South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-19


OF BENJAMIN"
The affair at Benton Harbor in
volving the colony Of Holy Rollers
IS not at all surprising 10 a large num-
her OF south Bend people Very few
who have visited the House Of Ben
jamin" have come away very deeply
impressed with the sanctity Of the
place There is an atmosphere about
II that suggests the devil OF supersti-
lion doing its cussedest.
Among those visitors are the men
who participated in the Chamber of
Commerce excursion last fall The
House of Benjamin was on the we'll
arranged and perfectly carried out
program. The excursionists entered
directly into Benjamin's great amphi-
heater and there they listened to
Benjamin himself, outline quite at
random, those features Of his alleged
faith that ne cared to expound
Enough was said to satisfy the gen
eral curiosity. No one stayed. so far
as we know, 10 take up Benjamin's
cross
BENJAMIN Purnen appears to be an
other one OF those willy creatures who
have acquired the gentle art OF cap
italizing the religious sentiments of
PEOPLE and making them their slaves.
Feminine followers appear TO be his
iavOrites The outcome, as far as it
has gone. need be no particular sur
prise 10 anyone. The general i'm
preston Of his resort has always been
that he was either a knave or a fool
with no one very much inclined 10 re-
sard him as a fool.
II is not the first institution of the
kind that has sprung up in this broad
land Alexander Dowie's Zion City
was founded by preying upon the ex-
cessive religious sentiments Of certain
people, only DOVie, so far as we know.
was never accused of being immoral.
Joseph Smith who introduced polyg-
amy into the Mormon church was re-
garded in his day much in the same
light as we regard Purnen. and that
too. perhaps in perfect justice, it re-
curing a new generation and outside
interference in the pOlygamOus prac-
tices OF the Mormon people. to bring
That church upe 10 whatever moral
standard il has since attained.
Purnell should he brought to as
speedy justice as possible. If guilty
n the charges against him, he should
be made an example of for others who
I'm the future might be inclined in
those directions. II would be no in
terference with religious liberty. 1t
would be a protection to it instead. |
nut above all the maintenance of pub
lac morality. Practices in the name
OF religion that are inimical to public
decency are among the worst in the
world. since there are those with
whom Il degrades religion as a whole
and others with whom il elevated
the indecency almost to the standard
of sanctty.
Which latter is exactly what makes
such resorts so frequently so thrifty. |
Elyvan Arthur See. head Of the sun
Worshippers" in Chicago. furnishes |
another example. Free love colonies /
mignr Tie mentioned in abundance. |
Alixtures of sex passion with religious |
sentiment appear comparatively |
easy matter when a man or woman
of sufficient magnetism and person |
ality get at the mixing board The |
power OF differentiation seems TO dis /
solve forthwith into thin air People /
rendered susceptible by the combira- |
ton, and hypnotized by the FREEDOM |
nance of positive and despotic leaders. |
submit not only their lives but their !
fortunes TO the fatal cause and this |
latter. too often is principally what
the leaders want
IL may DE that there is a basic re- |
ligious goodness hidden somewhere /
about the House of Benjamin" that
VIII assert itself with Benjamin out
Cf the way. That viii never be known |
Until ne has been finally eliminated. |
The girls who allege that he has be- /
trayed them. If betrayal it was. may
Zoe the means of turning q new sun
light into the colony. The convcn-
tionahties of modern civilized society
may at least be impressed upon the
community and exert at least that
much of "a purifying influence.
But above all the exposure ought TO 1
be a warming 90 everyone agains, be-
ing carried away 10y the viles OF such |
prOpagandists.