Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-15

| millions of our people who never go in
to church, and therefore do not have
its beneficent influence"
The first civilizing influence, said DIR
Eliot, is steady work. Next is the pro-
motion of refinement and culture.
I'VE must admit" said the speaker
that the church and the university en-
counter difficulty at the very opening
of the Bible for the story of the fall OF
man represents labor as a curse. That
story has had the profoundest effect on
theology until within the last 100 years
We find this false idea of labor running
| thru society.
For thirty years 1 have tried TIC
teach that the best of work is that 1t Is
enjoyable. believe that is the test.
value highly the distinction between
work and play. When a youth works
| let him work, when he plays let him
play.
us this principle observed in
churches? Is the Sunday school the
place of strenuous exertion on the part
of the pupils? Is it work or play, or a
mixture of both? / always find this
mixture an undesirable one.
Consider the forms of Christian ac-
tivity. AS I see them in the various
churches their activities seem too in
tellectual and emotional on the part OF
the preacher and to call too little for
the work of the recipient of the teach
ing.
AT the Sunday school I don't learn
that the children are working actively
They only have half an hour q week
and no other subject could be dealt
with in that way by any pupil. So dis
trust the method of the Sunday school
and the attitude of the pupil He is not
called on to produce anything.
"The emotional side is developed
perhaps most largely in the Methodist
church. Is that. wholesome for getting
labor out of individuals? l find 1t does
me no good to get my emotions stirred
up unless / can do something about II
all. This church has made great efforts
I to get means to apply in young peo-
pie the force of this emotion, but has
1t been successful?
This seems desirable thing to
study. Jesus was trying to bring out
that issue, and how many times He said
Go thou and do likewise.
give the young people power to act
The church needs to reconstruct the
forms of teaching children and youth
For children as for the heather 1t seems
Impractical to implant doctrines, prin-
ciples and imagery drawn from war,
fighting or sacrifice.
Our scriptures contain a good deal
of warlike imagery. One of the most
repellent ideas to me is the phrase
church militant 1t is allying the
most civilizing force with the most bar
harous.
"The idea of sacrifice is barbarous in
the highest degree, especially wnen in
Guiding the human sacrifice. Yer the
scriptures and religious poetry are filed
with it.
The conception of sacrifice and war
fare ought to be omitted from all teach
ings for children. The church should
teach natural poetry. that of human
affection and the common sentiments of
mankind The child can learn this and
give it out in the family circle, thus
bringing home these sentiments TO the
elders. Give to children the Buddhist
thoughts of kindness to animals, and OF
looking up to nature and God thtu ma
ture, and at 20 years OF age lei taem be
taught the graver matters of compare
tive religion.
"In what other subject co we have
amateur teaching? Can Parents or
children respect the Sunday ssh5cl II
the teacher is less skillful than the
teacher in the secular SCHOOL,
'The problem is large and difficult
burt in the solution lies the churches
work in the coming century
DR.. Brady was on his feet 81 once
when President Eliot concluded. He
said DR.. Eliots way OF expressing his
thought was insidious and engaging,
but there never was time when the
church had so many adfierents of vigor
or was so widely extended as at pres
ent. 1t is steadily capturing the world;
lie is going forward ana shattering the
old system of Buddhism and grinding
into dust the system of Confuelus and
all the books of India
1--WE are Methodists, and thank God
this world goes by method If it goes at
ALL" he exclaimed.
1.-THE criticisms of President Eliot,
said Rev. A. D. Traveller, of the Cnica-
go Home Missionary and Cnurch Elk
tension Society, ARE rather proof OF
the mistaken point of view to which
man may hoist himself who cultivates
the intellectual faculties to the neglect
of all others, rather than an evidence
that there is anything wrong with the
work of the Methodist church. 1t is
true that we believe in emotionalism SO
far as it may be reused within the bar
riers of common sense, for no man can
see God whose heart is cold. That our
methods are adapted to growth can
scarcely be doubted. For instance, | am
going to dedicate this week the
eigltieth Methodist church that has
been founded in Chicago w/nin the last
twelve years That doesn't look as if
we were following paths that lead to
nothing. does it? President Eliot evil
IDENTIFY needs a censor-or a guardian
Asleep Amid Flames.
Breaking into a blazing home, some
firemen lately dragged the sleeping in
mates from death Fancied security,