The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-14
TO UNITE DENOMINATIONS
IN Il NEW MOVEMENT FOR SOCIAL
RIGHTEO USNES

Have Comm ON Responsibility to Teach
Social Prin cipIes-COmmends Gov
ernor McLean,s School POlicy-Ad-
dress Delivered Befors the Mems Club.
Judge Simeon u. Baldwin last evening
delivered the first of the series of ad-
dresses which are to be given this sea-
son before the Mems club in the United
church Judge Baldwin's address Will
excite public interest and discussion, in
volving as it does a proposal to unite
the churches of all denominations In
this state in a new movement for the
teaching of social principles. In this
connection he said:
"Our churches of different denomina-
lions are never likely to forget what
makes them different, but they can all
unite in earnest in common endeavor
to teach social science to the people OF
Connecticut. That in principle is the
same for all. It's principles may lead
one man towards the cooperative COM
monwealth and another to deeper at
tachment to our present institutions.
For the use which man may make OF
his education society has no RESPONSE
bility, nor has the church But for the.
giving of an education they have
The subject of the address was "Edu-
cation in Social Righteousness" Judge
Baldwin, in urging this especial duty
upon the churches, said that while he
could by no means concur in the sentl-
ments recently advanced by the English
Dean of Ripon when the latter said be-
fore the Harvard Divinity school that
our churches were not churches, rather
our colleges and schools and hospitals
and day nurseries were true churches,
vet he believed the church, besides Its
special function to answer the Unborn
desire for praise and communion With
God, must still act as an uplifting, prac-
teal force, as power house general
ing within its associations the power to
teach and inspire its individuals. He
said that while the virtues named by
Plato and by Confucius and by Christ
differed in their meaning and appltca-
ton, the religions of all three unite In
naming this virtue of righteousness;
that, generally speaking, 1t Is the best
church which acts forth and spreads
out social righteousness.
In distinguishing the function of the
schools in this work from the especial
and moral function of the churches
Judge Baldwin took occasion to com
mend the attitude which Governor Nc
Lean has recently taken towards teach
ing civics in the primary schools. He
said
cat this stage of the child's mental
DEVELOPMENT I believe it would be well
for the state to teach the elements of
what Of late years we have come to
speak Of as civics. These elements are
all applications to a particular subject
OF general rules of right conduct in So
ciety.
"Our new governor, among the many
pointed utterances of his inaugural mes
Ssage delivered at the capitol last week.
said a weighty word as to this. When
q boy is taught to read and cipher
would it not, he asked be possible to
teach him a little something of what
he is learning to read and cipher for?
He should know what democracy is
before he is called upon to run one. He
should know that government cannot
get a dollar which it does not take from
his or his neighbours pocket. He should |
know that the government must depend
upon it's citizens for its existence, not
they upon the government for their eX-
tstence He should be taught that the |
ballot is to be his crown, and that to
sell 1t would be treason to himself and |
his fellow men.
"a boy trained up with few such |
Fundamental political conceptions, |
stamped into his mind-and new-plowed |
land takes deep impressions-must be
the better citizen for 1t, and the better |
man"
AT this point, Judge Baldwin says, |
the church naturally steps in for its |
own important further development, as |
follows:
''Yet it is obvious that any such eff |
fort at political education must be con- |
fined within narrow bounds, and that 1t |
is aimed at narrow mark.
'To be a good citizen is no small |
thing, but still it is less than to be a |
good man. There are closer relations |
in life than those of political citizen
ship. There are other duties than those
which citizenship involves. Follow these
UP to certain point and to most of us
they seem to center in the spirit of |
Christianity, and here is something
which as have said, our public schools
must pass in silence. That is for the
church, or for the Christian man, acting
as a private individual"
At the close Judge Baldwin made this
practical suggestion:
"Might 1t not be worth the considera-
ton of Christian men in Connecticut, of
every name whether their churches
might not combine in some general in
terchange of speakers for Sunday even
ing audiences like this in which sub
jects allied to Christianity might be
discussed from the Christian stand
point?
eff there were a hundred, or even ten,
mems clubs like this in Connecticut,
having some such understanding be-
tween them, how easy it would be to
put at the service of SO many judges in
so many cities what can now only be
addressed to one or two 1t would be
church extension movement In full line
with the university extension movement
and 1 think, has almost as good a
chance of success"
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