The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-04-05
THE BUG UNDER THE cHIP-A
HUMBuG.
BY Ell. Nathan.

HUMBuG.
BY Ell. Nathan
An Irishman, who was sadly in need
of work, stopped at farm house on
his tramp and asked the farmer for
work. The farmer asked him il he
could plow, and he replied that lie
could, although he knew nothing prac-
tically about blowing The farmer
took him out to the field he wanted
plowed, and after measuring out a
land pointed to a black heifer at
the other side of the field and told
him to steer for her, and turned and
went back to the house When he
came out near supper time to see how
his hired hand was getting on he
found the field crossed and crlss-
crossed in every conceivable direction
with the uncertain burrows Aston
ished beyond measure he angrily in
quired of the Irishman what he was
doing. Pat, with face red and the
perspiration streaming, exclaimed
BE jabers, have been doin' jest what
yez told me to do; I've been followin
the black heifer all afternoon; but the
dirthy baste won't stand still, and
there yez are!"
This anecdote came to my mind
more than once in endeavoring TO fol-
low the extensive and vicious attacks
made upon the Bible by Observer
Onion and his confreres Ratcliff and
Parson Williams, and the exclude
preacher who has now and then
broken out with ''higher-critical
measles in the columns of the Chief
tain. 1t would be beyond the limits
of possibility to follow any of them,
inasmuch as they cannot confne them
selves to any one particular topic, but
jump from one thing to another in
their insane eagerness to blacken and
smireh the Scriptures and the God
who inspired them They are like the
Irishman and the black heifer. Then
they are so full Of their hatred OF the
Bible they cannot refrain from turn
ing loose their foul spume upon every
thing sacred. and do it in such a
Iblunderbuss style that no man could
keep up with them. But then what
else can you expect of men whose
hearts are full of rottenness and in
liquity, and whose only purpose is to
lead others astray. It is just as the
| lCs. r1a
except they have done mischief; and
their sleep is taken away, unless they
cause some to fall. And you would
not have to go far from Vinita to find
men of their stamp who are known
as corrupters of youth, and whose
hearts and lives are in perfect accord
with their system of unbelief.
But then the most of this outburst
Of free-thinking may be traced to its
proper fountain-head--an apostate
church This need furnish the apos-
ties of infidelity no comfort, for this
writer most positively believes in the
rchurch Of Christ, and in the full or
plenary inspiration of the Bible; but
he must repeat that the church as it
existed and nourished in the First and
Second centuries is not the church we
see about us today. We are now liv-
ing in the Laodieean age of the Church
We are now in the midst of the era of
! PROFESSION with very little con-
/ IINESSION. The almost numberless di-
visions Of the processing church are
bewildermg to those who are outside
is pale There is no question as to
J that. Men like lngersoll, in making
their filings at the Church Of Christ,
and charging all sorts of crimes
against her have made In the blind
ness Of their hatred, terrific mis-
take. The Church Of Christ never
committed the offences charged
against her 1t was the bastard
Church, the Scarlet Woman. The
Mother of Harlots" that dyed her gar
! ments in the blood of the innocent;
: not the true Church OF Christ And
outside of that Romish monstrous sys-
! tenn of iniquity we are willing to admit
; that crimes were perpetrated in the
name of the Christ by Professionalism,
} but it was when the Church of purer
faith than that Of Rome forgot the
: lprecepts of her Divine Master, and be-
came allied with the State, that those
infamous sins and crimes were
wrought. That was precisely the case
when Servetus was burned Had Cal
t vim never allied himself with State
affairs that one alone criminal charge
never could have been laid at his door.
And yet even Calvin pleaded for the
} man that the sentence of burning
I should be changed to behcadeding. It
was the State backed by the Romish
! church that prosecuted and brought
! to the stake the man Servetns. Cal
J wins hands We're tied. and his voice
cOunfed for naughf in the cOunpil that