A Christian contemporary says: “No question is so important to mankind as
religion.” We wonder how a person could write that sentence without
writing after it, a la Artemus Ward, “This is a goak.” Of course, a
preacher is the author of it, or a person who gets his living out of
religion. Had the writer said, “No question is so important to ministers
and priests as religion,” he would have told the truth; but as it stands,
it is a falsehood. We can mention several questions of more importance to
mankind than religion. The question of something to eat and the question
of something to wear are of vastly greater importance than that of
religion. So, too, is the question of education, or the question of
government, of more importance than religion. It is first necessary for
man to live, then to find a place to live, then to find the things to
sustain life, then to live happily and well. All this is prior to any
religious consideration. We believe the church as an organization would go
to pieces but for clergymen and those who are interested in keeping it
alive in order to get a living out of it. It would be nearer the truth to
say: No question is less important to mankind than religion.
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A man’s reputation oftentimes depends upon the success he has had in
hiding his character.