San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-14
A HOUSEWIFE.
PREACHERS AND EDITORS, NO
GOOD.
To the Editor:

, To the Editor:
have been enjoying reading the let
tiers of the corps of contributors to The
Light for, as l have once previously
: stated, they express opinions and dis
cuss subjects that some way or other
the regular editors do not touch. Why
this Is so do not know. 1t cannot
$ be ignorance on the part Of the editor,
for the editorials are all ably written,
but the subject matter is what I am
4 criticizing. The editors just will not
l touch such subjects as affect the COM
mon people. I mean the poor trash
like the crowd l belong TO. All the
editors do is cater to the higher-ups-
. the successful" ones.
Well, guess there is where they get
, their bread and meat, so l suppose they
should not be blamed, for they have got
q to dance to the music of the bosses. /
am going TO cite an instance now to
: make myself clear. The other day the
> pope of Rome issued papal encyclical
in which he said some mighty good
, things. BE goes on to quote our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ: ave are all
{ brethren" and also, This is my COM
1 mandment that ye love one another as
/ l have loved youe After which st.
Paul wrote to the Galations Bear We
one anothers burdens and so fulfill the
law of Christi Oh, what beautiful,
precious words. And yet the world war
broke out in the twentieth century and
millions were killed and manned. Thou
shalt not KILL" says the commandment,
and yet all Of these Christian nations
INDUCED in a wholesale slaughter. And
) the church stood idly by-looked on and
= allowed this butchery to proceed with
: out crooking a finger to prevent or
I stop it. l am talking of the church
, now-Protestant as well as Catholic
and Jews. OF course, Jews are not
: Christians. but Christ was q Jew. Now
i if these churches wanted to obey the
law Of God why did they not protest.
q vigorously protest against the war when
it was brewing in 1914G 1t was a time
for the church to put its power to the
test. 1t was time for the church to
show whether it had any influence over
the people or not. But it looked like
E the church was afraid to assert itself
= II every preacher would have gotten
y up in his pulpit and proclaimed against
a war it might have had some effect. 1t
would have been a good thing to try,
:, any way, just to see how much power
: the church really has. But guess the
I preachers did not have the nerve to de-
' clare themselves for fear they would
: have been run. out of their country. It
n would have showed, however, where the
r church stood-with the people or with
= God. But the church is like the news
l. papers-it let's the people lead it around
Il by the nose. 1t is afraid to take n
| nd nF -ir
; wrong.
! Nobody can say that the war was
,s righteous-and yet every preacher Of
y every nation, proclaimed his respective
u country to be on the right side. A
y pretty conglamorated mess, is it not;
- IL every church in every country would
e. have stood out against war in the very
Is beginning it probably could have avert
CT ed the war. It would have set the PEG
Id pie to thinking and they would
to probably have followed this with action
re II the churches would have raised up
in their united strength and proclaim.
ed, as if it was a message from God
There must be no war" ave are all
9. brethren" Bear ye one another's
burdens" ~Love We one another" and
then followed this up with, pronounce
ment something like this: "WhosOever
~ weapons one against the other, whose
r ever takes the life Of his felowman he
IS. shall have the curse Of the church Of
lg God upon him." The church would al
W least have shown its effort to prevent
IL the war.
in If the preachers everywhere would
We have eXhOrted against the war, aroused
ct the people against the powers thai
were bringing it on, they no dOub
in would have accomplished something
i'll worth while. They would have proven
in to the people that they are obeying thu
es word of God. But what did the preach
Id ers do? In every country they prayet
he for the success of the arms of theil
ch respective soldiers. Now which coun
en- try was right and which was wrong
ne This is not for me to answer, but tn
Almighty Father in Heaven above i
We the judge, and these preachers will hav
az much to atone for when they are callet
lis before the bar of judgment.
n. Now If / had been a preacher I tel
IT, you what would have done. l woult
he not have cared in what country l was
be l would have raised my voice and ham
at against the war, even il ] knew
.te would have cost my head. II | coul
~ not be a minister of God in the tru
Dir sense I would cast my Bible and broad
H. cloth into the fire Of hell and don over
alls and go TO work. That's the kin
OF Christianity / believe in. If / wa
a preacher today and saw all Of thi
sham and hypocricy that members q
my flock were putting over, I wOul
bar them from my church and tell theI
he in plain English "This is no place fC
,,.o hypOcritcs." would do this IL
o,,, would cost me the last member of m
Nv flock. l would at least be statistic
nv in my own heart and soul that l Wa
60 trying to establish a real brotherhood
Of man church.
lGt Before ! close I want to say som
thing about Henry Ford. There is
NV man who TO my mind comes nearer
I,,u the mark rs a Christian than anybod
u.s. | have yet heard Of Ford showed Il
ION real Christian spirit when he startt
tie his peace mission. although il was NJ
a success-not in the eyes Of the "pra
ery teal" world. Ford is a wonderful ma
IAN | believe ne IS a super-man. ! res
ped J his New Years message. 1t was il