Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-22

clean town, the court records show !
that fragrant violations Of law are
practically unknown, and minor Of
lenses are infrequent. We rightly give
the churches credit for much Of these
conditions.
But 1t does not necessarily follow
that every word spoken from a pulpit
is the gospel truth. Preachers are
but human, and as liable to err as
other mortals. And we believe some
serious errors have been recently made
here which will take many months to
make right and again create the prop
er spirit which should exist in every
small community.
When a sensation-loving tourist
comes to town and from the pulpit or
one OF the leading churches, by insinu-
alton and innuendo. casts slurs upon
/ the women of the city. practically
brands many Of the leading citizens as
drunkards and gamblers, revamps old
scandals which should have been for
gotten many years ago, tells racy stor-
les, and misrepressnts and dstorts
various happenings and occurances so
that he verges upon .falsehood-it is
time that some criticism was made.
This cheap imitator Of Billy Sunday
20 whom We refer advertises himself
as a reformed" actor, whatever that
may mean, and as a manly" man.
How words are sometimes made TO
liei
II Jesus Christ came to Toulon today
would he go to all the scandal-mon-
gers-those who delight in rolling a
racy bit of gossip Under their tongues
and in telling of the fall of women or
the errors of men-and then repeat
those stories from the pulpit? No. He
would preach OF love, and forgiveness,
and the resurrection, and the eternal
life He would leave the town better
than he found it. Old wounds would
be healed and no new sores opened.
The prevailing idea of many evan
selists is to drop into a town, an
| nounce with blare of trumpets that
! they are going to take the lid Off or
do some other fanciful stunt, and work
; the people into all the frenzy of ex-
. element they can in order to make the
collections and the free will offering
+ as large as possible
! Years ago there came to the Baptist
church of Toulon an evangelist by the
, name of Berry-Elder Berry. He held
protracted meetings here for several
weeks and is said TO have aroused
great interest and enthusiasm, and to
%
) his cause. He was young and hand
I some man, had a fascinating way, a
: ready flow Of language and personal
I charm and grace which completely
2 captivated several of the young woman
: of the congregation. One young woman
: in particular-as pure hearted and no
+ BILE a girl as ever raised her eyes
Observation-Disclosures infatuated witt
this man of God, and the evangelist Il
all outward appearances fell in love
with the girl Outside of church time
r they spent many hours in each other
1 society and the entire community be
i came aware that it was a case of love
n at first sight
e But there come a sudden end ant
announcement W lllt dldlI. Ollt AdN al
!, ter the evangelist had been here sew
1 cral weeks. a woman with a littl.
|, child came to town and inquired tn
Q way to the Baptist church. and walk
g ed up the aisle and greeted the evan
gelist as husband and father Their,
was great CONSERVATION, and a suddel
close 10 the meetings. The evange
list had represented himself as an IN
s married man-and left town in dis
y grace. Let us draw the veil over tn
e heartaches of the poor girl, and III
y grief and agony of mind she exper
e enced until she passed to the Bette
e Land short time thereafter.
s. Is the fact that one man proved hin
Y. self a wolf in sleeps clothing an al
Il gument against the church or agains
e religion? No. II is merely brough
Il in here to show that even some evaI
D. gelists are not all they claim to b,
and that all the scandal is not pre-