People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1896 — Tom Watson on Churches and Guns. [ARTICLE]

Tom Watson on Churches and Guns.

We are now constructing the most expensive churches that the wofld has known since the pagan religion was superseded by the “meek and lowly Jesus.” They are building one in New York which is to cost $10,000,000. Suppose Christ should come again and should wear what he wore before, a linen gown, a pair of sandals on his feet, no socks and no hat — do you suppose the minister in that ten-million-dollar church would be glad to see Jesus come in? He would be just as happy as the money changers were in the temple. The finer our churches are the bigger Mr. Krupp builds his cannon. This may geera queer, but it’s 4 so. He now constructs them so large that it requires several tons of powder to load them. The .ball is almost as heavy as a park of artillery used to be. Wherever it hits there is trouble. We are strange folks. We constantly build more churches and school houses and we constantly want more guns. The more we embrace the doctrine that we must love our neighbor as ourselves, the more we prepare to boro # hole through him with a Winchester. The more we theorize on returning good for evil, the more we practice trying to get the drop on the other fellaw.