Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-04
UNION SERVICES ARE.
LARGELY ATTENDED,.
TWO FINE SERMONS
news. BRIGGS AND CHESSMAN
ADDRESS LARGE CoNGREGA.
TONS AT pResBYreRlAH-All
SERVICES DRAW HEAVILY.

The downtown churches all held
their services yesterday In the Pres
byttrian church. aud both morning
and evening it was almost filled to its
utmost capacity, The music. under
the leadership OF MIR John lIoG. Il
proving most attractive feature.
Rev. briggs preached in the morn
ing Oh the Democracy of the Beat!
tudcs,' and Rev g. ". Chcssmsn in
the evening preached on the The
COntcinporaneouS Christ
Rev. Briggs.
The second decade uI the twentieth
century Of the worlds history will
stand out pre-eminently as the epoch
OF Horld.Har for thu preservation Of
the sanctity Of human rights Europe
today Is the battle-ground on which
will be determined the destiny Of the
civil and religious liberty of the race.
4 few weeks ago. as United States
senator Kenyon, OF Iowa. stood . very
fen miles behind the firing line on
the western battlefront in France.
looking upon the death and destruC-
ton OF the day before, and while the
thunder and smoke OF the continued
cngasement threw dismal pail over
all his environments. he gazed heaven.
ward and With grooming soul cried
ont. Where is our God? Can il be
that He is blind 10 the horrors of this
terrible tragedy"
We, too, might ask what is the re-
lalion between God and government.
I am sure we believe that the world
wants to be religious and that the PEG.
piles Of the world are working toward
what they hope will be the best pos
eiblc form Of government. Untir very
recently We were congratulating our.
selves upon the near approach to the
ideal Of civil and religious liberty for
the world We thought We could, with
absolute safety, enjoy the fruits Of
fulfilled prophecy because our swords
were being beaten into plowshareS
and apr spears into pruning hooks
and VIC, with the rest Of the civilized
nstions, had abandoned the study of
tho arts of warfare. All too suddenly.
as Is the midnight fire alarm, Ne were
startled 20 the consciousness that We
had been laying 6attcring unctions to
our souls. and crying. Peace! Peace.
whom peace vas neither present nor
possible under the forms of govern
ment that existed in certain powerful
and socalled Christian nations.
Now that We are actively engaged
tn the war. NO are reasoning more
clearly about the possible relation OF
rcliRon and government While our
armies are fighting to make the world
safe for democracy" NO will do well
to seek the answer TO . few vital
questions and to evolve democracy
safe for the world.
Hence. we ask this morning. Is
religion the means TO the end -democ-
rucy? We thought so, once, May II
not be possible tnat God wants as to
realize more fully that Prom the days
OF John The Baptist until now. the
Kingdom Of heaven suffereth violence.
and the violent take It by force and
that religion cannot be assured a tl-
turc safety under any other program
han that of democratic government.
Oh. my friends, God is not dead. He
has not forgotten US,
While We enjoy the blessings OF
this, the best of all countries, VIZ can.
not 60 back on our ancient faith in
our fellow men We shall ever strive
~ reach the fulness of perfection in
our democracy, the government Of the
people, for the people. and BY the
people Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
We may be- wise In asserting the ad
vantage In modern times Of the dem
ocratic form tof govcrnmcnD, but to
other states OF society, in which re-
ligion con,ecrated the monarchcal
form of govcrnmenU. monarchy and
not democracy, was cxpcdient De
mOcracy Is better for us, because the
religious sentiment Of the present
time accords better with A."
We believe that neither in religion
nor In government can there be true
dcipocracy unless the spirit Of dc
u,ocracy finds expression in the per
sopnl, individual lives Of our people
| shAll quote from the essay Of james
Russell Lowell, on Abraham Lincoln
and Democracy to illustrate prln
ciple Of personal democracy:
NO greater compliment was ever
paid to nation than the simple con
tidence, the Preside plainness. with
which Mr.. Lincoln always addresses
himself To the reason Of the American
people. This was, indeed. a true dem
0crat, who grounded himself on th,
assumption that democracy car
think. Come. let W reason together
about this matter has been the ton,
~ all bis addresses to the people. and
accordingly We bavc never had n chicl
tnasIetrtitc Who so Won TO himself the