Arizona republican., 1904-01-09
The World Growing Better.

by the Philadelphia Press to numb 'r of noted cIergyIhen and profezso-s sub
 stantially embodying the inquiry: Does the new year find the world growing . better" The questions specifically were as foIIows:
 I. Is familiarity with the Bible and reye.6nce for it's teachlPgs diminishing . or. increasing on the part of the paop-e generally?
 2. Is religion today given as import ant @ place in the lives of men and SO l.. men as formerl92
 . 3. Have the moral stand ards of the business community detc io-atedP Do 7 Christian nthics' govern the commercial world Of today?
 Among those who responded wese Rev. pr. Frank w. Gunsaulus. Rev. pr. Josiah strong. Samuel A. Eliot president Of the American Unitarian as ssciation: Rev. Jesse Lyman HuIlburt Of the Methodist EpiscoTsi church: Henry Collin Min;on. Presbyterian. and ". II. P. Faunce; president o6 Brown University.
 The replies generally. with many qualifications. are encouraging. ''Tha world is growing better" says pr. Cuff gaulus. "slowIy but surely" He de clares that ca deeper and more prom iging familiarity with the Bible is characteristic Of ChTistcndom today" Dr. Suong says that the Bible is be ing etudied by many much more intel gently and ploHtably than ever be- ore. but he thinks that generally the C .is lees reverence for it than formerly He believes that the good people in the world are better and the bad people ar' vo=se than they used 10 be.
 Presldent Faunce. of Brown Univer- sity. thinks there is less familiarity with the phrazeology and imagery of the Rible than formerly. but he thinks the moral standard Of the bus-ne-s wofId is higher thdn ever before in hU- maa history. The advance. morally and religiously in the past seventy-flve years, he says. has been encrmous Samuel A.. Eliot. of the American Uni taridn association. does not think di- unfinished reverence for the Bible any sign Cf moral degencrati0n. He thiEAs the standards or business life are higtl
 CT than they have ever besn saa that the world is esnphltically iHarFgyars.
 Rev. Jesse Lyman Hur.burt, astfEasa- lgt. says that while the Bible may Go4 be read in families and schools as mlpcb, as formerly. 1t has SIS great power ia the world al formerly. Fourteen TiIl- ions of people are studying it every week in the sunday schools. Ten mfg ion copies of the Bible are printed and circulated. every year The world E growing better and the standards of business life are higher than ever.
 Shale1 sMathevs. Of the Chicago .Di- vinIty school. says me study Of the Bl- blc "is increasing very ra-idy:" church membership has Increased more rapidly than the population, and :therH probably never was a time in the Unit i ed States when religion was as nIurh in evidence as today"
 Other replies are Of the same char actef as the above. Not one of them says that thc world on the whole. iS growing worse. though some of tlSe . writers specify. conditions which aIe not as favorable as formerly. Those of | the. correspondents who are In touch with the extraordinary Sunday scSooI and Young Peoples Christian move ments of our time have a more accur- ate understanding Of the prevalence Of Bible study than have those who are not di-e,tIy coucerUed or sympathetc c'l with those movements. Millions or persons connected with the churches and sunday schools began. on Sunday. January 9. a series Of lessons on the life Of Christ under th. International sys- tenn. Until a few years ago. nothing like this concerted action had ever been kUown in the study Of the Bible.
 As for the moral standards Of the business world. no one who considers the enormous commerciaI-and financial transactions carried on among business l meh and GuanciQrs.. largely dependent sUlaiy. uron Iha personal honor and trustWorthinesi gf those who engage in | thom. can doubt that a high degree o( | integrity does hbi must prevail in tAe busigFs ie6rlh Otnsryyise iarzc Pe,- -ceutaEr Of these transactions would be l imoossibIc.
 wide. enlightened. rational outlook 1 upos the world win leave no doubt fa l the mind. of one capable eof taking it that the general trend is upward eqid onward. There a=e large spots on the | sin, but .on tho whole it is a ptegty l