Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
N T H E G. H U R CHE S

N T H E G H U re HE S
call has been issued for a national
Christian citizenship convention to be held
at Washington, d. c., December Is to 10.
Inc following questions are to be given es
pecial consideration: Should suffrage be
limited by educational tests or otherwise in
the new island territories? Should civil
service reform be extended to the new is
land Offices? Should the national laws for
our present territories requiring scientific
temperance education, forbidding prize
fights and bull fights, restricting divorce
and forbidding bigamy and forncation, be
extended to our new island territories?
Should the American civil Sabbath be also
extended to these islands as essential to
the development of safe popular govern
ment? Should our enlarged army, in new
dangers in the tropics, be protected there
and elsewhere by the suppression of the
regmentai saloon or "canteen?" Should
the policy of prohibition be maintained in
Alaska and the Indian territory and eX
tended to our new island territories?
The convention will consider also the new
Obliga tons that come with our new reia ions
TO purify the nation itself in its suffrage,
its civil service, its Sa bbath and from those
evils that center in the saloon. The con-
vention is to give special attention to pend
ing moral measures in Congress. Hearings
before congressional committees Will be ar
ranged.
Among those who have signed the call
and who will address the convention are
DIR. Frank NJ. Bristol of this city, Dr. H. II.
Russell Anthony Comstock, Mrs. Mary II.
Hunt and Joshua lowering of Baltimore.
The adjourned meeting of the Central
Union Mission to elect a successor to Mr..
NJ. c. Pope on the board of directors was
held last Monday. and resulted in the unan-
imouS choice of Mr.. =. II. BriStOW. At the
adjourned meeting no other nomination was
made. and the vote was unanimous anu
Hearty. Mr.. BriStow is "A member of Cal
vary Baptist Church and superintendent
Of the Sunday school, which is said to be
the largest in the country.
The cha plain of the Naval Academy. Rev,
H. n Clark has had printed for the in
formation Of the cadets and their parents
a circular. giving information of the re
ligOus aims and work of the school He
states that Divine service at the Naval
academy is conducted, to its form and
teachings with reference to the needs of
Il e naval service. In the nature of the
clse the efforts of the chaplain. together
with the cooperation and sympathy of the
cauets and people. must have for their
basis the broad platform of Christian
union 1t may be added that force of cir
cumstances has practically solved the prob
lem of Christian union for the navy. Divine
service at the academy, therefore, is a
union service and united service
About the of the Book of Common
Prayer. which has given rise to some crit
icism, the chaplain says: THE Book of
Common Prayer is used at all the public
religious services of the Institution. This
is done for various reasons. The first is
that, springing from custom, no service of
prayer but this has ever been used in the
academy. The second reason for its use
is that the cadets may become accustomed
to a service that is common to the navy;
a service that they, as officers may from
time to time be called upon to perform. 1t
is quite usual, in vessels having no chap
lain. for commanding or other officers to
hold divine service. In such cases the Book
of Common Prayer is used. 1t is also used
at all burial services, officers and sailors
preferrng it. The final reason for this
form of worship at the Naval Academy is
that it seems more in keeping with the
principle of order that prevails in the spirit
anl work of the institution, and on the
whole, more creative of religious impress
sion. more formative of religious character
in such environment, than forms of wor-
ship lacking in uniformity and concrete
ness.
The letter says: In addition to the gem
erCus provision Of the government for pub
lie worship at the academy there Is a
fioCr. shing Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation; also opportunity for Bible study
every week under the direction of the chap
lain. The above, together with morning.
prayers in the mess hail and special service
during the religious seasons comprise The
official and formal religious work at The
Naval Academy.
The chaplain adds, as the concluding
paragraph OF his pastoral circular: 1t is
earnestly to be desired that parents of ca
diets encourage their sons to make all prac-
tca BILE use of the religious opportunities of
the academy. most honorable career lies
before the naval cadets. In these formative
years too much emphasis cannot be paced
upon the principles and motives of religion
as the groundwork and inspiratien of every
thing beautiful and commanding in mill
tary character. Parents are engaged n
high patriotic service when encouraging
their sons to offer to the government IN
the spirit of deep religious conservation
the best they nave 10 give of hand, and
head, and heart"
A resident of this city who recently re-
turned from Europe gave to a Star re-
porter description of what will be one of
the finest church buildings in the world
follows:
"A great body of Workmen is now en-
gagged in erecting London's new cathedral!
The magnitude of this task makes it of in
terest TO Catholics the world over The ex-
ternal length of the edfice will be $50 feet
the width 156 feet, and the height of the
great nave 103 feet. while the total area
Will be nearly -ao,eo9 square feet The en-
OF nous nave VIII be the largest in England,
rivaling even York Minister. Its area will
be 14,010 square feet, that of the nave at
York being about 1900.
The choice of the land for the new ca
II edral has been somewhat compIicat I'd
matter, extending over many wears wiz,
the result that the present piece of land in
the neighborhood of the Victoria station
has been acquired. This has cost $4,000
pounds, and is nearly four acres in extent
THE approximate cost of thu main strue-
ture will be about l40,00 pounds, including