The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-14
SAYS UNCLE CIV

When you buy through ticket on
railroad and pay for your Pullman
compartment you've done all that can
be expected of you. You've got a
right to expect to get to your destina-
ton with all possible speed and COM
fort. The journey of life is just trifle
different. Subscribing to the creed of
your church doesn't Justify you in
sitting back in your own little COM
partment and expecting to get some
where. The great trouble with church
members, party members and sub
scribers to one of the million and-one
social reform creedS of the today is
that they are more or less active in
their own organizations and let it go
at that.
The worst man in my neighborhoo cd
and the despair of my good friend who
happens to be the pastor of his
church is a conscientious churchman.
The next worst man is a social re-
former and the third worst is a rank
partisan. The cI1urchman is strictly
moral; he's a shining example, and
that's what's the matter with him.
He shines too brightly and bids fair to
find too many in1itators among the
good folk who live in our comfortable
little corner of town. He's dead as a
door nail outside of the church. The
pastor says that for that reason he's
dead as a door nail inside. He will
argue all day long about creed and
tributing to the church, but he'll let
his vacant property grow in weeds to
breed disease. He'll teach Sunday
school class of rebellious youngsters
and sit up late Tuesday nights to give
his valuable time to the business end
of the church, but when We want a
do-something alderman from our ward
he won't put his preaching into prac-
tise. He's whited sepulchre and
bad citizen. We have the word of his
ne SRI
would kill the church.
Our social reformer can't see any
good outside of his own sociological
notions. He's absolutely dead wood
in all practical, everyday movements.
He flouts our efforts to improve our
block, saying that he is more inter-
ested in men than property. He
breaches anti-Christian doctrine,
which is his privilege, but he has no
right to make it a point to create di-
visions of religious opinion within our
homes He is good man morally,
and a brilliant man intellectually, but
the community would be better off
without him. He's so busy uplifting
that he forgets to smile or to let
others smile.
Our rank partisan can't see any
good in anything but his little politi-
cal organization. He's good, too. and
bad. He wastes a lot of good energy
upon the petty intrigues of politics,
and while he is a power in his sphere,
he hasn't done dimes worth of real
human service since he was old
enough to vote. He has a large fol-
lowing and his example is being ini-
tated by young men who should know
better. He's a menace to growing
youth, and thorne in the side of
ht-thinking people. He's making
it popular out our way to misuse ones
talents.
No matter what creed of whatever
kind you subscribe to, you haven't
done your part if you stop there. You
owe something to me, who do not be-
long to your lodge, your party, or
your church. owe something to you,
who do not belong to mine. We owe
each other the duty of being good cit
liens in every sense of the word, of
being good neighbors and good work
ers for the common good. Anything
less is the abomination of the Phari-
sees.