The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-05-01

Annual Address TO Sons Of st. George
Last Evening-Duty of the Christian
to Face the Problem of the Cities
Our Savior's Attitude Towards Je-
rusaIem-Need of Stronger Sense of
Duty To-day.
The annual custom of the two New
Haven lodges, Red Cross and William
E. Gladstone, of the Sons of st. George,
of attending worship at st. Paul's
church in a body on a certain Sunday
evening in the year was observed last
evening when a large delegation from
the two lodges gathered for the service
at that church. The rector, Rev. Mr..
Perry. who was to have delivered the
address at the evening service an
nounced in the morning that he had
been able to arrange to have the Ri.
Rev. william Lawrence, D. D., LII. D.,
bishop of the diocese of Massachusetts,,
deliver the address at the evening SER
vice. Bishop Lawrence was in this city
yesterday as the preacher at Battell
chapel Bishop Lawrence is the bishop
VI Tie uIuGCSC HI Which, IeCNs NIL SL
rvs former church is located, and so
he was Rev. Mr.. Perry's bishop for
many years.
Bishop Lawrence prefaced his sermon
by congratulating st. Pauls upon bav-
ing called Rev. Mr.. Perry, whom he
! has known for many years and whom
he said he was sure would win the
! hearts of his parishioners as Bishop
Lines had done.
The bishops subject was the attitude
of the Christian toward the problem of
the cities. He said in resume:
! If anyone should ask what the most
! important problem of the present day is
! he would undoubtedly receive many an
/ swers, but one of the chief problems at
| least is that os the cities, What shall
be the attitude OF the Christian towards
| the city? We should take as our ex-
ample the attitude of Christ towards
the cities.
/ Wien Christ's disciples questioned
| Him as to who He was and He answer
ed, Who do men say that ! am2 st,
Peter, although unto no man had Christ
! been revealed, recognized His identity.
! A4NNtNANJ
had been disclosed by one person, felt
| that it was His duty to face the city
problem He turned His face to Jerusa-
lem Cor He felt that His first and last
| duty was to Jerusalem. There in this
| sacred city of the Hebrews were many
problems to face. There was CONNER
I cialism in the temple itself, bigotry in
religion, the legal system was suporn-
| ed and unjust, the governor a coward,
! Herod worldly, cynical and sensual. So
| He set His face towards Jerusalem.
There Is a temptation to many of us
to-day to turn our faces from the prob
lem, to overlook the city, to evade the
responsibility. n We erect a wall Of in
difference, of distrust, OF questioning
and grumbling. The first duty of the
Christian is to recognize that the city
is there and to set his face towards its
problems.
Christ was tempted to turn aside. 1t
was not what He wished to do 1t was
what He must do. II must walk to-day
for 1t cannot be that a prophet perish
out Of Jerusalem 1t was His sense Of
duty. Not what He wished to do but
what He felt was His duty to do.
This sense of duty is at the bottom of
the character OF the Anglo-Saxon race.
Nelson before the battle of Trafalgar
knew when he hoisted the flag that said
England expects every man to do his
duty that he was appealing to, an in
stinct inherent in every Englishman
from generations of obedience. 1t was
also the characteristic of the Puritan,
But to-day we are not Puritans, We
want things easier, lighter, freer. But
while we may drop some Of the GRIM
ness. as we ought to do, the need of
the present day is a stronger sense of
duty. sense of doing what we ought to
do, not what we want to do We ought
| to take life as it Is here and now, ito
| do our duty in that state of life to
which it has pleased God to call us,
| The attitude of the Christian towards
the city should be that of chivai, &c
confidence that when he faces the city
he is able to do something for the city
1 EVERY leader takes up his work. with
tjthis spirit of confidence. The cities to-
| day are full of protest. No man will
every accomplish anything who has not
| got the stuff in him to say that when he
| undertakes anything he can achieve it..
No one ever did any good thing for the
| city that he didn't in some way suf-
| fer for it. He must carry his cross.
But it is the finest thing in the world
| to do, and he is glad to do it.
It is by blood and sweat and death
that the uplifting of the cities is accom-
| plished. Cities are built by blood and
sweat and death. English civilization
is built on the sacrifices Of thousands
and tens of thousands. The message of
! Christ to Christians to-day is to face
/ the problem of the cities, to face 1t
with confidence and with willingness.