Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-08-07

profitable spiritually and intellectually, and
also the quiet and faithful work of our officers
who have made possible the large success of
this session.
We wish to thank the Ellsworth church for
its abundant hospitality and particularly those
who served us SO delightfully."- and who have
decorated the church SO beautifully.
Our thanks are also given the Maine Central
railroad for reduced rates.
The committee on nominations reported
the following officers, all OF whom were
unanimously elected: Daniel Mcfarland,
of East Lamoine, president; DIR. D. B.
Flint, of Winter Hsrbor, vice-president;
Rev. A. H. Coar, of Ellsworth, secretary
and treasurer. This closed the business
OF the conference.
The general topic for the afternoon was
"The Relation OF the Church of the
Twentieth Century to Society. DR.. Pea
body, of Harvard, who was to speak of
| .sThe Relation of the Church to the
Workingman and the Labor Movement,
was unavoidably detained at his summer
home at Southwest Harbor.
Rev. c. f. Dole, OF Jamaica Plain, spoke
on: "What Can the Church DO for Bust
ness and Clean Politics?" He said: "Ii
anyone asks what the church has to do
with business and politics, many say
nothing specially. But the world is not
taking this answer nearly so seriously as
it used to. People are beginning to in
quire sWhat is the good of the church,
and what is its relation to the present
condition Of life?'
''In the past the church has been to a
| large extent a vast machine to enable
people to escape the wrath that is to
come. Now the church is in a sort of
transformation period, from a machine
for devotion to some sort of an organiza-
tion-just what do not suppose anyone
is wise enough to say-to bind humanity
| togethe in brotherhood for higher liv-
| ing and nobler thinking.
suppose that someone were to preach
| that this was bad world, sinful world
that it was not Gods world but the DEVILS
world; that the golden rule was an ideal
ism-an impossibility. l would call that
a bad religion. Any religion which falsi
ties belief in a supreme being, is a bad
religion.
"The root of all bad business is the
seeking to get without an equivalent in
return, and this grows directly out of a
selfish religion. And bad politics grows
right out of bad business.
ITO suppose case: If in this city OF
| Ellsworth you needed a new schoolhouse,
could you count on the cooperation Of
every church member? Ii you can, you
are not like other communities. Take the
Maine temperance law: Can you count
| upon the eminently respectable men, the
leading men of the community; will they
help to enforce it? And il they do not
believe the law as at present is good law,
can you count upon them to come out
boldly and say so? Can you count upon
your leading men, your lawyers, your
ministers, to do something, anything,
actively, fearlessly together for the public
good?
"All this comes out of a bad religion.
So it comes about that there is growing
up demand for some new kind of
church. A good religion will at once be-
gin to bear fruit in results in this every
day business world"
Rev. d. NJ. Wilson, of Brooklyn, spoke
on: "Wh hat Can the Church do for Educs-
tion?" One strong point brought out by
him was the relation of school to religion.
He declared emphatically: "We don't
want religion taught in the schools
taught as it would be taught, simply
certain view OF God and a certain scheme
of salvation. This does not mean that
there is no religion in the school-it is
there already and you could not eliminate
it if you would. Religion is in the heart of
the child and in he heart of the teacher.
| The teacher may not teach religion in
words, but the influence is there. III you
want more specific religion, We must
| teach it in the home or in the church.
Then church, and home and school will
be working together"
DIR. Vose, OF Providence, R. l., who was
at the conference, was called upon by
Pres Eliot, and spoke briefly on some of
the thoughts brought out in the address
| of the afternoon.
The closing exercises of the conference
were conducted by Pres. Eliot. His clos
| ing remarks expressing the spirit Of the
conference as it impressed itself upon
| him were beautiful.
| The matter of next years conference
| was left with the committee. 1t probably
! will be at Bar Harbor.