The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-09
A Movement to Arrest Inndelity.

DR.. BRIGGS that the Pope, by making
JESUS CHRIST the center and handspring
of REFORM" is leading the way to the
greatest revival and reformation known
to history and that the Protestant
Churches will have to bestir themselves
to keep pace with IT. Already there is
such bestirring. A methodical move
ment to arouse a religious revival Is In
progress in many Protestant directions.
Our correspondent at Schenectady has
kept us advised Of the profound revival
spirit awakened In that bustllng and
thriving town, and the leaders IN the
awakening have come to New York to
stir up like enthusiasm here. An e1-
traordinary religious awakening has
spread over Wales, and dignitaries OF the
Anglican Church are seeking to arouse
the same spirit In England. The Arch
bishop OF Canterbury called on the faith
full for united prayer at Whitsuntide
with a view to strengthening the hold OF
the people upon the deeper realities OF
our faith; that COP the Holy Spirit
may indeed make the fire Of loyal devo-
ton glow in us with fresh intensity
This appeal was induced by the alarm
OF the believing clergy at the spread OF
infldelity or, at least, utter indifference
to religion. For example, writer IN the
National Reriew contends that religious
faith Is now in more danger than ever
before. Religion, he says, "for a very
large number, and those In stations OF
influence, is no longer on trial-it has
ceased to exist Even among the clergy
themselves, as he points out. paralyzing
doubt prevails. They have too often
opened the gates which they were sworn
to defend and are letting in the enemy
Schools of theology have become sub
versive critics of the very fundamentals
of the Christian faith. The Bishop OF
Ripon, accordingly, calls for an educa-
ton Of the clergyman, intellectual and
spiritual" which will enable him by
recognizing the ethical bases OF religious
belief ito measure life by the standard
of eternal values.
At Baltimore there. assembled on
Wednesday eight thousand delegates
to the twenty-second International
Christian Endeavor Convention. This is
a Protestant organization Of young peo-
pie for the stimulation Of religious inter-
est, and the total membership in its nearly
seventy thousand subordinate societies
throughout the world is now nearly four
millions. President ROOSEVELT sent a
word of greeting" to the convention. The
Governor OF Maryland welcomed such
splendid soldiers Of the Cross" In the
evening twenty thousand persons gath
cred in Armory Hall to hear the Inter
national Festival Of Praise rendered
under the direction Of the Rev. CAREY
BONNER of London, and the bowling Of
twenty Thousand heads in prayer, pre-
coded by momentary utter silence, was
wonderfully impressive
Meantime the indifference to religion
among the upper classes Of England, as
described by the writer in the National
Remeu, has it's striking counterpart in
this country. About two-thirds OF the
people of New York are outside Of Chris
tian communions. The Jews Of the
town are in number nearly three times as
many as the Protestant communicates.
By almost every post we receive letters
critical of fundamental Christian dogmas
written by men and women OF a strictly
religious rearing. Theologians contrib
ute to nominally orthodox reviews crit
icsms destructive of the historical valid
ity of miracles on which the Christian
religion is based
At such a time as this in both Catholi-
cism and Professionalism there comes the
recognition of the fact that the spirit OF
religious faith must be revived and in
tensified or it will cease to exist"