OCR Text |
Show RABBI SILYERMAX OX SECTARIAX "SOUPERISM." .The "souper" methods common to most of the sects of our missionary efforts in the .congested districts of large cities were scathingly denounced by Rabbi Silverman in the Temple Emanu-El.'Xew York, the other day. The only true method of conversion, con-version, Dr. Silverman said, is education. "Let each religion confine itself to its pulpits, its books, to magazines and journals." Such, however, are not the methods of the modern evangelists, hence Dr. Silverman's protest. ' ' "And what methods do we use ?" he asked. "They erect missionary stations in various parts of the city, and especially in the congested districts, where they suppose the most pliable material can be found. From headquarters they issue tracts alleged to show the weakness of Judaism and the merits of Christianity. Christ-ianity. Into these camps they invite the poor victim vic-tim of . persecution. lie may be poor and hungry and thinly clad. They offer him food, shelter and warm garments, perhaps. They they sing to him the blessings of the'1 Redeemer brought to earth. And then they induce the children of this outcast immigrant to come to the, mission school to get some candy and toys and clothing and a new Testament. Testa-ment. "Fie upon such so-called religious practices! I would as soon have you persecute with fire and sword as to resort to such unworthy methods cf stealing a man's faith from him and alienating a. child from the religion of his parents. This cant and hypocrisy of the modern missionary, who, under un-der tho pretense of giving charity, filches from a child's soul its ancestrial faith is a transgression that cries to heaven for redress. It is -un-American; It is unmanly; it is ir religion. "We demand that, these missionary headquarters ' be closed. We demand it in the name of triuh, of religion and CJod of American citizenship." Standard and Times. j . i |