Mountain advocate., 1921-06-24
UNION SERVICE

At Chautauqua Tent Sunday Nnght
The union service which thru the
courtesy of the Redpath Chautauqua
Company was held In the tent Sun
day night. was an immense success.
] Instead of service embracing
bakers dozen going on in the several
separate churches, probably four
hundred people Joined in the wor-
ship of God in song and prayer.
Mrs. J. A. McDermott had charge
of the music, Miss Mary McDermott
assisting on the violin. while a full
complement of the best singers of
the city led the spirited singing in
which the congregation took enthu-
siastic part. Mrs. c. A. Rathfon and
Mrs. J. o. Gross sang solos reverent
| ly and sweetly. DR.. Franklin led in
prayer, Rev. John Ruggles read the
! Scripture portion and Rev. John O.
Gross delivered forceful civic ser
mon. which dealt with international,
national and local righteousness and
! lack thereof
T lie pointed out that if the Christ
spirit might once more flame out
over the country in the revival of
real religion, the national selfshness
suspicion of other nationalities. bred
by men of the Hurst kind, crime and
/ wiokedness. including that of our
/ own section would be cast off like a
filthy garment.
The evening union service should
| be continued. As an inspiration the
usual vesper service is a poor thinE
so tar as the majority is concerned
! The minister who faces rows of al
most empty seats on Sunday night
and who delivers a forceful message
/ to those to whom it probably does
not apply, since they are not there
to hear it, must grow sick at heart
or smother some of the divine fire
he may possess. When he has a real
congregation he can feel the vibrant
spirit of inspiration sweep over him
as he realizes that here are manw
to whom he may deliver a message.
And heaven knows that the churches
of Barbourville, on Sunday nights at
least, neither impel or compel
them to come in that my house may
be full"
Something is wrong and if the
union service will help, if it will
bring together the men and women
who believe that religion is not
senile system of pedagogic isms, let
us have such Il service and go after
The lost sheep of the house of Bar
bourville.
If the churches believe in hell. a
lake OF fire and everlasting dam IA
ton for their neighbors. they show
t. complaisance and calm abaut the
matter, totally different from the eX-
citement caused by an earthly house
on fire. Imagine the tiremen of Hose
Company No. | of Barbouryille stop
ping to discuss. let us say. the
amount of oxygen in the water to be-
applied to the fire or whether the
law of gravitation would not receive
a jolt il water should be rudely shot
upwards instead of dOwnwards,
while the house with someone in it
burned.
Meanwhile. according to accepted
theories, droves of people are head
ed for the bad place, yet good church
people eat, drink and sleep well and
do not worry much about their own
neighbor's horrible prospects.
If team work will help to bring
about better citizenship, cleaner NOR
ais, more thought of God and His
righteousness, If the churches are to
be living force instead of SNUG
safety first stations. they will have
to work together.
At present they are failing to obey
the divine command, ego ye out into
the highways and hedges and COM
pei them to come in that My house
may be filed"
4 place y the sun may be won
by all thru united effort to show
forth the brightness. purity and hol-
mess of t..e Sun of Righteousness.
HOWARD-MAYHEW q.