The Keota news., 1914-11-13
THE POLITICAL
PREACHER
THE PULPIT WARNED AGAINST
THE YELLOW PERIL OF
Poll1IC4.
a consserated Ministry Needed for
the Rural churehes.
Oy Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmer Union


The farmers Of this nation have Oh
their payroll $4,000 preachers and this
number applying themselves diligent-
ly and exclusively to the religious
work At hand is sadly inadequate to
properly serve their respective COM
munities.
Those who put on ecclesiastical
robes are in q measure free to unlock
every door to the human heart and
enter the secret chambers OF reason
and every person should submit their
conduct to review and seek the coun-
sci Of those divineiy appointed mes
sengers Of life. but the moment the
minister closes the Bible and opens
the law book, he becomes q menace to
socity.
The difficulty Of keeping the preach
or in the pulpit IL ~ old as religion.
Christ encountered 1t in the temple
when he drove the priests from the
bargain counter back to the pulpit.
Cur pilgrim fathers met II when.
through the influence Of the clergy, =
witch court was established at Salem.
Mass. in 1892. that precipitated legal
holocaust threatening to reduce the
population to ashes and which was ex-
tinguished by the laymen uniting and
forcing the preachers back to tho pull
pit.
Tho greatest peril to the church to-
day IL politics. The temptation Of the
ministry to throw down the cross Of
Christ and pick up the club Of the
policeman: to substitute the penalties
Of the law for the power Of the alta.
and to legislate religion into human
hearts. never was greater.
The world never needed q religious
ministry more nor political preachers
less than 1t does today. We need min
listers to teach us how to live: We
know how to vote.
The religious preacher is the most
capable servant and the political
preacher the sorriest master the world
has ever known. Wherever power il
placed in the hands Of the latter they
invariably become intolerant, bigoted
and vicious and resort to the whip and
the fAggot to enforce their opinion.
Civilization has many times been
compelled to drive incorrigible preach.
ers back to the pulpit at the point of
the bayonet Many Of the pages of
history are vet with blood shed at the
hands Of political preachers who wrote
laws on the statute books that com.
mitted arson upon mankind. MANNED
human beings with the hatchet and
sent helpless women to tho torture
rack. all because they disagreed with
their views. When in control Of gov
ernment. the pulpit politicians invar1-
ably undertake to perform legislative
miracles such rs casting out witches
with the flame Of . torch. subornine
conscience with shackles and enforc.
ing opinions with the guillotine.
Mixing Politics and Religion.
Politics and religion win not blend,
No free government can long exist o,
the church perform its mission to
society when preachers and politicians
temporarily exchange callings. and
civilization that will countenance
such conduct win soon decay. Such .
traffic In occupations IL ~ 1nsound in
principle ~ the white slave trade Il
immoral In practice.
The hand that passes the sacrament
should not collect slush funds for po-
litical purposes. The gentle voice that
comforts us in sorrow and pronounces