Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-17
Clean Temple Abode of Right Lives

tuition; l only quarrel with the
mean, contemplate things that
they allow and permit on the
stage. and as long as they do, then
they can't expect anything from
me but a scrap. That's all.
Tom Keene, the great tragedian
Tom was one of my best friends.
The last time l saw him was down
on Staten Island and he came
down there one day and tried his
best to get me to quit playing base
ball and travel with him as an IN
derstudy. He said. Bill. you d
make a cracker-jack of an actor "
He said. Bill, will you go with
me?"
I said, "Nothin' doin', Tom, thank
you"
1 tell you have nothing against
the theatre as an institution and
never have had; only the things
they allow and permit. But
haven't darkened the doors of a
theatre from the day l entered the
church except to preach the Cos
pei from the stage. l could dis
criminate against what other peo-
pie might say, but other people,
looking to me for an example,
would not have that power of dis
elimination and I believe you have
more respect for me because l
don't than if Id go. l want to
have all the power l can for God.
I'm not a crank. l have a good
time but | don't need to go down
and look at a woman that hasn't
got enough clothes on her to make
a tail for kite. Good night,
SO. the more l know of Jesus.
the more I trust Him. and the
more you trust Him the sweeter
will be your experience, so l want
you to have the best. | have no
desire, l don't even want to go.
have no desirel'
Motive Prompts Act.
And then third, the motives for
your action. If any man or woman
performs a good act. you will be
condemned because the motive that
prompted that act was selfishness.
You will give money but you give
not because you want to feed
hungry man but in order that you
might be a giver and you might
have little eulogy for it. Listen,
Your acts never rise higher than
the motive which prompts you.
You are here this Astronomical
knows the motive that prompted
your presence but I will say this:
I've got more respect for the man
or the woman who will go to
church than I have for the fellow
that won't go, because they show
they've got a good streak in them
or they wouldn't go that far to-
ward God.
So never mind what prompted
your presence. If you wanted to
look at me from curiosity, it's all
right with me. l don't care what
God to help me to say something
that will make you be Disguised
with the devil and fall in love with
Jesus Christ.
Christ and yourselves are the
pivots upon which turn every act
of your life. You do it to please
or you do it to please
Jesus Christ. Whatever you do to
please yourselves the recording
angel don't write down. There is
no record of it there No, Then
again the biased trend of life! Do
you lean toward the world or to-
ward the church? Which do you
do?
/ used to play baseball-play it
yet,-and man can take a ball in
his hand like this and pitch it and
it spins around like this. and when
he does this, he can tell il he gives
it the bias or the trend; when it
leaves his hand he can tell wheth-
er it will curve down or up or
come down slow or whether it will
be a splitter. He is the fellow that
gives the whole bias or the trend
to il, and he can tell all about it.
Now then, between the heaven
and the earth there is point
known as the point of equipoise,
where if you could reach it, you
could walk in the air just like
am walking on this platform. You
could put a building there. Why?
Well, 1 will tell you. The power
Of the sun comes down so far; the
power of the earth goes up so far;
and there is a point between the
heaven and the earth known as the
point of equipoise and everything
stands still because it is neither
within the uplift of the sun or the
downward pull of the earth. But
If you get a few feet toward the
earth you succumb to the power
If gravity and dOUu you'd shoot
# you get a few feet toward the
sun, you'd shoot up.
I hold my handkerchief; now |
let loose of it. Why didn't it go
up? Why did it fall? Because it |
IS within the power of gravity and |
yanks everything to the |
center of the earth. That's the |
reason why when you stub your |
.oe you go down instead of shoot |
ng up.
Now that's the whole thing in a
So here you are in this
world and which has got the pow
sr-the church, or the world? Do |
you think more of Christ or the !
levil? The Cross or what?
l claim that the Spirit of God |
AN come into your life and the !
'p-rit can counterfeit any trend |
= hich pulls you toward the world. /
The church, the spirit, can take /
'ou toward the church and the |
.hurch can keep You there, keep
'ou living for Jesus Christ. keep !
7ou honest and virtuous if you viii!
10 What the Lord wants you to do.