El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-02-20
fBigoted Sectarians Rule Church
God Help It. Smith Tells Pastors

- F the church is going 70 be dOml-
! mated by a lot Of small eyed. big
oted sectarians, then God pity the
church Big men are not going to
stand for it." Fred B. Smith, Of New
York, sociologist, stated in preaching
the doctrine OF church coordination
at the mass meeting Wednesday night
in the interest Of the interchurch
world movement OF America
A banquet was rendered Smith and
his associates IN the church coopera-
ton movement. at the First Presbyte-
rian church at $50 in the evening.
About rs laymen and the pastors OF
the churches represented IN the con-
ference were present
There are two types. or cults. IN
this country that 7 am praying TO be
delivered from. There is the curb
ways criticislng- Whatever goes
wrong Is always laid 10 the church
The other type is the fellow that gets
up and Just rOars about how perfect
the church is. I have nothing in
common with either Of these.
Men Who sleep Well.
We have too many people IN the
church who sleep well nights, ALSO
lutely quiet, and easy going. wills
ting away without a single anxiety.
Every man that believes in the
church ought TO have some sleepless
nights, unless he is OF the shallow
brained sort.
Shall ! ask you whether the Ia
boring world is in touch with the
church2 II / were 10 dwell on that
YOU would agree with me that in a
large sense that great group Of men
feel that they have a grievance with
the church Taking them as a class,
they have got the impression that the
Christian church IS not giving them
a square deal
What Labor says.
4 have a card that admits me to
an organized labor group anywhere
won on merit. I tell your calm. Sc
heard what these men are saying
They say that the church is not their
friend I believe they are wrong, but
the sad thing Is they say Il and they
believe IL. The Christian church can
live and 20 steadily forward for all
from II tomorrow. and the church
would 20 steadily on But II all
the blacksmiths and carpenters and
painters and the like withdraw. the
church is eventually going to die.
Enemies OF Church.
have not been the saloon keepers, nor
boozers, nor buns nor thugs; they
have been the standpatters. That
sort OF man will say that all you need
10 do IS 20 preach the simple gospel
wouldn't waste the time OF shaking
the hand OF a man like that. That
man is dead and doesn't know Il. and
1 don't want to set up with a corpse.
The Heart But Not the Coat.
I'VE have got to reckon with the
common man now in the church. The
Christian church ought 70 be the last
place in the world to harbor autoc-
racy or aristocracy. That philosophy
PLAYS hell in the church. You have
here in FL PasO a lot OF men that
didn't 20 TO church last Sunday morn
ing There was many a man who
heard the bells ringing and his heart
moved him 10 20. but he lacked the
coat. I feel for that man. because I
myself have walked the high roads
FOR many day. a poor young fellow.
without a nenny in my pocket I was
i4 years OF age when my father put
the last p cent piece in my pocket
that ne ever gave me, and 1 was
obliged TO make my way.
LITTLE Billy Sunday.
7 stopped off in a town once ahead
Of nv schedule. and went to a revival
meeting. an evangelist was there
no. do not misunderstood me, IL was
not Billy Sunday. He goes at Il like
an artist This was one Of the little
Billys This evangelist was preach
ing on the sins Of card playing. dane
congregation that these practices lead
straight to hell
Along towards the last this evan
gelist was standing out there Just
pitchforking them in. A tottering old
man sitting down in front got up and
chi HTHT- Al es
stopped and said TO the old man: You
won't ever dance again. will you2
And the old man said. No, I've got the
govt a few minutes later he got
the old man to promise that he would
not play cards He was nearly blind
and couldn't tell a Jack from queen.
and IN a little while he got him TO
promise that he wouldn't 90 to the
theater. He was too blind to see
what was going on
The Laugh OF Town.
THE next night I sat with about 50
Of the representative men OF the
town, and they were laughing them
selves hoarse at this evangelist. One
OF them said to me: Mr.. Smith, re-
ligion has been set back 25 years by
that spectacle That old man Is the
second richest man in this city. and
he made his money by bleeding Wild
ows and orphans I have nothing TO
theater going and dancing. but saw
that these three are not the cardinal
sins Of the century,
Rev. F. Guy Talbot. executive sec
rotary OF the California state church
federation. said that the most men
acinE problem confronting the gov
eminent. the church. and orCanized
society is the problem OF Bolshevism-
This problem will never be solved
merely by the policy OF suppression"
said Talbot. The more our tails
are filled with T. W. w. the more
they Increase The only way in which
the menace OF Bolshevism viii be ef-
fectlvely removed. IS by the destruc-
ti0n OF the causes Of Bolshevisul.
These causes are Industrial and eco
nomic insecurity. noverty. false ideas
Of government. and the many vagarfes
and radicalisms that snrine from np-
pressed and suppressed peoples The
removal or these causes can only he
brought about by the close coopera-
ton Of the government. the churches.
the wiser employing eroun. and the
saner leaders OF the employed group"
CT TEMrNTJc cTfpATE To