The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-10

on Religion
Stir Mind
BY MARTHA LEE

D'Artagnan and I are having a
very interesting correspondence.
do not know how many of you are
interested in religion, but I for one
find it interesting and invigorating.
There are SO many different ideas
about religion, and they are stimu-
lating, as long as you are not biased
and narrow-minded enough to take
offense if the man you are talking
with happens to believe that there
is no baptism excepting through
complete immersion and you stead
tasty maintain that two drops of
water sprinkled carefully upon the
brow is an. elegant suff1ciency.
An argument is a mental Walter
Camp record. You know, gymnas-
tics And you match your wits
against another'S and get a chance
to hear others views on subjects
that interest you. All of which is
apropos to nothing, except that it
is fun.
Now, D'Artagnan has many things
in his favor in his argument. He
believes that persons do not have
to go to church in order to love
and respect God and have faith;
that leading a good life and keep
ing the commandments and respect
ing others religions is enough with
out church attendance. That, in
his experience, at least, he has
found much hypocrisy in the vari-
GUS churches.
Neither Is Test
admit all these things. But just
because you have affiliated yourself
with some denomination and follow
the rules for right living that that
creed sets down is no sign you are
hypocrite nor because you do not
go to church that your heart is sim
ply filled to overlooking with love
of God and mankind.
You can not be a great violinist
because you wear your hair long,
open your collar at the throat and
walk and stand like Kreisler. Nor is
it any sign that you will be a
famous man because your hand
writing is illegible.
These just are not outward signs
by which to judge yours or other
persons possibilities and attain
ments. I still believe that church
going has many more good points
than not going to church; that you
are much more apt to be all these
things under the proper guidance
than you are by just letting your
soul grow by itself.
You simply must cultivate things
and the greatest of these is your
soul.
Discusses Church Going
Here's what D'Artagnan has to
say thiG time:
Dear Miss Lee--Allow me to congratulate
gathered from It that there is faog slight
ject.
I did not mean to leave the meaning
that thought church-going synonymous
to, tomfoolery, or worse than not going at
an For many, persons, it is their one
working persons who find Sunday their
only free day. At church they get, as
call uoB so training in in %attsS of the
and neither the value of nor the need
for such training can be questioned.
And there is no doubt but what each
one OF US should In some way pay hon.
age and respect and admiration to one
ment was simply that church-going seems
to be the one and only method of pay
ing. such homage; that those who do so
look askanee at one who prefers to pay
I still contend that one can sit quietly
| on a hilltop and watch a beautiful sun
set, or the moon and stars and infinite
armament and feel in his heart respect
sible.
In my mind a faith in God gained
through observing the wonders He per-
and less easily broken than one acquired
by word of mouth from a person sup
posedly educated in such matters. So
Why is ohurch-going rather than faith
D'ARTAGNAN.
Did you ever look at picture
with some one else standing by
your side? You say, what a lovely
shade of blue how delicately the
details of that painting have been
worked out" And your friend says,
"Where?" And then you show him
and he sees and appreciates how
beautiful a work it is. But not until
you show him. There are those,
} D'Artagnan, who must be shown.