The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-03-21
THE BREAD OF LIFE.

l
me. Let us go into the house of the
Lord" Glad It was church time!
J Such was the singular state of mind
of this Poor man." some clever mod
ern man might say. what did he
wan to go to church for? why did
he not get into his automobile and
ride off? Where was his Sunday
! rnewsofpoo them Inn hmhmhmh
newspaper that he did not drown
himself in its vastly deeps? why did
he not lounge around the house and
read the latest novel? Could he not
sleep at home? Who was this man
that was glad it was church time and
when did he live? He was Hebrew
poet who lived three thousand years
ago and sang some of the sweetest
songs that ever this world heard and
that are still singing their way
through the world. There must.
then. be some substance and worth
and staying power in his poetry so
that the world will not let it die.
How many men live three thousand
years after they are dead? How
much of Tennyson or of Browning
will remain after thirty centuries?
We need to speak respectfully of this
old Hebrew poet. The psalmist was
no simpeton. Some very bright men
! always go to church. Some very
great men have been glad to go to
church Gladstone went to church
| regularly; SO did Lincoln and 50 did
Roosevelt We are in very good
company when we go to church and
we can give good reasons why we
should be glad to go.
THE Church Promotes Prosperity.
We should he glad to go to church
because it promotes prosperity 1t
inculcates truth and honesty. indus
try and thrift. mutual interest and
service. and these are the founda-
tionS of business on which all true
and lasting success must be built.
This is the view of business men
themselves. When promoters lay
out new town they generally set
aside a choice corner lot which they
will douate to a church. because they
believe that a lot with a church on
it will enhance the value of every
other lot in the town A few years
ago we were riding into the city OF
Buffalo on summer evening and
picked up on the train one OF the pa /,
pers of that city. Our eye lighted on |
column headed cold Facts" As
it was very hot evening and we felt !
the need of something refreshing we
thought we would try some cold !
facts The column turned out to be I
an exploitation OF the advantages of /
that city as a place of business and /
residence. Beginning at the top
with single lines and growing into !
larger paragraphs as it went down !
The page the column told about the |
business blocks and manufacturing /
plants and transportation facilities /
and residential districts and splendid !
parks and the schools of that city. !
and down at the bottom in one of the |
largest paragraphs told of its churchs /
but there was not para graph. not /
a line, not cold fact. about the /
Oreweries and saloons OF the city !
Evidently the promoters did not |
.binl- tho ea1onng ,,-ara nm .ttrac,son /
but they counted the churches one /
Of the most splendid assets of that |
beautiful city by the lake. A few /
years ago a student graduated at /
Yale as an agonstic and went west.
saying he would find a town in !
which there were no churches and |
settle there. He found such a town.
but presently he wrote back to a f.
class-mate who had become a minis
ter and said. Come out here and |
bring plenty of Bibles with you this |
town is more like hell than any place
| have ever seen" farmer owned |
farm near a hall in which infidel !
lectures were given, which he at
tended. But when he wished to sell |
his farm and advertised it, he men
toned the fact that il was near
good school and Christian church,
but said never a word about the in
Gdel hall. Some sailors were wreck
ed upon an unknown island where
they were in fear OF sayages. One /
Of them climbed the bluff and saw
church spire and called back.
Come on, boys, here's church.
Why did those men feel safe when |
they saw that church spire? The
church does promote prosperity. Take
the churches out of any town or COM
munity and everything would go
down in the market. Not an acre of |
ground or a steel beam would be |
worth as much. Human life would 4
especially become cheap. Put the /
churches back. and everything would /
go up in value. Human life would .
yiGa IN itq hiOhaet ,r.r4h ss 40