Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-11-08


times that if there were no churches
II would cost US hardly any of that =
all We're in the churches. Really, the
man who is living in our respectable
towns and does nothing for the
church is living on charity. He is
profiting from the church's curb of
crime, but is giving nothing in re-
turn e.. -... lag" IT..
What a marvellous history the
church has had! How wonderful!
How blessed! How inspiring! What
blessing ii has been to the indiYid-
uaIi How 1t has broadened his out
look deenened his convictions. en-
larged his manhood, Increased his
usefulness, sweetened hts character
and enhanced his vairei What a
blessing it has been to the home!
What would become of the home If all
churches were closed, all Bibles de.
stroyed, and all affairs. Of Worship
overthrow? How the church has
sanctified home life! Whenever an
intelligent man seeks a wife he finds
a woman who has been brought
up In Christian home. More.
over, he establishes his own home
as near church as possible, He
does not want to bring up his family
apart from the influence of the
church Father. mother, husband,
wife, brother, sisterall Of these
have been made more sacred. beau
stiful and endearing by the church.
What a blessing it has been to the
country! What would this country
be in a single decade if all the
churches were wiped out at single
stroke? 1t would be a great mael-
strom of crime, passion, greed, lust
and moral chaos. 1t would be in a
far worse condition than Mexico is at
present yea, it would plunge into an
archy and revolution This country
owes the church a greater debt than
any other institution The value of
property is always increased by hay-
ing church built nearby. It's value
depreciates9 when saloon is estab-
lished nearby. The church is the best
friend of education. 1t has established
nest Of the educational Institutions of
the country. Not only the seminaiies
and colleges. but the common schools
also owe their existence to the church
of Christ They are an outgrowth of
the rugged piety Of the fathers. The
church promotes economy, Industry,
morality, political and commercial in
tegrity and every other element of
the highest civilization. All, yes, the
church has been e blessing to the
country in a thousand ways.
What blessing the church has
hesc 80. hoo &r1I
many wars and much bloodshed; it
has promoted the unity of the human
race; it has encouraged peace and
good will; it has raised up host of
good and great men and women to
bless the world, II is the boast of
certain states that they have raised
up great men, Virginia gave Wash
ingtcn, Illinois gave Lincoln, Ohio gave
Grant, Massachusetts gave Adams and |
Webster, England gave Shakespeare |
and Germany gave Bismarck. But |
what has the church done? Time |
would fail me to give even the greater |
names the church has given to the |
world. The church has raised up |
great prophets, great poets. great sing
ers. great preachers, great missiona.
ries, great business men. great evan /
gelists, great philanthropists. Besides
these, a countless multitude of obscure |
men and women-the salt Of the earth |
have been given to the world in |
every age by the church. .~~I
All, what a history the church has
had! Its history began with only one
Then there were ~, |
then 20, then 100, then 500, then 5000 I
At the end of the first century it had I
grown SO rapidly that Pliny told En-. |
peror Traian that so many believe in
christ that temples Of pagan worship
we're deserted" At the end Of the
.hir6 century Christianity took pos
session of the Roman throne and there
we're 100000 believers. By the tenth
century the number had increased ten
told and there were 50,000,000 Chris
.ians. At the beginning of the nine
tenth century the number had
swelled to 00,000,0O0 The history of
he nineteenth century outstripped all
,thers and now the numbers of the
CnriStian church exceed 500, 900. 900
luman beings. These are facts. glo-
'.ous, thrilling, blessed. triumphant
Il !
las been marching in holy triumph
md has conquered all fees. Such his
CRY as l have suggested constitutes
powerful reason for our loving and
the church. 1t is impossi-
lie for you to give your love and sup
port to any other organization as
worthy as the church 1t has brought I
light into human darkness wisdom
nto human ignorance, joy into human
;rief, rest into human WEAKNESS, for
,iveness into human sinfulness. The
hurch is gathering jewels for Christ's
rown from every land and people Its I
work. has tremendous claim upon our D.;
Elections.
Remove the church and YOU re-
move the gospel itself Remove the
gospel and there is no hope of saliva
ion. In this strenuous, mammon
materialistic age the
hurch of Jesus Christ is emphasizing
nd exalting mans spiritual needs.
Now the church does not save a
nan. but the church is : the great {