The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1905-02-02
A SUNDAY ADDRESS
President Roosevelt Aade a Sensible
and Interesting Tx TO Lutheraus
SPEAKS AT CHURCH DEDICATION
mr r F1oseveIt Declares That the Iutb.
<ran Church in the United States
IS Already of Great Power and 10
Destined to be One of the Two or
Three Greatest National Churches.

Washington, Special - President
Roosevelt delivered an address Sun
d2y at the re-dcdication Of the Luther
Place Memorial church, which was Sc
fioHSIy damaged by fire just one year
ago sunday night while a sociabIe
z.'cn in honor Of the 18th birthday
anniversary Of the pastor, the Rev.
jlr J. &. Butler, was in progress. The
church has been entirely restored and
"4s occupied for the first time since
'hr fire Sunday. The President spoke
IN part Is follows:
From the standpoint from which |
am obliged so continually to look at
matters. there is a peculiar function
- De play cd by the great Lutheran
Church N the United States of Amer
i"a. fhis is u Church which ha.. its
rise - power in. and until IL emf
rated to this side of the water. had
always had its fullest development in,
tho two great races in northern and
northern middle Eurcpe-the German
and the Scandinavian. The prime duty
IL those already in the land is to see
that their own progress and devclop-
.I"nt are shared b. newcomers from
across the sea. 1t is a Serious and
dangerous thing for any man to tear
loose from the soil, IL which he and
his iOrhCarS have taken root and to be
N
receive all possible aid in that new
land; and the aid can be rendered
MN most effectively by those who can
appeal to him on the ground of spiri-
fnai kinship. Therefore the Lutheran
'hUrch can DO most in helping up
wards and OHwaryis so many CT the
newcomers to cur shores; and it seems
II nc that il should be the duty of this
tnurch TO see that the immigrants, and
spec ally the einigrants Of Lutheran
Iaif.I from the old world, NAV be not
;F-fered to drift off with no friendly
hand to him out Of the Church com
munlOn. The Lutheran Church in this
country Is Of very great power now,
numerically and through the intelli-
Sence and thrift of its members, but it
W. grow steadily to even greater
power 1t is destined to be one of two
or three greatest and most important
national Churches in the United
states; one of the two or three church
es most distinctively American, most
diSunctiVeiy among the forces that
are to tell for making this great
country even greater in the future
lhcfeIpfe peculiar load CT RESPONSE
ho har Of
Church.
1T is an important thing for the
people of this nation to remember their
right. but it is an even more import
ant thing for them to remember their
dhueS. In the last analysis the work
- statesmen and soldiers, the work of
oe public man shall go for nothing
Il II Is not based upon the spirit of
christianity working in the millions of
nohieS throughout this country. so
'hat theTe may be that social, that
spiritual that moral foundation, with
"aL winch no country can ever rise to
permanent greatness. Fer material
"ell-being, material prosperity, success
III arts, in letters, great industrial tri-
uihphS, all Of them and all of the
structure raised thereon will be as
e'dheScCnt as a dream. if it does not
rest on the righteousness that exalteth
ration
Let me congratulate you, and con-
graduate all Of us, that we live in a
iah0 and at a time when we accept
st as natural that there should be an
nlef-denominetional service of thanks
6lElnS, such ceremony as is to take
pace this afternoon, in which the
pastors OF other churches join to con-
sratulate themselves and you upon Tho
rebuilding Of this church. The forces
ci evil are strong and mighty in this
century and in this country, as they
are in other countries. as they have
0een in all the past centuries; and
the people who sincerely wish to do
lEe Lords work will find ample op-
portunity for eli their labor In fight
ing the common enemy and in assum-
Ing toward their fellows of a different
concession an attitude Of generous
rivalry in the effort to see how the
most good can be done to our people
sS a whole