The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1914-01-28
BEN LINDSEY AND HIS WORK
Denver Pastor Reviews Work Il
Ool0yado's Worst Defanler

at the head OF the ministerial pro
fession in Denver used the Beast
and the Jungle" as the subject OF
his sermon last Sunday. and the
Register feels that his remarks
were SO well chosen and appropri-
ate that they should be read by
all citizens OF Colorado. SO we re-
produce a part of them below.
This newspaper item points to
far too prevalent habit in the
lives OF great multiutdes OF our
rellowmen. They seem to find "a
kind Of pleasure in gathering up
and exploiting the dark things OF
the world. In the midst of light
they look for shadows.
They see only sun spots. They
measure them and expatiate upon
them. and theorize about them and
enlarge upon all the dreadful mis-
chief they are doing.
'.The Savior waG of a different
sort. At q time when the world
was morally rotten. ready to fall
to pieces from its own vileness,
He bsheld satan az lightning fall
from Heaven. There never was
such an optimist as Jesus. The
whole cast of his mind was such
that He revelled In hope and In.
dulged in visions of brightness and
glory. His glowing optimism flung
itself back upon the old prophets.
They caught His spirit hundreds Of
years in advance of His coming.
1T was not the black spots on
the sun that absorbed their atten-
tion. There were enough OF them
God knows, just as there are now.
but they saw the light. the bright
shining, the coming glory. and
the vision lifted them.
"Pessimism is . curse. 1t blights
and retards. 1t banks the fires. It
wet-blankets everything it touches,
1t pulls down the blinds toward the
morning, 1t refuses to see the SUM-
rise, and u therefore. in individ-
uai life, or business life. or pubic
life of all dispositions OF mind and
temper the one most deplored and
feared, and most earnestly fought
against.
IA whole community. quite as
good, and clean and orderly as othe
urban communities throughout the
country, is made to suffer in repu-
tation, and standing. and business
and In every other way. because of
the undertaking Of one man, who
owes nearly all he is to the city
ne has slandered. 1t is not an un-
common thing for a man of his
type to magnify the dark side Of
things in the hope that in 50 do
ing his own supposed virtues will
appear all the brighter over against
the shady background.
There are men who do not scrrl-
pie to rise by climbing over the ruin
they have wrought. They stand in
in the light, not because of what
they have built, but because of
what they have discovered. But
it is fictitious light, 1t passes
away, and sooner or later they
swing into the shadows. 1t will be
so In this case.
Denver will live and prosper, its
defamer will be forgotten. And
this chucrh, which he attacked in
one of his chapters will go on con-
tributing to the higher life of this
city and commonwealth long after
he Is gone.
"The vast majority of our citf-
zens were decent and honorable.
Our churches, our schools. our pub
lie institutions, would bear favor
able comparison with any through
out the land. do not envy the
man, who, looking upon such a
municipal body as ours. has no eye
for anything but the pus. II he
can find any satisfaction In the
little puffs of fame he has received