The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-10
HENDRIX BREACHES ON STEVENSON'S
 FAMOUS NOVEL
Large Congregation Hears Pastor of Highlands Meth odlSt Church in Religious
 Lesson of Fiction

To an audience that filled the house, Dr. w R. Hendrix, pastor of Highlands Methodist church, preached Sunday morning on the religious les sons emphasized in "The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyl and Mir. Hyde" Quoting the text, "Whatsoever ye do. do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men" he said that the desire of Henry Jekyl to be thought more than ordinarily religious, coupled with the "concealment of his indul- gence in harmless pleasures" was in MT. Stevenson's judgment a fruitful source of evil to many young peolNe who found themselves tempted to a course of duplicity as to their pleas- ures while they were maintaining a reputation for religious propriety.
 The pastor said in part:
 "When a man gets his own consent to practice deception to win the praise of good people he unehains brood of appetites and passions that change him into a monster.
 "Gayety of disposition and the moral sense are both native qualities in the healthy human soul, and salvation means the harmonious adjustment of these in character and conduct. The man who thinks that he can drown and destroy his conscience in the qualification of his desires for pleas- ure fails miserably in his search for happiness in this way. Likewise the man who undertakes to starve the native desires for pleasure in the in- terest of his religious experience, at- tains result disappointing to him self and repulsive to others,
 If we contrast the attitude of the church in Mir. Steyenson's day with that of the present time, We sec how prophetic he was on this important subject. Today practically all churches are promoting program of healthful recreation. believing that wholesome amusements are conducive to the development of well-rounded Christian character,
 "As the centfrles creep their cary length Christians are grad uaily accepting the bold position as- sumed by Jesus that the individral realizing his personal responsibility to God in all matters, whether they be secular or religious, is capable of determining what Is for him, duty We can no more solve our chilldrens s moral and religious problems than We can digest their food and learn nath- cmatics for them. Tn all these things we may be helpers, but only help- CTS sane religious program for the individual must commend itself to his own moral sense. The great task of the church Is not that of enforcing by discipline those stand- ards which embody the highest wis dom of the most mature character, but rather of effectually persuadlag the generation to live its life to God
 Maggie may have superior juds- ment as to what Is a proper menu in well regulated home, but ,ar method of enforcing this Judgment makes Jiggs sneak, and puts him ir bad company at 'Dinty Moore's.
 Pleasure has its place in the life of each one of us and that place is that of a servant. Conscience i3 the divinely appointed master of the house of mans soul and when pleasure assumes to rule over con- science, it brings tragic ruin to the man. Any pleasures that a man is ashamed of and conceals. are bad for him. Lies spoken from the lips sadly mar the soul of the liar; but a lie that is carried on through a courre of concealment and conduct, soon brings the man to utter ruin. No form of worldly amusement. however damaging 1t may be. works such havoc in the soul as deception and eoncealment.
 Long after we have gone, thls gripping story will continue to warn young people of the fate of those