The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-05-01
WHY l GO TO CHURCH
Two Replies to the Above Question As
PrOpOundpd ut Seattle

The pastors of the Congregational
churches OF Seattle a short time ago
offered q prize of $40 for
the best answer to the question
in above heading, and the committee
to determine the award found the two
best to be of such different character
that both were needed for complete
presentation of the subject. The two
were as follows:
l have entered church today
Sunday, February l, for the first time
in l3 years.
The last occasion was the marriage
ceremony of myself and husband at
St. Saviour's, Georges Square, w.
London. Also at that time we we're
both nOnbelievers, but our marriage
could only be made sacred and bind
ing by the word of God and the holy
blessing OF minister of Christ at the
altar. Strange commentary, that, on
the waywardness of the human heart.
And then again, the service Of the
church was necessary concession to
the religion Of our race and to the
traditions and demands of our respect
i've families.
Since then we have ploughed the
sands OF doubt and earned the har-
vests of misery.
AS pair OF young, irresponsible,
hot headed intellectuals. we sought
everywhere for the answer to the rid
die, and with each new cult and each
ancient heresy we imagined that we
held the key to the house of life, yet
at every turn we encountered q blind
and helpless despair. With Huxley
and hts agnOsticism we struggled
across the morass of Human KnOwl-
edge, only to land at the threshold OF
an unknown God. Spencer, Darwin,
Haeckel, all brought us to the same
place, the blank and dark abode OF
q scientific monism, ''the absolute
of their biological jargon, the one SUBJ
stance behind and throughout every
manifestation of matter and energy.
From this dreary level Of science and
evolution we travelled at tangent to
Schopenhauer and his unutterable
pessimism, and then by inevitable
stages to Neitzsche and his philosopy
OF the superman or rather the supreme
devil, and while passing these things
we had not neglected lngersoll, Rob-
ert Blatchford, Walt Whiteman Vol
taire, Volney. Thomas Paine, Max
Nordau and all the beacon lights of
modern doubt.
Anything that seemed to offer clue
to the divine mystery caught our
youthful enthusiasm, but now where
could we find solace or one answer
that would satisfy the yearning of
our hearts,
SEVEN YEARS OF HARDSHIP
Then came seven years Of the bit
terest hardships, with our little brood
growing up about our knees. Slowly
the egotism dropped from our hearts
like wretched. unclean rags. leaving
our souls naked to all the winds that
blow across the Arctic seas of In
fidelity. All that was left was our
love for each other, the impa ssioned
comradship which we had sealed for.
ever at the altar of God. Through
these fierce years OF battle for our
daily bread the scales were removed
from our eyes one by one.
AS the dear children grew up around
us they began to ask questions. Could
We honestly and truly offer them.
teach them the paths we had trod?
God forbid!
What anchorage had we made for
these frail barks of life? What haven
of refuge for these little ones, in
estimably precious in their sweetness
and purity? What rock had we found
for them to cling to in their hours of
temptation, pain and sorrow? What
certain way of salvation from the
world, the flesh and the devil?
We could not give them the Dead
Sea fruit we had swallowed for l3
weary years-and yet nowhere could
we find anything new that could guide
and lead them along the straight and
narrow way.
Two weeks ago our eldest girl, aged
eight, while sitting reading before the
fire, said, 'Daddy, is it true there is
no God and no heavenY" No answer