Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-01-24

present life under the great weight Of
the infinite 1t makes the poor fee
rich, and gives to the unfortunate a
sense of heirship to the Almighty. i.
makes the rich feel sense of grave
responsibility and trusteeship.
Now, it is not needful for this dis.
cussion to consider whether such a
faith is reasonable or not. The Wall
Street Journal has no concerns in
Theological discussions. 1t takes no
part for or against any creed, but it is
Intensely interested in the economic
and political effects of any change in
the thought, the habits and the lives
of men. If there has been a marked
decline in religious faith. that fact
must be of profound, far-reacning sig.
lnificance. IL alters the basic condi-
tons of civilization. 1t becomes a fac
tor in the markets. 1t changes the
standards and affects the values of
things that are bought and sold. II
concerns the immediate interests OF
those who never had such faith al
most as much as it does the lives of
those who have had the faith and lost
it.
The question, therefore, is of prac.
tical, immediate and tremendous i'm.
portance to Wall Street quite as mu N
as any other. part of the world, has
there been decline in the faith in the
md CO 10 hat Il.
this responsible for the special phe-
lnomena of our time, the eager pursuit
OF sudden wealth, the shameless lux
ury and display, the gross and corrupt
ing extravaganza, the misuse of
Iswollen fortunes" the indifference TO
law, the growth of graft, the abuses OF
great corporate power, the social I'M
ret, the spread of demagogy, the adj
vances of socialism, the appeals to bit
ter class hatred? To find out what
connection exists between a decad-
ence in religious faith and the social
unrest of our time, due, on one side,
to oppressive use of financial power,
and on the other, to class agitation
might we'll be worth an investigation
lby a commission of Government ex-
perts, il it were possible for the Gov
eminent to enter into such an under
taking.
Whatever may be mans own per-
sonal beliefs, there is no one who
would not prefer to do business with a
person who really believes in future
life. If there are fewer men of such
faith in the world, it makes a big diff
ference, and If faith is to continue to
decline, this will require new adjust
ments. There are certainly, on the
surface, many signs of such a declin /.
Perhaps, if it We're possible to probe
deeply into the subject, 1t might be
found that faith still abounded, but is
no longer expressed in the old way.
But we are obliged to accept the sur
face indications. These include a fall.
ing off in church attendance, the aban.
donment Of family Worship, the Civ.
ing over of Sunday, more and more
to pleasure and labor, the separation
of religious from seculay education
under the stern demands Of non-sec
tarianism, the growing up of a genera
ton unirstructed as our fathers were
in the study Of the Bible, the secular
ization Of portion Of the Church It
self, and its inability In a large way
to gain the confidence OF the laboring
people. II these are really signs of a
decay OF religious faith, then indeel
there is no more important problem
before us than that of either discover.
ing some adequate substitute for faith
or to take immediate steps to check a
development that has within 1t the
seeds of national disaster.