Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-31
A CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE.
Topics to be Discussed at Lincoln Music
Hall this Week.

Topics to be Discussed at Lincoln Music
Hail this Week.
In connection with the annual meeting of the
National Reform Association to begin here to-
morrow, . national conference will be held, as
the call states, ION the Christian principles of
civil government" The meeting Of the National
Reform Association will begin at 2 o'clock to-
morrow afternoon in Lincoln Music Hall. At
this meeting the reports of the corresponding,
district and special secretaries and Of the
treasurer will be presented. reviewing the
work Of the association during the past year.
The executive committee will meet in the same
ploce at $50 Am. tomorrow. The conference
will assemble at 7A5 pm. ana will continue
through morning, afternoon and evening ses-
sions of the two following days.
SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED
The speakers and topics announced are "a
follows: Ex-Justice Strong. formerly of the
Supreme Court of the United States, on Con
science in business and in politics." Judge W.
NJ. Thayer OF Philadelphia, Marriage and di-
vorce;" Judge NJ. b. Hagans of Cincinnati,
The civil Sabbath President Scovel of
wooster University, The limitations of liberty,
or the true balancing of liberty and law Rev.
X. NJ. Lnther, DID,, district secretary of the
Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, Christian
governments and foreign Missions Rev. r. VI.
Somervilie of New York, The Christian doc
trine OF civil sovereignty;" Herbert Welsh.
esq. corresponding secretary of the Indian
Eights Association, The Indian question"
Rev. Chas. A. Dickey, DID,, Of Philadelphia,
The responsibility of Christian ministers
touching marriage and divorce" Mrs. Lathrap
of Michigan, Christian politics." DR.. C. r.
Blackall of the Baptist board of publication,
The instruction given in parochal schools"
DR.. Jonathan Edwards, THE oath as an ele-
ment in the American governments" Rev. DIR.
U. +. Fitzgerald of Nashville, Tenn, The
race problem from Christian point OF view;
Rev. Howard Henderson, DID,, Of Cincinnati,
southern problems;" Rev. Henry r. Cheever,
DID,, of Worcester, Mass, THE prohibition of
the liquor traffic." DR.. McAllister of Pittsburg,
The secular theory OF government" Secre-
tary r. c. Wylie, THE accountability of ma
tions;" Secretary Weir. Christian politics."
Rev. DR.. l. N. Hays OF Allegheny, THE ac-
acknowledgement of Christ in thanksgiving
proclamntions;" Secretary Il. j. George, The
kingly authority OF Jesus Christ" Time will be
allowed for general discussion and the conclu-
sions reached by the conference will be formu-
lated in appropriate resolutions. The Rev. DIR.
j. p. Lyle Of Ohio has been requested by the
committee Of arrangements to prepare draft
of resolutions to be submitted to the committee
which may be appointed and through them to
tie conference. These resolutions with any
other action OF the conference, will be reported
to the National Reform Association at special
session on Friday morning, April 4.
PURPOSES OF THE CONFERENCE.
The call for the conference. signed by Felix
Il. Brunot, president, and T. ?. Stevenson, cor
responding secretary of the National Reform
Association, says: This association is organ
lied to maintain all existing Christian features
III the American government, to develop these
features into consistency and completeness
and to place around them whatever legal safe
guards, constitutional or statutory, experience
may prove necessary.
Among the principles which this associa-
ton holds to be fundamental in civil govern
ment are these: Nations and governments
accountable to Almighty God and are bound by
the moral law; the Lord Jesus Christ is the
actual Governor Of nations and His will,
vealed in the Holy Scriptures. is the supreme
rule to decide moral questions in political life.
These principles We hold to have been woven,
historically, into the very fiber of American in
situations. Our stability and our progress have
been due to the power they have exerted in our
national life. All the evils which have afflicted
us have been traceable to our departure from
them. All our hopes for the future depend
upon them. Our gravest peril lies in the fact
that these principles are ignored by large num-
bers OF our citizens and denied by many Others.
The duty of the hour is to emphasize and up
hold them, and to lnculcate them upon the fast
increasing millions OF our population.
These principles, moreover, are involved in
practical questions of the greatest urgency
which are pressing upon US today. Among
these are the Sabbath question, or the nations
relation to the day of rest; the question of
marriage and divorce, or the duty of the ma
ton to the family; the temperance question: or
the right attitude of the law toward the traffic
in intoxicants; the Indian. the Chinese and the
negro problems; the school question, or the
character of the education to be furnished by
the state to its youthful citizens: the relation
OF the nation to foreign and weaker nations as
affected by our commerce and by the character
of the representatives whom we sent abroad
All these are present issues just now in process
of settlement AS We settle part of these ques-
tions we shall doubtless settle ALL for the forces
which will sway us to the wrong side of any one
will determine our action on others also. And
the forces which demand wrong answers are SO
subtle, SO persistent and SO combined together
that there is imminent danger of their tri-
umph."