The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-04-15

excuse at all. The manner of bestow
ing the extra sum involved should b
left to the discretion of the purchase
who is the rightful owner of tn,
money. Again, the price for which
work is done or commodities are sole
should not be lower than the reason
able scale of prices maintained bJ
reputable firms or individuals who
make living by doing such work oil
selling such commodities. In estimat-
| ing the cost items that determine
prices, church organizations should
| include labor and rent as carefully as
must business men. To omit these
items of cost and, reckoning labor
time, rent, and often commodities or
ingredients as of no value, to COM
ness firms that must include these
elements of cost, is in the highest de-
gree unethical. Is it not reasonable
to suppose that a church organization
without regard for ethical standards
will ultimately injure, and fatally in
jure, the church it seeks to benefit?
There is another and more important
phase of this whole matter of earning
money for churches; and that is the
danger that in their zeal to make
money, church organizations may lose
their sense of proportion entirely In
their absorption in the work itself,
they run the risk of forgetting what
the work is for; the end becomes less
significant than the means. 1t lis
true that to live churches must have
money, but it is also true that there
are many things which churches can
do without with no elimination of their
influence and power for good.
Churches as well as families may be
guilty of desiring and working for
luxuries. The first Christian church
had no costly equipment In their
to earn for the church to
them so dear the things that will make
it lovely and attractive to all the
world-a worthy enough ambition.
some persons give so large a share of
their time, attention, their very souls
energy to the making of money that
there is neither room nor desire for
he spiritual life or for the ministra-
hot G,-c+ - o11 1trtxr f,fl
hose who would initiate Christ. Wis
ting the sick, comforting those who |
MOURN, cooking food for the hungry |
and bearing it to them, being friend |
n act and word to the unfortunate, |
making merry the sad,-these are the |
humble but lovely offices of those who
Ire truly religious. But such tasks
ire crowded out of the lives of many
,hurch workers by the press of ma
erial, far less worthy, and unneces-
airy labors. And it is only to be ex-
ected that the world will not seek its
Aviation in a church where the one
bsorbing topic is the accumulation
+ dollars.
Yet another danger arising from too
reat concern in money-making is the
Inevitable tendency of church work
rs to rate their associates and those
HON they invite to become their as |
ociates according to the amount that
an be got out of them Judging the
alue and sincerity of people by what
ley pay may answer in political cam
aigns, but it is a poor unit of measure
church relationships. In discuss
g the desirability of inviting strang-
IS to join those banded together to
lid up church, organizations
lould place emphasis last, if at all,
,rtainly not first, upon the likelihood
at the association will be Of pc
Iniary value to the church.
1t is peculiarly the temptation of
ose who are not united with any
urch and who yet cast wistful eyes
ION the spiritual blessings which :
e church so freely offers to whose f
10 will partake, to become skeptic-
and harsh when they observe the
sproportionate zeal of church work.
S in making money, a zeal that dims
nothingness in the pursuit of the
ritual life. 1t is natural, though
'ong, for those observing from the
tside the display of concern in =
ngs temporal and the disregard of
ngs eternal, to say in bitterness r,
1T here can be found no quicken
; of the spirit, no sweet converse
the beauty of faith, and the abound
: joys of true religion. n,
S there not a lesson in all these
tiers for the modern church? Would
! the power and influence of the
riches be wonderfully augmented If n
,se who belong to them and at
d them would give more freely of
ir own substance, thus leaving the
Id and heart free for godly works?
he hand of an Oakesdale man was =
ly torn by the explosion of dyna- FL
q cans which he had the Dlayful