Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-11-29
Four Minute Talks
BY WILLIAM H. BAwDEN
ELIMINATING o

The atheist, of course, has ruled
God out of account. 1t is very SIM
pie. Juat declare, There is no God.
Then go about you business on that
assumption. One might just as we'll
declare, There is no such thing as
I electricity. But one could hardly go
about his business on any such as
sumption. 1t would be ,foolhardy, not
to say dangerous. King Canute has
given all history an object lesson on
that point. His courtiers would iatter
him. To reveal to them his impo-
tence he took his stand on the e
shore and declared, There is NO tide.
But the tide nevertheless slowly but
surely crept in, and would have over
whelmed him and his fatterers had
they not wisely withdrawn With
fine irony the Psalmist disclosed that
1t was the fool who said, There is no
God. Moreover, he said it unto HIM
self, not aloud.
But many q man whose professed
belief includes existence of deity
is Notwithstanding an atheist. He is
a practical atheist. That Is, he de-
%clares, There Is a God; but he goes
about his business on the contrary
assumption. He has given the assent
of his mind, but withholds that of his
life. AS a reasonable proposition
NON OAlSISliSC LhuSI DS STduItu. AS
a practical proposition he may be and
is eliminated. How is his possible?
Here Is q man whose conduct In
church attendance and the like on
Sunday is beyond reproach. There
is a God, whom he respects and wor-
ships, to whom he brings tribute.
The remaining days of the week he
becomes immersed in commercial,
professional, political, and social life,
and forgets what he professed on the
first day. If he thinks about 1t he
might put it to himself in this way:
Yes, there Is undoubtedly q God; but
ne has no place in commerce, in pol
itics, In society. Imagine a mar thus
admitting h existence of electricity
as a general proposition, but neglect
ing 1t in commerce, politics or socie-
ty! The pity is that he does not per-
ceive that God, no less than electric
ity, pervades the commercial. the
political, and the social domain.
Some of the citizens of Perth Am
boy were reminded of this on
Thanksgiving Day, when a few were
patriotic enough to heed the call of
PRESIDENT Wilson N repair to
kchurch for Thanksgiving. What If
there were n or two services thai
were crowded? If Americans gener-
ally had caught the implication Of
President Wilson's words, not only
woul all of our churches have bean
filled to overlooking, but literally
thousands would have been turned
away, not only here In our own city,
but everywhere turnout the land.
Three-quarters of the population Of
Perth Amboy are practical atheists,
in that, whatever may be their pro-
fession of faith to the contrary, they
leave God out of account habitualIy
in every day life.
What is the troubleP We have
simply neglected to regard God as
the giver of every good and perfect
gift. Things do not just happen In
this world. rs we were reminded IN
the Thanksgiving Day sermon, It is
TO GOD that we are indebted for our
health and strength. 1t is he VINO
mas formed the earth, with all its
material resources and forces. With
out MS creative and sustaining laws
a would reign in nature and life
would be impossible. He It Is who
has called personality into being, with
its powers to use and control the
material resources and forces of ma
tuTe. Literally. without him we can
not live, move, or have our being.
The times are ripe for q greater in
divtdual recognition of God as the
author and sustainer of life, and for
society as a whole, made up of in
diVidual beings. to recognize his hand
In the affairs of men. THANKSGIVING
to Almighty God should be accorded
to the Supreme Being, now and at all
times. God may not be eliminated
except at q terrible cost to human
ity.