| Show A sensational PRAYER tiu THE chaplain of the U S hoase of representatives made something of a sensation on saturday by his opening prayer it was a sort of sermon in di disguise i 8 e it was an admonition IO 0 10 rich men under the form of a petition to deity it was talking at folks instead of talking to them itis it is not IlD uncommon common in religious circles but we do not consider it a legitimate mode of address when a man appeals to the almighty in a public assembly he is supposed to voice the wishes of the people for whom he speaks to return thanks for favors received and to pray for those things they need at the time that is legitimate prayer the other is not prayer but a pretext for a scolding and is impiously addressed to I 1 god when it is intended for mol mortals atals praying eloquently to an admiring or indignant congregation under the pretense of calling upon the lord is a frequent feature ot of sectarian religious services Whet herthe creator pays any attention to such orations is a matter of doubt the chaplains lains address to the god of jacob must have sounded strange strang ev ly on the ears of those members who are so fanatical on the mormon question that they would in addition to dooming men who follow jacobs marital examples to prison and disgrace deprive of all political rights every man and woman who merely believes that the god of jacob sanctions such marriages as jacob contracted such references to polygamous patriarchs whom deity delights to honor as their god as the chaplain indulged in were quite out of place in a body that would woul d put those men in jail if they were on amencia Americ Ame aik soil today to day he should have been note more carelus of the proprieties his basw calls ford for an investigation by a congressional committee in singularly bad taste too was his allusion to the duties of rich men seeing that so many plutocrats hold bold seats in the body for which be prays at so much per diem and then to scare them out of their boots while their heads were bowed over the possibilities ties ot dynamite and kindred in compounds Wounds co in the hands of oppressed laborers and desperate anarchists anarchist sl I 1 it was enough to make them indignant and justified their refusal f to have the prayer printed in that intensely pious and thrillingly interesting in periodical the congressional record 02 d seriously the evils touched upon in the chaplains prayer are important enough to challenge the attention of all thinking people and andia if he really believed in the god of jacob and was sincerely rely seeking for divine help to bring those things to the consideration of the legislators of our country his utterances were pertinent and seasonable and may be endorsed with a hearty amen the conflicts that are pending aud aad which will no douht doubt become more serious between capital and labor the amassing of immense wealth in the hands handsol of afew a few while common necessaries are out of the reach of the many and the awful power which modern science has disclosed as means of revolution and destruction ought to be subjects of the most thoughtful ul deliberation by all the governments ern ments of the earth and if their eyes e s could be opened to discern the fast ge t approaching troubles that will overwhelm the world they would perhaps 1 make so some me preparations to meet them and the great nation of which we form a part apart would find something better to do than to crush out a loyal people who trutha truthfully ully desire to serve the god of jacob I 1 |
