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distinction, the eloquent divine, the master of rhet
oric, the gifted of speech and pen. the Doctor of
Divinity, the man called to walk with God and to
follow in the footsteps of the meek and gentle Son,
who besought for his enemies, “Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do;” the man
ordained and sent forth in the robes of a preceptor
and an exemplar of brotherly love and all charitable
ness and willing, if need be, to wear a crown of
thorns to the end that coals of fire might be heaped
upon the heads of his enemies through remorse; the
man who reclines in the shade of immunity from
physical accountability for offense given, cast over
him from the church spire—when that man of infin
ite capacity for teaching men to love one another
and whose mission it is to spread that teaching,
steps out from his proper field of usefulness when
ever opportunity is afforded and becomes active in
the breeding and spreading of strife and discord
amongst his fellow men, through the hurling of bit
ing invectives and burning obloquy at the heads of
any and all of them who presume to non-concur in
his beliefs with regard to the expediency of this or
that method for accomplishing beneficient purposes?
The Reason hasn’t the jury episode particularly
in mind when it propounds the preceding question,
to which it feels its incompentency to make reply,
lest it violate the stern precept, “Judge not that ye
be not judged.”
A great deal is being said and written nowadays
anent the waning in the influence of the church over
the people of the land, increasingly apparent year by
year through sparse attendance of all classes upon
religious services, and a growing indifference to the
pecuniary needs of the church on the part of the
poor man and the man in moderate circumstances.
Laxness in the matter of church going is said to give
most concern, since donations come in greater
amounts and with more frequency now than former
ly from the rich. The augmentation in the produc
tion of this field is thought to be due to the fact of
there being now many more rich people than there
used to be and the rich man of today is much richer
than was the rich man of a decade ago. The weal
thy are unquestionably wealthier, but whether they
have increased in number may be doubted. Any
way, it appears that with the access of opulence has
come a magnified eagerness manifested by its bene
ficiaries to part from their money to procure hoped
for absolution on account of any “short cuts” they
may have taken while en-route to affluence.
There is a wide-reaching suspicion that dimin
ished attendance upon church services is charge
aide to so-called sensationalism in the pulpit which,
it is asserted, begets cynicism, agnosticism and a lot
of other ’cisms and 'isms baneful to the power of the
pulpit. The average man learns enough during six
days of the week of the frailties and the wickedness
of his fellows; he knows authoritatively that there
is cheating and swindling galore in the commercial
and financial world and that politics and politicians
revel in false pretense, graft and duplicity. All
this he has at first hand and, perhaps, has, himself,
to some degree participated in. Hence, if he goes to
church on Sunday lie carries with him a yearning
to hear something different—something of the good
which is abroad plentifully and ought to be discov
ered and disclosed by the pastor—that is, if the lis
tener is not really a bad man.
If the really bad man goes to church on Sunday
he hopes there will come down from the pulpit gen-
THE REASON
tie words of hope and cheer for the sinner and
prayers for his regeneration rather than invocations
for his instant and everlasting destruction.
Cynical man believes that when a preacher takes
over "the offices of a politician, he becomes a poli
tician, and he has no uncertain opinion of politicians
in general, particularly if he, himself, is one. He
feels that it would be in vain to go for guidance in
life to the political preacher or to invoke the prayers
of the latter for his soul’s salvation when he comes
to die.
Furthermore, deplorable and unjust as it assur
edly is, the sins of the politico-religious, or religio
political (as you please) ministers are visited upon
others of the same calling not in sympathy with their
methods. This anomaly is possible to exist because
everybody now reads the newspapers and it is the
sensational divine who takes up all the space in
print, relegating the names of the good old-fash
ioned guides to our spiritual progress to a lonely
place in the official church notice once a week. Per
haps this truth has a deterrent effeqt upon minister
ial recruits who otherwise might enter this worthy,
field.
Wanted —A Little Information.
We respectfullv ask of Mr. Edwards’ Official
Organ, “The Statesboro News,” answers to the fol
lowing questions:
First—Why did Mr. Edwards introduce a bill for
appropriations for public buildings at several towns
in this district, when as a congressman, he was or
should have been familiar with the rules of the com
mittee, which deny appropriations to any town, with
a population of less than 5.000. besides at places
where there is business, other than postal?
Second—Why did Mr. Edwards have printed
and distributed all over the district copies of his
speech on the restoration of the motto, “In God We
Trust” on coins, having said speech interspersed
with 22 applauses, when said speech was never act
ually delivered, but permission was only granted for
its insertion in the Congressional Record?
Third—Why does Mr. Edwards claim to be a
prohibitionist in some sections of the district, while
in others he plays the local option racket?
Fourth—Why has he sent as many as seven
one gallon sacks of cotton seed to one farmer?
Fifth—Why does Air. Edwards have his secre
tary at Washington fill the District with letters call
ing attention to the fact that he (Mr. Edwards),
is at “his post of duty going after things for his dis
trict” when as a matter of fact, Mr. Edwards is at
the time making a thorough canvass of the country
counties?
Now, Brother Aliller, these are only a few of the
many questions which we want light on. For these
reasons if there were no more, we could not sup
port your pet candidate. We have claimed that his
stock in trade consisted in his ability to fool the peo
ple, assisted by those who have come under the sway
of his INFLUENCE.
WHAT HAS MR. EDWARDS DONE BESIDES
INTRODUCE A GREAT STRING OF BILLS. FILL
THE DISTRICT WITH GOVERNMENT SEED
AND KEEP UP AN INCESSANT FLOW OF VOTE
CAI CHING LITERATURE?—The South Georgian.