Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-01

arating religious from secular affairs
making religion a thing 90 he prac-
hced on Sunday hy means Of thou
and thy. and then 10 be laid aside
while We conduct our everyday affairs
IN our everyday language This effect
OF language Ia not imaginary. for
there 10 no more real or effectnal sep-
aration between peoples or IDEAS than
that caused by language
The second objection Is 10 his APP
parently un-Christianlike utterauces.
such as his reference 10 filling the
freight cars with dead. and others !
do not now recall. that have been
quoted against him These look
much worse Ia print thau they round
IN the midst Of one of his sermons.
Nobody seriously believes that II II lay
in his power, he would really 'fill the
freight cars with dead they are
merely exaggerated figures OF speech
with him, intended 10 convey. and
really conveying to his hearers only
the impression Of his intense feelings
on the subject
Criticisms Not Upon Masses.
The reason that referred to as
overlooked by his critics Is that there
Is very small percentage OF The mass
Of our population that has anything
likeEa higher education. or even that
has passed completely through the
grades. yet all these criticisms come
from this small percentage, While he
talks in general to everybody, he aims
TO reach the larger rather than the
small percentage. 10 do so he talks
to them In a language whose meaning
and connotation IL thoroughly famil-
lar To them. They have to waste no
mental effort TO follow him. They
never 20 to sleep over his sermons, a
practice so common as to be q stand
ing Joke. The mental planes OF the
smaller and larger percentages are so
divergent that he must either talk
over the heads Of one, as most
preachers do, or talk under the feet
Of the others. He prefers the latter
alternative. as reaching the greater
number. And that he reaches them
cannot be denied.
And to those Of the higher plane
who are not blinded by the imagined
sanetty of correct grammar he does
not appear repulslye. An analogy Is
profanity. which Is generally repug-
nant, but at times, IN the mouths of
certain persons, seems not only nat
ural, but the only adequate expression,
and II condoned and even applauded.
Methods. Not Ideas. Condemned
do not believe IN all his IDEAS.
such az his condemnation Of the
theory Of evolution but ! think few
ministers find fault with him on this
ground. II is his methods that they
condemn, and | defend.
II Is charged that he is unduly IA
1. N.asl FHaN
all urged 10 be familiar Win
God To trust and conflde In
Ills loving care, as lamb with its
shepherd. Yet God Is held up to us
AS an awful ana distant entity. to be
addressed only with unfamiliar words,
In an unfamiliar attitude OF mind and
body. This does not lead one to
condolences one would as
soon consider confiding personal
with the president of the
United States. Whether for better or
for worse, this is a familiar age, we
are more familiar with our parents,
our teachers, our elders, than was for
merly the custom, and this mental
and physical attitude of deep rever-
ence Is coirespondingly unfamiliar To
us. And yet ministers wonder why
the church bells fail to attract so
large a body OF the people.
When Billy Sunday begins prayer,
We'll. Jesus, he presents the CHRIST
as living. vital, fraternal friend, IN
A way possible to no amount of fluent
King James phraseology lie presents
religion as an everyday familiar mat
ter, that can be discussed and reflected
on Familiarity by any person, however
limited his education and vocabulary,
not as a distant. ponderous, mysteri-
Gus theme. to be left by ordinary peo-
pie to the researches and debates of
Yours very truly,
GEORGE II. WEBB.
White oaks, n NJ, April IS