Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-07
RI. REV. HENRY Y. sATTERLEE,

| Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Il have no hesitation whatever in an
! swering your two questions, and in saying
| first. that by far the most important reli-
| gious movement. in my mind, during the
| year 1904 is the great increase of the mis-
sionary work of all Christian bodies. not
only at home, but especially in foreign
| lands. One of the StrangeSt paradoXeS of
| modern times is this:
| While on the one hand thousands of in
| telligent and Thoughtful observers at home
! honestly suppose that unbelief is on the
| increase. and that the Christian religion
| cannot hold its own unless it greatly mod
| ifies its creed that Christ is the only be-
| gotten son of God; on the other hand. the
! missionary work of all Christian bodies all
| over the world is being advanced with the
| greatest zeal and activity.
| Looking back to the past we find no
| counterpart of this amazing missionary en-
| ergy, self-sacrifice and enthusiasm in any
| of the eighteen bygone centuries, until we
| come to the apostolic age itself and New
| Testament days.
'At first was disposed to think that the
| anti-clerical movement in France was per-
| haps the greatest religious event. with the
most far-reaching results of the year 1904.
| but, as matter of fact, this fades into in
significance beside the one that l have men,
toned.
when we think of the unnumbered thou
sands of missionaries now laboring over the
world, many of them facing the perils of
martyrdom itself: of the increased knewl-
| edge regarding missions which has created
| an ever-developing enthusiasm, and of the
| millions OF dollars contributed toward the
| cause during the last year for the mission
airy cause "a larger sum than ever before).
| there is no question that this is religious
| movement which takes precedence over all
| others
| In answer to your second question. I am
| convinced that the one thing best worth
| striving for during 1905 by WASHINGTON
| Christians as d body will be the protection
| of the Christian home, with it's religious in
| fuences, against all the evils that are now
| assatling it from every side.
| The family, not the individual is the
| unit of civilization, and the only form OF
| divine government that has come down to
| u.s. TIE great structure of Anglo Saxon
civilization has had for it's corner stone the
| CHRISTIAN nome, and to our American fore
| fathers before and after the days of the
| revolution home was distinctively Anglo
| saxon word, expressing a distinctly Anglo
| saxon influence 1t was to them the dear
| est word. with the most powerful of all
| earthly associations in human language
| Since that day Home, Sweet Home.
| has become the language of cant, and then
| or unhealthy. Home life has lost in thaca
days its old-time power.
| AS we nave Just said. most of the evils
| or our so-cailed growing civilization he
| ginning with the alarming increase of di
torce, ana extending all the way down to
| the amusements and d'''ersons which in
| TINS day scatter the children of family
| from ire old treside. are concentra ting
| themselves against the Christian home
| "A great deal has been said in the po st
| rev months, regarding the Simple life.
| While all acknowledge that this is the high
| est ideal, lew realize that in these days it
| Is the very hardest to attain
| simplicity is the most difficult of all vir-
| tues ana The only consenial atmosphere in
| winch IL can grow is that of the Christian
| nome. where home affection is the supreme
| attraction. where home amusements keen
| the family together. where daily famiIv
| PRAYERS hold up the high ideals of the New
les testament constantly before every men,
oer Oh me household and where the father
| of the family, instead of being asbamad
OF the gospel of Christ. as If it were n
| weak thing, feels the responsibility of acting
as priest In his own househId
| lf our Washington Christians should
| unite together in a supreme effort to hrir,r
D;,Sn u .ins generation the power the sim
| plicity and the beauty of the home life Of
| our forefathers. they will be doing moro
not only for God and His church, but for
| the welfare of the country. than MANY of
| them conceive" VI