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Show HL. L J , '' WHAT IS THEIR GAME? m J j Newspapers, in practical cver3' state of the Union, have con- B , j tained during the past few days lengthy news articles concerning an K a ' edict, manifesto or whatever you are pleased to call it, having been H t filed by the leaders of the reorganized Dowie church with the sccrc- ft taries of state. I Although the deposed John Alexander Dowie has rested peacc- ! fully in his grave for several years, his followers, or at least those 1 who did not forsake the faith when the crash came, still hold forth at Zion City, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, up north of Ht Chicago. Hj'lj; During the palmy days of his career we could not help but be H f ' impressed with Dowic's abilities as a press agent. And with all due B respect to the Christian religion of which Dowie was the chief ex- H' ' pounder, it can be truthfully said that Apostle Dowie could land Hr more free advertising than the cleverest press agent of the biggest H; circus on earth. Hf ( ' Among his many other accomplishments, John Alexander Bj claimed to be a divine healer. There is. or at least was previous to Hj : i Dowic's overthrow, on the wall behind the pulpit of the big taber- H-3 naclc in Zion City, a great assortment of crutches, braces and other H j apparatus said to have been abandoned by cripples who were "cured" Bf I by "the laying on of hands." Genuine or otherwise, this feature H I ' alone drew thousands to Zion City and resulted in securing many Hi ( i converts to the faith. H f 1 J Dowie also pronounced the death sentence on tobacco and pork. H Consequently, when a big merchant of a Central Illinois city b.ecame Hf i converted to the Zion City faith and burned his entire stock of pork H and tobacco in the furnace of his store, Dowie and Zion-by-the-Lake H 1 received more columns of free advertising "run on page one next to H live reading matter." These are only samples of many forms of se- p ' I curing public notice. H ' These are the things which cause us to ask the question. "What H . is the game of the present followers of thq Dowie faith?" The edict, H i which has been filed in this state officially, notifies the people of H l ' the second coming of Christ. The manifesto is lengthy and contains H I J an abundance of Bible terms. It is interesting and will be read by H H- thousands. H V ' Now, it cost the Dome people $2 to file the -notice with the sec- H, i rotary of state. The edict has already received press notices which K 8 I would have cost hundreds of dollars at paid advertising rates. |