The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-09-11

President Discusses Practical
Christianity at Oyster Bay.
Tells CIergyrnen and Laylnen BE
Regards Belief as an Essential
Part Of Good Citizenship.

Oyster Bay, N. President
Roosevelt participated in the two
hundredth anniversary celebration Of
Christ Episcopal Church, which he
attends during his summer stay at
Oyster Bay.
The keynote of the Presidents
speech. which occupied half an hour,
and concluded series OF four adj
Crosses, was that the wealth Of the
nation must not be disregarded, but
looked upon as the basis for spirit
ual development, clean living and
civic virtues.
The celebration was held in the
church edifice, which bears the date
1908 on its cornerstone Admission
was by card and limited to the
church membership and the clergy.
1t was followed by a collation. in the
parish hall, of which the President
partook. and where he chatted freely
with the visiting clergy and church
members.
The speakers preceding the Presi-
dent, and to whom he made frequent
reference, were the Rev. H. H Wash
burn, pastor of the church. who save
a historical sketch of the organiza-
tion; the Right Rev. Frederick Bur-
CESS, DID,, Bishop of Long Island,
who predicted one church for future
generations in America, and that the
Episcopal; the Rev w. Montague
Geer, Of Manhattan; the Rev. George
z Vandewater, of Manhattan
The President said in part:
II cannot understand any Ameri-
can citizen, who has the faintest feel
Ing OF patriotism and devotion to his
country, failing to appreciate the abb
/ solute essential need of religion in its
broadcast sense to the welfare of this
| country.
IF it were NOT that in our villages
and towns as they have grown up the
churches have grown in them, sym
boiling the fact that there were
among their foremost workers men
| whose work was not for the things Of
he body. but for the things Of the
| soul, this would not be nation to-
lay, because this country would not
| De an abode fit for civilized men.
1t is the conduct of the average
Christian, not on Sunday. but on
week days; not in the church alone.
but in his family and in his relations
TO his neighbor and to the State, that
will more than anything else deter
mine in the eyes OF the general PUB
lie the worth of the creed that man
processes. If a man treats going to
church or mere devotion in word to
dis creed or to the outward forms of
| his creed not as an incentive to de-
cent action, but as a substitute for de-
cent action, he is in very truth an
enemy to the creed he processes; he
Is drawback and not help to the
| church.
Whcnever we read in the news
papers that some man, esteemed to
be pillar of the church, has been
guilty of business dishonesty, or poll
.ical dishonesty, of offences against
The moral law In any shape or way.
Ill who are members of the churches
should feel a far greater disappoint-
ment, should feel a greater regret by
Jar than those who are not.
The nominal Christian the man
who has attended to all the outward
5bservances of Christianity, with no
matter what scrupulons care, who
nevertheless embezzles trust funds,
who is disgrace in business. in poll
tics, or in home life. has sinned
against the light, and is more, not
less, blameworthy than II he had
never made profession of belief.
Each of us, layman and clergyman
alike, must strive in our actual con-
duct day by day with the people
among whom we live to make them
understand that what we expect from
Christian folk if they are sincere
In their devotion to Christianity, is
the highest standard of conduct
All men in public life come in
contact with much that is base. with
much that is venal or cowardiy, or
dishonest, and If they have in their
hearts any appreciation Of what is
really not necessary to true national
greatness they must feel the need of
every force for good in this country
being multiplied and strengthened to
The utmost possible extent, We cam
not continue as Republic, we can
not rise to any true level of great
ness. unless that greatness is based
upon and conditioned by high and
brave type CT spiritual life.
Men of wealth generally are not
harm but good to the community,
IL they appreciate that they are trns-
tees for that wealth, that the use of
1t must also be a use which tells for
decency in private life, for honesty
and courage in business and in public
life No man Is going to be of any
real use to others until first OF all he
Is able to carry his own weight, and
If man entirely disregards the
things of the body it means that Gcme
1ne else has to regard them for
him.
He cannot be factor for good in
che community at large unless he is
first able to support himself and those
dependent upon him That is a
fundamental. a basic duty for every
man, and il he does not fulfil 1t he Is
not only doing wrong to those who
are near him. but he is depriving HIM
self Of the chance to do decent work
for outsiders. So we need material
we'll being in this nation as a founda-
zion without which no superstructure
can be raised