The times., 1901-05-13
THE ERA OF COMP ASSIGN
Dean Hodges Gives This Title to
the Present Century.
In the Conference Sermon at Epiph-
nny Church He Says the Golden
Age of Friendship, sympathy, and
Human brotherhood Is at Hand.

The Rev. DR.. George Hodges, dean of the
Protestant Episcopal Theological School a
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 in 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 actuaung motives of all charita-
bic 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 it's
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
were 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 wider development.
Dean Hodges referred to the opening of
the twentieth century as the beginning of
the Era OF Compassion He took two
texts for his discourse. One was from St
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, is the diff
ference between the present and the past.
It is a difference in the spirit of compass
sion. Compassion is not pity. but sym
-
vidual 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 annoyingfy and
perplexingIy slow. Christianity began as
the religion of compassion. Jesus came
to help man to be fraternal tender heart
ed, kindly affectioned one toward another.
All that he said, all that he did-even TO
the death upon the cross-an 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 prepara-
tion 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 a better
world to live in. The two kinds of en-
Charities ana Corrections afforded a fitting
example. We have here in mind two
classes of persons the dependent ana the
dsIinuuent There has been more intel /
iigent service rendered these two classes
of society during the past quarter OF a cen
tury-than during all the ages since these
problems first confronted the family of
man.
After centuries of 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 setllng |
back we are now arrived at a time when |
the river of human kindness flows full |
and strong toward the ocean of God S |
love.
What makes this progress of compass !
sion? What is the heart of it, The heart |
of it is the recognition of the individual !
in the spirit of Jesus. The essential thing |
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 betteTment 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 -