Evening journal., 1915-02-09
Peoples Column
APPRECIATES EDITORIAL
RROADMINDEDN
10 the Editor OF THE EVENlNl
JOURNAL:

nhOADmi NDE ~ Nl4'tFs 3
To the Editor Of THE EVENING /
JOURNAL:
Sir-I have just finished a second /
reading of your straightforward and /
broad-minded editorial. Let Him APP
ply the Test" 1t appeared in the [
issue OF December Z, and came into
my hands this week. Please send
me as many copies of that issue as the
enclosed money order $50 cents) will
pay for. You may send me the papers
whole, or merely the half sheets con-
tanning the article. | wish some OF
my friends to see how an impartial
mind views the narrowness of GER
tain present day religionists, and what
prosecutions are attempted in this
I land OF American liberty.
The Rev. Mr. Cooke says. 1--WE be-
! lieve his pastor Russells) views are
religious poison that can benefit no
one. Is that an infringement upon
anyones liberty? Ii is a poor rule
! that does not work both ways"
/ fail to see where the Rev. Mr..
Cooke is making any rule teven the
Golden Rulel work both ways. He Is
trying to make everything work the
Rev. Mr.. Cookies ways and nothing
! Pastor Russell's way. Pastor Russell
loves his belief as dearly as the Rev
Mr.. Cooke loves his. Pastor Russell
claims that his views have the support
of the Bible, and l presume that the
! Rev. Mr.. Cooke makes a similar claim
Each should have the same right 10
promulgate his views and to show now
the Bible gives them support
The truth need have no fears 10
appear in the same newspaper or mag
azine alongside of error / believe that
Pastor Russell has such thorough con-
fidtnce in the final triumph of the
truth he teaches that he would not
raise mis- finger TO keep the Rev. Mr..
Cookies sermons from appearing
alongside of his in any newspaper.
Our Lord Jesus and all His apostles
had the same confidence in the doc
rincs they taught. On the other
hand the priests and rulers of the
temple. voiaries OF error and tradi-
ton were "gricved" that the Apostles
taught the people (Acts 4.2). IL was
the votaries or tradition who headed
every uprising against the disciples
recorded in the Acts Of the Apostles,
and all down through the intervening
centuries. It has been the votaries OF
tradition. the supporters of "Ortho-
doxy," who opposed every effort al
religious reform, and continued to
oppose It until it had at least seventy
fve or 100 years of history back OF IT,
Cardinal Jimnez dc Cisernos, a
Spanish prelate of the fifteenth cen
iurv. "a votary of traditionl, during
the time that he was inquisitor-gen-
eral. caused 1864 men and women to
be burned alive and 5O,291 to BE- other
wise punished because he considered
tEv;r views religious poison Tor
uuemada. another Spanish inquisitor-
general of the ffteenth century caused
l0.220 men and women to be burn
cd alive and 04,211 to be otherwise
punished, 10 prevent the spread OF
what his mind considered danger
Gus doctrine" These arc but two o
the many reigiOnists of the Dark Age:
who have caused untold suffering tC
hundreds of thousands of innocent
people in order to prevent the sprea'
of what they designated by some syn
onym Of religious poison
Every religious denomination ha
suffered persecution in its early his
tory and has had its views ridiculed
misunderstood and misrepresented. Il
Germany, the early Baptists wer
nicknamed "The Madmen of Munster
and in England Henry VIII appointed
commission. of which Cramer wa
chairman. charged by the King Il
adopt severe measures against thes
alleged heretics. "whO" as he said
"had been baptized in infancy, but ha
renounced that baptism, and havin
been rebaptized were spread
ing their opinions over the kingdom.
They were charged by the King {
burn all Baptist books and, if the
did not recant, to burn the Baptist
themselves. Many of them were burn
ed alive during his reign and th
reign of Queen Mary.
OF the early Methodists, Josep