Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-03-01
EVENING Session,

inc evening session opened at The
Baptist church at 80 o'clock with {
large attendance Of preachers an(
members of the various churches inter.
ested in the broader lines of church
work which were there discussed. Pres.
idelt Hyde Of Howdoin College was the
first speaker and occupied tho platform
for about 20 minutes, speaking very
fcrcibly on the subject. "What Shall
the Church Do to Be Saved?" He said
in part:
There are today just two things
which either the Individual or the
church must DO to be saved. These ar
illustrated by the teachings of Christ
of the love of God and the love of the
noighbor 8 The churches which
have these two qualities and effective
~ iinpart them will live and deserve
to live. All churches which lack these
qualities and permit their members t.
lack them are doomed to die and the
sooner death Overtakes them the bet
ter for all concerned.
"Now whichever church has these
two essentials. a concentrated obedi-
ence to this one great good will, su
that ali phases and functions of his
life are unified, purified and exalted by
that single central reference and work
out that to its inevitable logical con-
sequence in a spirit of democracy 50
that the lowest life which he touches
is as sacred as the highest--the church
that has these things deserves to be
called Christian. The Christian minis
try will be strong and influential or
and 1cCnicnI
essentials are kept in the foreground
Of relcg2ted to the rear.
''Thc best men are not enterine- the
ministry now as they once did. 1t is
rare that this profession secures as
much as > per cent. of the ability Of
the college graduates of the year The
very same conservation to the largest
service of God which once led them in
10 the ministry, now sends them into
some other kindred calling. They do
not recognize the claim as one of an
ethical nature and social responsible
ity and therefore pass it by
The lack of these essentials deter
mines whether the missionary activity
Of the church is heaIthful or otherwise.
When these essentials are kept in the
'h'H7 i'uilu' itiSSlpfS are an attempt
10 rescue the heather from punishment
after death and the heather are pre-
supposed to be obliged to accept our
enlightened ways of looking at religion
Ihal ldea of missions is completely
played out. Our Wisest missionaries
lurtnerm"re, tell us that the forcing of
our views in this direction is not and
never can meet with success. Even if
IL were successful, it would be calam-
'iF ana these weak-minded peoples to
mus receive their religion secondhand
from outside sources. Much that is
worthless as Well az much that is val
liable mas been added to our Christian
ity.
such peoples when Christianity has
been grated onto their existing reIig-
ious conceptions will take what is prof
liable for them and what seems reason
aple TO them and leave untouched
MANY untenable doctrines which have
no place in uplifting the classes for
Whlch they We're not originally taught.
we may expect them as one of the
fruits Of our missions in the East. a
christianity OF such reasonableness and
spirituality as will help us to free from
ourselves morbid emotions, artificial
dhEieties which long usage has fasten-
co upon our Western Christianity
Professor Hyde then went on to IL
iustrate the conditions when two es-
sehtiais came to the front in the gener-