The Penn's Grove record., 1912-06-21

y& 1890 $3.50 o+~ 49, % GIp
arate and divergent as il
they belonged to separate worlds.
Let politics alone" says the politi-
clan to the preacher, and the preacher
cannot, dare not. must not say to the
politician in reply, Let religion
alone"
To the religious man who is in
politics, the cult whose business it is
to control the science Of being a
citizen" for its own ends, says, you
are welcome in politics If you will
put you religion IN a corner while
at the work we have to do" So
religious people get into politics and.
as the saying goes, get their eye
teeth cut"-which is only saying
they are taught the tricks, the de-
Ccits, the shams, the i~nsincerities of
professional politics, and usually
learn these lessons through person
al loss or shame. Eyeteeth are cut
in politics as "the lambs are shorn"
in Wall street, and it seems to be
the law that the business of bulls
and bears is to shear lambs, Just as
the business of the politician is to
hoodwink and deceive the unwary
man of good principle and noble
purpose.
The two clamorous cries with
which the ears Of the church are cor
stantly assailed are, to the preacher,
Let politics alone; you know nothing
Of that subject; preach the gospel"
and to the religious man who enters
politics. Leave your bibles. YOU prin-
ciples. your %scruples, your Sunday
school methods at home; among US do
as we do; stand always with one hand
reached forth for what it can get, and
with the other behind you, open, with
palms up, ready to close on whatever
drops in"
Against all this the time has come
for protest We write from no par
tisan point of view. We care not a
whit which party wins. The gulf of
separation once between them has
become only a rill which a child can
step across. The time has come for
righteousness. The insolence which
can stand at the doors of a state leg
i~sIature and demand of legislators
that they elect to the senate Of the
United States a man who has been
named by a boss for his own pur-
poses. should be rebuked. The
shamelessness which plays fast and
loose with prediction pledges should
be driven to ignominy. Religion is not
a thing for dying hours. 1t is worth
less then if it has not been the char
acteristic of living hours.
What will he do?" was asked con-
corning a newly elected governor.
whatever the gang tells him." was
the answer. For that he was nomi-
mated"
what will he do?" was asked con-
corning another also newly elected
governor. Whatever he thinks is
right" was the reply. What he said
before election he would do, he will do.
or will break the legislature which is
behind him.
LET the shoemaker stick to his
last" Good. Let him, while he sits
on his cobbler's bench. But when he
! goes OUT llLLS LIS will OC 1 a 50 vi
small. if he be a religious man, let
him then stand by his principles. The
corner where a man should keep his
religion is the street corner.
Let the preacher preach the gospel
of Jesus Christ in his pulpit on Sun
day. Then when he goes into the
rough-and-tumble world, as he should,
let him meet it in the rough-and-tum-
BILE way. A preacher who does not
know about politics in this present
hour is culpable. He has a right to be-
long to any party. Belonging to it.
he has a right to stand NJ It's princi-
pies, to rebuke its evil practices, to
demonstrate with its unworthy mem
bers, to do all that he can to make it
pure.
The members Of a political party
are not all scalawags-far from it. The
majority of the common people are
true at heart, and that majority is
great enough to cleanse any party and
to keep it clean, if it will carry the
science of goodness" into 'the science
Of being a citizen"