Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-09
World WIDE REVIVAL
Noted Preacher-Author Be-
lieves World Is on Eve of
Another Renaissance
GREAT MEN HAVE CEASED TO BE
First Copy of Document Written BY
the Rev. John Watson Clan Macaren)
Reaches New York From London
and Causes Much Discussion-WorId
Wants Revivifying Force.

New York. Oct. The Rev. JONI
Watson Clan Maclaren). author o
Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush ha'
published brochure which espresso:
the belief that the world is on the ev,
of the greatest religious revival sine
the days when ali Rome succumbed Il
the teachings of Christ IN the first cen
tury.' The first copy of the documen
don and caused considerable discussio,
at the Presbyterian headquarters, il
Fifth avenue, where it was received
The preaener-author says:
| The two most prominent factors II
the world today VIII dtrive the mos
| benefit from this world revival.
They are first the Well -to-do class
es. rolling in opuiency and ease--tht
proud and naughty, who look down or
| the rest of the world. They viii b,
shaken out OF their self-conposure anG
|seitishness.
I Second, the proletariat. who in this
| city, as every one knows, reads the
| Clarion, and in America as every one
knows. the anarchist organs. These
wild be benefited by the new coming o,
'hrst into the hearts Of the people
These have been allie mated from Christ
In way the church has no concep-
| ton of.
1T is not wonderful that the work
ingmen have lett the church. since they
have reason to beleve the church sided
~
landlords in the country The church
has no, taken that ,nrnane interest in
the workingmen 1t should"
The Rev. Mr.. Watson then complains
| that the world has no, advanced with
years. and is at "A standstiIl as far as
religion ana certain phases of literatur,
are concerned. No great men are be-
ing brought into active life
He continues Except In the realm
of science no real progress is being
made. no great msn are rising. no
poets. no novelists. no painters. no
statesmen, no preachers. 1t is an age
of medroety and commonplacenes.
I'VE are tired. therefore we are rest
less. and Matthew Arnold's words are
still true, today than when he wrote.
dead, your social order, too: whore tar
RES he-the power who said: See, |
make ali things new
What does all this mean? II
means that the world is in want OF
some thing, In want of revivifyina
force II there ever was a time when
the world needed this, that time is now
IF there is one thing the Christian
world needs today 1t is a repetition OF
that movement which passed over the
Roman empire in the first century and
saved society from dissolution, tina,
movement which In literature is called
the renaissance in spiritual life a re-
vival"
The attendance at public worship
the writer declares, has decreased and
daily is decreasing: the grasp OF things
spiritual Is relaxing, and the cult of
Christ's cross is fading. We are be-
tween the tides, between the creed dead
and the creed to be. We are in the
gray mist between night and morning.
He continued: No serious person.
whether he be a religious or nom
religious man, can look out upon So
ciety in our day without being de-
pressed and alarnie There is a gen
eral unsettlement both of belief and of
institutions, a WEAKNESS of the present
slackening of energy, an exhausted at
mosphere. which is difficult to breathe
and which is apt to be charged by nox-
iol,s germs"