each
within himself ! will arise aud go to
my Father
I've have had already too great
disposition 10 try to use God for all
sorts of social amelloratous. moral re-
forms. and political renovations II Is
time now we sought Him for Himself
alone L Is time we began 10 cry with
The Psalmist Whom have In heaven
but Thee, nnd there is noOe upon