The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-14
THE ANNIVERSARY SERMON
PRES. HARRIS, OF AMHERST, TO
 YALE DIVINITY STUDENTS

YALE DIVINITY STUDENTS The Place or the Church in the Modern
 Social System-cause of tho Falling
 Off in Atscndnnce-A Change in tho
 Conception of fSalvation-Foyver and
 Larger Churches Might be Better.
 At Center church last evening Presi-
 dent George Harris of Amherst college
 delivered the anniversary address of the
 Yale divinity school. The members of
 the graduating class of the divinity
 school occupied reserved seats in the
 front pews. President Hadley of Yale
 introduced pr. Harris, and Profs. Fish
 CT and Porter of the divinity school also
 occupied seats back of the pulpit. Dr.
 Harris spoke of the place of the church
 in our modern social system, and his
 able address was listened to with much
 interest by the large audience. In the
 course of his address he said that he
 should think that 1t was not open to
 debate that there was less church going
 now than formerly Many wish that
 we could be put back to the old days when whole families went to church to- gether That old custom was due to cause, and to have back the cause might not be desira ble. The cause was cer- tain conception of religion no longer held; nor can it be restored. He then took up three questions concerning church going. The questions were: Why did people go to church when that was the universal custom? Why do people go to church who do go? Why don't those go who don't go? Tn answer to the first question he said that i'm earlier times salvation was believed to depend oh church going. Righteousness, morality, virtues, accompanied salva- tion, but were not salvation A clear distinction was made between religion and morality, and this was the domi- nant belief until comparatively recent times
 In answer to the second question he said that with some people 1t Is habit to go to church, others say it is good for the children, some like the sermons of popular ministers some are pillars of the church, but he presumed that none of these would say that they went to church because salvation depends on it.
 As to the third question, some of those who don't attend some church do go occasionally some say that they had too much church going when they were young some say that they can't afford 1t, some would rather play golf or ride bicycles than go to church, to some the service is dull, some say that it is a good institution but for themselves they don't care for it, and few are di- rectly opposed to church going
 The reasons then for going or not go- ing to church imply change of the of salvation. It may how ever be maintained that there is more rather than less true religion, and this appears when we recognize the prevail ing conception of religion to-day. We don't place the value of salvation in the future with incidental benefits in the present. How rarely, unless at fun- aral, do we think that we are but pill yfims here, strangers. There are times when the desire for rest is strong, yet we enjoy the present and think of the future as continuation of the life nere. Present reality is the note of re- igion Salvation to us is not some ex- -ernal thing, debt paid off In this Dr. Harris said that some preachers tell us more of what religion s not than of what it is Speaking of he expansion and diffusion of religion le said that the claim of socialism Is spiritual claim. Socialists do not re- gard the common sharing of products IS the end but as the means to a high 1T social life. Subtract the church from society and you subtract the principle bower for the diffusion of religion trough the community The right con- ,eption of religion is gained from the Bible impressed by active worship and rom the organized church gospeling ,nd missioning through the world. The hurch does not create religion. Religion reates the church; yet religion is pro- noted by the church. It is significant hat the churches which make the most if worship have the strongest hold on he people
 In closing his address Dr. Harris poke especially to the young men bout to graduate from the Divinity chool. He advised them not to rely O much on sermons. He said further: We are making much of organized re- igion; let us not overlook the fact that here is too much disorganized religion. n our own denomination independence as run wild. Paul wrote the church n .Thessalonica. If modern apostle were to write to the church in New Ha- en what one would get the letter? If e wrote to our own denomination in his city he would need fifteen type- written copies'
 Dr. Harris thought that fit would be etter # there were fewer and larger and that an ecclesiastical rust" would be desirable thing. In he organization of religion he thought hat there should be more than one or- CT of ministers, some to be preachers, ome teachers and some administrators, ccording to their adaptabilty to the