The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-20
Lack of Religious Instruction I'm the
Schools Liable to Develop n 'GOd-
Forgotten SecuIarity."
AMERICAN SOLDIERS ATTACKED
THE REV. j. VI. GREENE CHARGES
THEM WITH DIssOLUTENEsS.
No Way Of Fovecassing the Result of
the DeIiberations-Matte Before
the Southern Assembly.

| PHILADELPHIA, May 19.-The custom
| of having visiting commissioners fill the
| Presbyterian pulpits on Sunday in the city
where the General Assembly is being held
was strictly adhered TO to-day. There
probably was not a Presbyterian church in
the city that did not have or more of
| the visitors at its services. Many of the
| commissioners filled pulpits in the suburban
| churches and in Camden, N. j., across the
river. The Mecca of most of the lay COM
missioners was Calvary Church, where the
assembly is sitting and where the modera-
| tor, the Rev. DR.. Henry c. Minton, of Cal
| ifornia, preached his first sermon as the
| presiding officer of the assembly. The
! services were conducted by the Rev. j.
| Sparhawk Jones. pastor of the church, and
| he was assisted by the Rev. S. j. Niccolls,
! of ST. Louis. DR.. Minton took for his sub
| ject the parable of Christ restoring sight to
blind man, emphasizing that the miracle
was effected gradually.
1--WE are born blind" he said, .for a cat
aract of sin covers our eyes Multitudes
| have received the first touch but want the
second. This is a day when the church of
God should be on guard against the intel
ligence of her faith. We believe in creeds,
/
creeds are by no means all. We boast of
| intelligence, but we should be wary lest our
glory become our shame. The mystic ele-
ment is needed to give tenderness to the
soul. but Christianity, like Mohammedan-
ism, has its whrling dervishes. Some see
but along the line of sincere purpose and
ethical endeavor. 1t is not enough to be
| sincere; one must be right
| Thc 4
zation, said that men must not only DE
sought, but redeemed, to a present career
of honor. The church must teach, train
and develop her sons. In education there
must be character building and consecra-
| ton. The moderator sounded a note of
warning regarding the public schools
God forbid he said, that l should say
an i'll word against our public school sys-
tenn, the safeguard OF our Nation but Is
the educational machinery subsidiary to
J the only worthy end of fashioning charac-
ter? Have we, so morbidly afraid of unit
ing church with state, gone so far as to
disunite God from the state? This is a
most serious question The faith of our
sons and daughters is involved. and the
/ kingdom of God I'm our country is involved
1t is not an organized skepticism that
threatens. but a God-forgotten secularism -
| There were three popular meetings sched-
uled for this afternoon and this evening
| The largest OF these gatherings was at
the Witherspoon building, where a meeting
in the interest of the Womens Board of
Home Missions held. The Rev. D.
Stuart Dodge, d. D., presided The Rev
/ J. Milton Greene. D. D., now stationed in
| Havana, but formerly of San Juan Porto
| Rico, where he organized PRESBYTERIAN r.
missions, created a profound sensa ton by
severely criticisng the alleged immoral
conduct OF United States soldiers I'm Porto
Rico. DR. Greene addressed the meeting
/ on the conditions existing in that island
| He said the conduct OF the United States
soldiers there was disgrace to humanity
| be seen on the streets TO one drunken nd =
/ tive The lawlesless OF the soldiers. he
| continued. Is proverbial He attacked the
/ present system under which chaplains OF
| the army work, and said some one ought
! to appeal 10 the United States government
/ for a system by which the spiritual wei
! fare OF our soldiers could be better looked
/ after
The other speakers at this meeting were
the Rev H. r. Marsh, NJ. d.. OF Point
/ Barrow Alaska: the Rev James Hayes
/ Nez Perces Indian mission. Arizona: the
/ Rev S j. McClenaghan. Asheville N c.
| of the Biddle University, Charlotte n c.
The other two meetings were held to-
night One was In the interest of home and
| foreign missions. held in Tenth Church and
CONTINUED on PAGE 3. COL. g.