New-York tribune., 1901-02-10


Of Christ and the Luthers and Wesleys OF later
criticised the Church Of the past and so aroused
10, 20 Greater & iathfulness. rather than those who
In one OF the closing years of the nineteenth
of the usual New Years reports OF cburch work
for the previous year each denominations achieve
men. In the judgment Of these Church leaders the
eenonnlnatlons they represented had done moth
ethics Not word %as said Of work 5 for Ss tenn
gambling or Sabbath breaking or lax divorce or in
any municipal or social reform save in the re-
in OF cities was perhaps due IT'S deciaration
OF two[9ld division Of its Christian work. namely
Second-Change his surroundings.
INTEMPERANCE AND SABBATH BREAKING.
The other denominations had many Of them
zone ethical work-some Of them much-but il was
mentioned with conversions public worship and
Lorelsn missions 10 which the UNCONVENTIONAL
Incredible 20 those who read afar in place or
of the great ecclesiastical conferences and assem-
bles or the nineteenth century in favor of social
reforms that no provision worth mentioning was
made FOR carrying out these resolutions Work
winch the Church neglected to do for young
Christian Association in isii Work which the
Church should have done to overthrow the saloon.
set TO attack had been undertaken in 1874 by an
other outside association. the Women's Christian
temperance mon. whose forty departments OF
practcal Work were for a quarter of a century
religious as the defence of the mperilled Sab
churches would themselves unite to do but this
too. was mostly left to outside societies with only
time 70 1t. The restraint Of growing tmpurity and
riage. which the Church cnnsdered her sneciaI
prerogattve were left 10 still less adequate scout
The societies that undertook these CASTOR social
duties of the Church were treated by IL distant
schedules whether of work or benevoIence VERY
few theological seminaries gave a prospective
preacher any adequate preparation TO DO his share
In the social regeneration of his town city but
rather assumed that the only mission Of the
Church ana IT'S preachers was to save individual
souls for heaven. Even these he not expect
eo 70 saleSuard as plants or grace by fencing them
WIN iavoraole enVlronne1t ana removing the
weeds OF preventable temptations Not alone the
activity. but the churches themselves lost also
In conversions, through the evil environment. and
dered by the evil reports and exports Of Christian
lands II IS said that the reaction against Chris
In the American churches eyidG1ced by- tbe TexSvv
disclosures Of political and social corruption in the
The neglected hemisphere of the humanites the
institutional church movement of the nineteenth
century sought 10 10 the sDiritualites with
no loss 70 the latter Contrary 10 the fears Of the
their own less humane past, but also their less
cred more worshippers on the Sabbath. More min
istry brought more members.
sECTARIAN RIVALRY
One large obstacle to social service BY the Amer
lean Church in the nineteenth century was found
In the scatteraton Of its forces IN unparalleled
the scandal OF sectarian rivalry in foreign missions
the Porto hicans were CONFRONTED IN the closing
year OF the century with seven forms OF divided
Professionalism. There were similar wastes OF sec
tariansm in the home field, but the most serious Of
an was one seldom mentioned namely, the ex-
haustlon OF force that might have been used for
superfiuous churches AT the century's close there
little hope Of organic union OF the churches
alike had mostly ceased. "Federation' was the
word seldom and feebly realized. and mostly in
erable attention TO the vicious social roots Of pow
erty and crime.
at the end Of the century that even the vast ag-
greSations or money were not the cnleI sociai
also the LIQUOR power. France. Germany. England.
each Used more liquor per capita than the United
States the end of the century, but in none was
shown ia the TWO anti-canteen victories and the
Roberts case that whenever the sovereign people
would vote for a moral measure. even in the mall
Here. as among the clouds that hover over
Church life a brighter scene waits on the adjust
ment OF the American churches 70 new conditions
With nine millions OF voters in the churches-more
moral force enough TO carry forward into new
victories Of righteousness both Church and s&Iaie &
only they had not yet !earned-lt Is time tney old-
just how 10 attach their resistless power
The cid Greek motto w hen tireek meets CIeTA, s,
and fatal divisions Of he Greeks, during which
we fnd has been incorrectly translated. II refers
in fact. TO the tnvinCtbt1ty or the creeks when
comes the tug OF war'-for the Persian. The nine
teenth century. OF its losing divisions suggests >
motto when Christian Church joins Christian
Church in fghtng federatiors, then cones tne Jug
OF war for the evils that assaH US. ard the world
Victory ''' WILBUR F. CRAFTS.
Superintendent Of the UnternationaD Reform
washington d c. Jan a.