The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-12

Bradley, Martin party. siven, few year.; years
ago in New York. with its lavish display
of luxury and ostentation-and men eN-
erywhere in all walks, stations and pro
that right in the face OF the widespread
suffering for bread?' You will under
stand, of course, that ! DO not include
all luxury as culpabie. and sun l ought ought
10 say that some are coming to tnlnN
that most of it is. The failacy that lux
rries cause employment has long since
ueen exploded. Such things would pass
without question and possibly without
comment in Il society that believed abso-
lutely in laissez-faire. But We profess TO
believe that God hath made of one biooa
all nations to dwell on the face of the
earth. Therefore We are brethren ana
each is his brothers keeper. We may not
like the charge. We may have occasion
TO find much fault with it. We may be
inclined to say that il is nobody 5 business
how spend my money. time or strenSth;
But ii Is. for we are becoming more anu
more conscious each day that no one
liycth To himself or dieth TO himself. we
are bound in the steel mesh of life and
circumstances. The rascaIiy manipulation
of some men in the steel trust common
in New York city made Itself felt IN sui
fering and loss in one OF my 1amiiIes III
Colorado. Failure in London. or PariS. or
Berlin would enter homes and hearts IN
81. Louis. And. of course. whatever IS OF
human interest and welfare mas effect
upon the church. Also what helps the wei
est to the church.
Well says Doctor Bliss. after quoting
Knowing AT the time that now IL Is tltne
to awake out of sleep, for now is our sal
walton nearer than when we believed. The
night Is far spent. the day Is at hand' let
us therefore cast off the Norks OF darn,
ness and let us put ON the arnor OF nsn,
So to-day he says: 1t is time that the
church of God awake to social action.
Economic questions are moral question:
indeed. in the deepest ANALYSIS, are r"lis-
ious questions. Millions OF people In the
United States are crying out to-day for a
change. They are seeking Tor brOther-
hood. for cooperation. for solution
based not upon self-SeekinS. but upon sell
sacrifice. They desire to realize in daily
life the principles of the Golden Rule. Is
this the cry TO which the church of Christ
and those that follow him without the
church shall give no heed? The
in "a large part driven to it by
distress. The result is that many young
men and women are coming TO lose
faith in God, the church and goodness
Young men sneer at faith and young wom-
en- grow skeptical of virtue. In some OF
our cities 1900 young women are upon the
street. Is not this question moral one
We may think Doctor Bliss paints a dark
picture. Possibly he has been where he
sees dark colors used and he would have
us see also. Serious. however. is the con-
dition. Great are the problems pressing
And if the church is to hold her power
and influence. she must arouse herself. as
she is doing. toward the meeting of these
problems and the rescue OF our youth
Go into our saloons and YOU will find nlu-
sic and pictures to attract. Money is
poured out without stint. But our churches
are certainly too hesitant and sometimes
too conservative when 1T comes L, the
giving of money tc save men and boys.
Thousands of dollars are paid unhesitat,
ingly and willingly by the force of evil
where hundreds are given too reluctantly
sometimes by the church.
''rhe power and position OF the churcn
is weakened because some churchreH.
though they are in the great minority,
take positions either i'll open or silent IA
vor of those things which are opposed to
the church. The church needs to have
clean life. A clean position must be tax
en-. such a church as old Trinity in Ne"
York City has had in times past her po-
sition weakened because some OF her IN
vestments were not to her liking. Proper
tv that ta0 been let for long lease was
sublet and Trinity had no recourse. New
ertheless her influence was weakened
..In one word, II the church Is to have
the greatest power. her practice must
square with her profession. Need ] cite
yeu by way of Illustration the changed
views that have obtained i'll the last two
that have appeared over tie pen of ida ;
N. Tarbell regarding the Stancnrd OH
and John d. Rockefeller?
''All these questions are OF vitaI inter
est to the church. She must concern her
self with them. and what shall be ner
shirt in them? The spirit of love and
service. as indicated in an incident In the
life of the late Mrs. Booth when in the
city of Paris-and l think it was one Of
the most beautiful incidents in the HE
of that Christian woman.when she was
holding a service for the demimonose. Her
remarks had not taken effect as she
would have had them. Leaving the plat
form. she went to sit down beside young
woman. and, putting her arms around her
and pressing her lips to the woman's
check. she said. I wish l could love you
into the kingdom OF God And ID she ne did did
This must be the position of the cnurch
reparfiinr all these situations. In the love
of her Master she must win them for