The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-02-24
Dr.. johnson at St. Johns is Attract.
Ing Large Congregation Each
Evening With His Z
Sermons. lg
TWO MORE TO BE HELD
People Regard Religion as Dull and
Stupid, Too Often, Speaker
Explains in His
Talk.

A largely increased CONGREGATION
heard DR.. Johnson at continuance
of the mission services at st. Johns
last night. With remarkable force he
continued his instructions on the
creed of the christian, speaking par
ticularly OF the suffering and death of
Jesus Christ, and applying the les
sons to the conduct of life. He re-
TERED especially to the mysteries of
lie, Wn1ch no man can solve and
which no definition can explain. The
companionship of Christ offers to
man a way out of the darkness and
light shed upon his path. The cues
tons asked by the congregation were
too numerous to be all answered last
night, but number of interesting
questions were replied to with direct
ness and courtesy. The question box
is one OF the great features of this
mission. The sermon, as all of DR..
Johnson's sermons are-had practical
application to the life of men and
women upon the earth. Those who
heard 1t and the other addresses of
the missioner are not surprised that
he has been invited to be the preach
er during Holy week at Trinity, New
York, whose pulpit is occupied by
only the greatest preachers of the
american cnurch.
Two more mission services remain
to be held this week-tonight and to-
morrow night, beginning at 7:45
o'clock. DIR. Johnson took as his text
for last evenings sermon, Except
corn OF wheat fall into the ground
and die. it abideth alone, but if it
diet bringeth forth much fruit p
ST. John XII, 24v. r
few of the pungent things he said
follow:
People regard religion as a dull and
stupid thing, much like sc.lool chill
dren regard school. If you were to
tell child that he could play all his
life. you would be hailed as an apostle
OF JOY. For time your gospel would
be most attractive. But people who
lave most time to play are most peev-
ish, discontinued, blase.
Find Pleasure in Work.
1t is strange to child but plain to
man that if you really wish to en-
JOY life you must find your real plea
sure in work You must have some
hard work to do, learn it well, and
keep at it until YOU succeed. Bust
ness is duh and stupid only to the
poor business man or to the man who
doesn't succeed. mere is a pleasure
in doing something in producing
something; in the fruits, dividends or
profits.
But again. men are like grown-up
children They are confident that the
final goal of man is business; that
business is the one thing serious;
that It's claims are sacrosanct. Like
the child, he fancies that lie can solve
the mystery of life in the philosophy
of the hour. Christ's mission was to
show man that there was another
principle in life which bears the same
relation to mans work as mans work
does to child's play. In childhood.
play is blessing and work is
curse; in manhood, work is a bless
ing and idieness is curse; in old
age, God is the blessing. without
God is curse" without God in thu
world, age comes on uncheered by
faith and hope And they rest not
day and night, singing Holy, Holy
Holyd'."
Worship is GLORY.
The worship of God is the crown
ing glory of humanity. 1t lifts life
out of the mean and sordid. 1t sane
tifies pain and sorrow out of the
gloom and dreary. Out Of hopeless
ness and despair it glorifies death.
You may not believe in the beauty Of
holiness any more than the child be-
heves in the joy of work, but just as
the man does not regard the child's
skepticism seriously, so the man of