The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-13
THE ERA OF COMPASSION
Dean Hodges Gives This Title to
the Present Century.
In the Conference Sermon at Epiph-
my Church He Says the Golden
Age of Friendship, sympathy, and
Human brotherhood Is mt Hand

The Rev. DR.. George Hodges, dean of the
Protestant Episcopal Theological School at
Cambridge. Mass. delivered the confer
ence sermon at the Church of the Epiph-
any yesterday morning. Delegates to
the National Conference of Charities and
Corrections. now la session, together with
many others Interested in social problems,
filled the church to the doors. Dean
Hodges chose for his theme a subject di-
rectly pertaining to the underlying princi-
pies and actuating motives OF all charita-
BILE enterprises. 1t was THE Progress of
Compassion
Although the sermon was delivered pri-
marily for those interested in the lines of
work to which the conference and its
members are devoted it was not in the
least technical. The much-discussed social
problem was not discussed at all. The
methods of caring for the unfortunate
We're not referred to. But a general expo
sition was given OF the principles which
developed to their highest degree, enabled
Jesus Christ to save the unfortunate and
erring. and which are now at the threshold
of a wider development
Dean Hodges referred to the opening of
the twentieth century as the beginning of
the Era of Compassion" He took two
IL
John. when he proposes to call down fire
on a Samaritan village. and the other
when st. John says: I'VE know that we
have passed from death into life because
we love the brethren
THE difference between these two ST.
Johns" said Dean Hodges, lis the diff
ference between the present and the past.
1t is difference In the spirit of compass
sion. Compassion is not pity, but SYM
pathy. II is the recognition of the indi
viduaI and the ministration of our heart
and hand to the enrichment of his life IN
the spirit of Jesus. 1t is the high virtue
to which this conference is committed
THE purpose of these meetings is to
set forward more and more the progress
of compassion. 1t must be confessed that
this progress has been annoyingly and
perplexingly slow. Christianity began as
the religion of compassion. Jesus came
to help man to be fraternai, tender heart
ed, kindly affectioned one toward another.
All that he said all that he did-even to
the death upon the cross-all that he was,
as Son of God and son Of man, had to do
directly with the progress of compassion.
But the time came when the Christians
contradicted almost everything Jesus
Christ cared for. In the midst of wars
and prosecutions, in the midst of slavery
and suffering, compassion seemed to be
extinct. But those We're days of prepare
ton The rough tasks of the race had to
be performed. Wars had to be fought.
for lack of knowledge of our more rea-
sonable way of arriving at justice and
the truth.
"At last, with the twentieth century, we
enter into the era of compassion Never
have there been so many different people
with SO many different interests. intent
on making the present world better
world to live in. The two kinds OF en-
deavor, represented by this Conference OF
ChRrltiesand Corrections Afforded httinS
example. We have here in mind two
classes of persons the dependent and the
delinquent There has been more intel
ligent service rendered these two classes
of society during the past quarter OF CEN
tury-certainly during the past half-cen-
tury-than during all the ages since these
problems first confronted the family OF
man.
After centuriesof a progress of compass
sion so slow that sometimes there SEEM
ed to be no progress, so slow that some
times the current seemed to be setting
back, we are now arrived at time when
the river of human kindness flows fun
and strong toward the ocean of Gods
love.
What makes this progress of compass
sion? What is the heart of III The heart
of 1t is the recognition of the individual
in the spirit of Jesus. The essential thing
is friendship, not aims, but a friend; not
an institution, but a friend. not a reform
bill. but a friend. The chief thing that
can be accomplished by the discussions
of this conference is the betterment of
friendship so that men shall go back TO
their work in a more fraternal spirit,
putting their hearts into it and lifting
up those who are down. as Jesus did, by
giving them a friendly hand"