Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20
IN THE CHURCHES


are to be held every day during Lent in
Epiphany Church, on G street between 18th
| and 14th streets northwest, were inaugural
ed very successfully Wednesday. Bishop
Satterlee who was to open the meeting, was
not present on account of the death of his
son in South Carolina, and Rev. DR.. Ran
| dolph H. McKim conducted the services in
| his stead. The attendance was large, there
being as many ladies present as men. Yes
| terday and today well-attended meetings
were held, and every prospect appears to be
| bright for this new feature of Lent in
! Washington.
1t is planned to erect a new spire for the
| Luther Memorial Church, to replace that
recently destroyed by fire. 1t will be more
| handsome in design and of more durable
material than the other, as it is to be built
| of stone instead of wood and iron.
A number of the churches in this city will
| hold services tomorrow in celebration of
! Washingtons birthday anniversary. APP
| propriate sermons will be preached by the
pastors and most churches will have pa
triotic music The observance will in many
| cases extend to the Sunday schools, the
pupils of which will engage in exercises be-
fitting the occasion.
The work which the Rev Charles Stelzle
is doing under the Presbyterian board OF
home missions is ginning the attention and
support of churchmen and laboring men
throughout the country. Mrs Stelzle is try
ing to bring the church and workingman
into closer touch. At present he is ar
ranging to have the Central Labor Unions
in different cities invite the ministers as
sociations to send fraternal delegate to
the regular meetings of the central body
and vice versa. This delegate goes with
out assuming any of the vows of the labor
union and without the privilege of voting.
He has the privilege of the floor at all
times, however.
Mr.. Stelzle has been received in the most
friendly spirit in every city which he has
visited The Machinists' Union of DeS
MOines Iowa, recently made him full
f1edged member. He was in earlier life a
machinist in New York shop. On the
night of his admission into the Des Moines
union he improved the OCCASION on re-
quest of the members, to tell the story of
his own life as workingman and to give
many interesting facts as to the conditions
of labor in this country. So well liked was
the proposition to fraternize that official
steps were taken whereby there is an inter-
change of delegates between the Minis
terial Association and the Central Labor
Union.
union under Mr.. Stelzle's initiative. The
following invitation was sent out when he
reached that city:
Gentlemen of Labor Unions on the West
to come to the Westminster Presbyterian
Church, corner Greenwood avenue and Win
fired street, on Sunday evening, October
%, at 1880 O'Clock. to meet Charles Stelzie
of st. Louis, Mo. Mr.. StelZle is now trav-
cling over the country and seeking to bring
the church and the wage-earners to better
terms and better understandings Having
been a shopman himself. he is able to ap-
precate the shopman's view Of things bet
ter than many others, and is a strong, can
did speaker.
Every respectfully,
"W. r. KIRkWOOD,
Pastor Westminster Church"
Mr.. Stelzle added a personal invitation
at the assembly, which promptly accepted
it and Endorsed the meeting. When Sun
day evening came the church was filed
with workingmen, who paid close attention
to Mr.. StelZle's survey of The Relation
of the Church to the Labor Movement" On
this occasion the speaker said:
"It has been said that the church Is COM
posed of hard-hearted employers. Well,
there are 19,00O,000 members of Protestant
churches in tEis country and very large
number of Catholics don't know how
| many. These cannot all be members of the
employing class, and l tell you that the
churches are supported by Christian men
and women of small means. When some
very wealthy man gives $4,000 to church
or benevolent object the fact is printed
all over the country and thus people get
the impression that the churches are sup
ported by $4,000 donations. That is mis-
take, IL is the people OF lesser means VINO
keep up the churches. The hard-hearted
employers are some of them in the
churches, but they are there for the good
society that they find there. And they are
not in the church, but the parasites on the
church. 1t is to be hoped that they will get
some real benefit out of it,
During January Mr.. Stelzle visited Joliet
| ILL.,, among other cities, and arranged there,
as elsewhere, for the interchange of fra
| ternal delegates. He repeated the address
| from which an extract has been quoted to
an audience of the representative working
men. and at its close the union voted to
| fraternize with the local ministerial as
ISOLATION.
Mr.. Stelzle is circulating list of inouir-
! les, with authority from the home board
designed to elicit many facts relating to the
| life and social energy of the churches
These inquiries cover the organization of
| the church, it's equipment, the religious life
| of the community about it and the methods
| of work. Pastors. 1t is stated, will render
| valuable help to the intelligent handling of
social conditions by filling out these blanks
even though some labor is involved.
This movement has not yet reached
Washington IS to bring any definite re-
| suits. 1t is expected by those who will be
| benefited by it that the capital CITY will not
| be behind other cities in bringing the
| churches and labor unions together.