Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-03-27
Religion With a apuneh.s

- eAAS HOSI Illuminating taS
that man of intellect and characte
can be asked to undertake? Weshoul
say that it was to find justification
for what he heartily believes in; t,
set up defense for what shocks an,
repels and saddens him; to work GU
! aph!osophy which is a mantle Of
charity to be thrown about things de
moralizing or disgusting. Men il
many different walks of life ar,
called upon to stoop to this. The col
lege president is expected 10 arsu,
that the apothesis of athletics make:
for mental discipline and sound learn.
ing. The journalist is looked to TO,
glazing over of the offenses of SEN
sational newspapers. He can be seen
doing it in the last Atlantic. But the
spectacle is perhaps never SO depress-
ing as when those set apart to teach
morals and religion cast about to find
reasons for approving and supporting
what in their hearts they must abhor.
The latest example of this to fall
under notice is the attitude of some
New York clergymen towards the
Rev. Billy Sunday. His address in
Carnegie Hall this week was his first
in this city, we believe, but was only
a repetition of the kind of sermons he
has been delivering in various parts
of the west for some years. Against
the man himself, we have not u word
to say. His sincerity we do not ques-
ton. Nor do we doubt that he has
helped some men to better life.
1t appears to be we'll established that
his "booze sermon" has led drunkards
here and there TO reform. But the
point is that he makes of religion
. huge sensation and blazing vul-
garity. He speaks of the most sa-
cred things in the language of the
saloon, the race track, and the gutter.
His rudest sneers are for ministers
CT religion whom he calls fudge eat
ing mollycodles", ard for church
members of whom frequent de
scription by him is that they are a
world loving, dancing, card playing,
whisky guzzling, gin fizzling, wine
sizzling, novel reading crowd. AS
for professors in theological semina-
ries, what he would do with them is
10 "stand them OH their heads in mud
puddles." His general style of speech
is well exemplified in his saying in
one western city, that he was going
to stay there and preach. "till he'll
froze over, and then Pm going to &c,
q pair of skates and keep on soaking
il into Satan"
Now, it is IN behalf of such a man
and such methods mat educated relig-
ious teachers are inventing apologies
that read for ali the world like apollo
gies for yellow journalism. Vulgar,
yes; demoralizing, certainly; but only
see how it circulates. The Rev. Mr..
Sunday sets every nerve in a deeply
reverend nature tingling with pain
and chame, but only observe how the
crowd runs after him. "Tabernacles"
are built for him in Pittsburgh and
Millions have thronged to
hear him. He talks to them, to be
sure, in the language of n newsboy
or longshoreman, but his own de
tense is that if he used such polite
words as the clergy he wouldn't have
larger numbers to preach to than
they do. His recipe for reaching the
crowd is very simple: 81 loaded my
old muzzle-loading gospel gun with
ipecac, buttermilk, rough on rats,
rock salt, and whatever else came
handy, and the gang has been duck
ing and the feathers flying ever
since" Noise and> numbers! There
it is, the old fallacy made to excuse
such treatment of religion as really
tears up its deepest roots. The old
notion about the Lord not being in
the earthquake but in the still small
voice has become ridiculously obsolete.
Conversions TO the accompaniment
of brass band and shouting thous-
ands are the great proof of spiritual
power today.
A book has Just been published Of.
H. ReveiD on "rhe Real Billy Sun
day" 1t is written by the Rev. Elijah
P. Brown, D. D., who further identi-
fies himself as "Ram's Horn Brown"
1t is right enough that volume
should be devoted to great religious
phenomenon-for this Mr.. Sunday
unquestionably is. Mr.. Brown re-
cites the facts of his life, the circum-
stances of his becoming religious,
with many details about his subse-
quent activity and enormous success
Sunday has simply developed sensa-
tionalism to the ninth power, and APP
piled it TO the worl; Of saving souls.
He is adrip with the slang of the
slums. He claps Jehovah familiarly
on the back. He puts smear as OF
the barroom over the holy things. But
countless thousands fight to hear him
He pets the crowd. And that is en-.