The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-18
NOT ROCKEFELLER'S CHURCH
pR. AKED MAKES THIS PLAIN ON
 HIS ARRIVAL.


 clares It Unfair to Have the oil Mag
 mates Name Associated With the In-
 stitution All the Tsme--Not a Mill
 liOnaires' Church, Either-Wants the
 Shop Girl and the WOrkingman-
 His Ministry One of Reconciliation.
 NOt ExcIusIveness.
 New York, April 17--'I want the shop girl and the workingman to come to the Fifth Avenue Baptist church. They will be welcome. It is not mil lionaires church.
 ''I expect to have a strangely mixed crowd there next Sunday, because l gineers and kitchen helpers of this ship, and they will come.
 "A man must have fighting blood in him to stand for peace. War is a sur vival of the unfttest, not the fittest. We do not want bIawny, brutal, heartless race of giants. We want to save the weak.
 '7Ar. Rockefeller is not officially con- nected with the Fifth Avenue church It isn't fair to the church to have MT. Rockefeller's name associated with it all the time. It Is powerful church without Mir Rockefeller.
 My mission here is the ministry of reconciliation, not eXclusiveness.'
 In such vigorous phrases the Rev. Dr. Charles Frederic Aked the new preacher of the Fifth Avenue Baptist church, introduced himself to-day to the reporters who went down the bay to meet him. pr. and Mrs. Aked ar rived on the steamer Carmania, the former having two mo-ths ago ralin- quished his charge of Pembroke chap el of Liverpoors most famous church, of which he was pastor over sixteen years
 Dr. Aked has many points of like ness to President Roosevelt. He show ed the latter's strenuousity ih hls at tack upon vice in Liverpool, closing Up 800 disreputable houses in few weeks He has been referred to as the fight ing parson," but he denied to-day that he knew anything about boxing, and among the first things that he said was to disagree with President Roosevelt that big batleships and huge armies guaranteed peace. He referred to that opinion as "the silliest kind If non~ serse."
 After stating that this was his thir- teenth trip across the ocean, and the luckiest of the lot because tine weather was exceptionally fine throughout, Dr.. Aked settled himself to talk to the newspaper men.
 Tt has been stated that Mir. Rocke- feller induced you to come here and preach. Is that true?"
 Tt is not so There is nothing to that. It is not fa.r to the church to keep MT. Rcckefellers name constantly attached to it and my coming. He is not official lv connected with the church, and it is a powerful church without MT. Rocke- feller. He is a seatholder there, but a member of a church in Cleveland, Young MT. Rockefeller is a member of the church and trustee and leader of a Bible class
 "It is stated that you have come over here to break down what is called the materialism in America"
 Those are not my words. I have come here to preach the gospel, the gos- De! of the spirit of Christ, and if that is the breaking down of the spirit of materialism, that is my mission. l want to make congregation here like the one i had in Loverpool That was a cosmopolitan congregation It was what I called a Noah's ark of spiritual humanity It was a strangely mixed crowd, a constituency, not 9 parish. My mission is the ministry of reconciliation I want to show that every class meets on even ground; that there is no gospel ranks in religion; thar everybody is welcome and that there is no wealth or social front or class in the Fifth avenue church.
 Would you welcome a laborins man to your church as cordially as you would a millionaire?"
 "Every bit I will greet him regard less of what he is or what he has. It makes no difference to me whether a girl is employed in a shop or not em- pIoyed at all. If the shop girls will come to the Fifth avenue church they will find themselves thoroughly at home there. and hey will discover hundreds of my parishioners to welcome them. We want no inequality and we will have none"
 "Were there any millionaire members of the Pembroke chapel?'
 "Millionaires don't grow as freely over there as on this side.
 Do you intend to make radical at- tack on vice here?"
 q come here with my mind absolute ly blank. I must learn the situation I must feel my way. It may take some considerable time
 "Do yo3 believe in Dr. Parkhurst's methods?'
 q met Dr. Parkhurst but once while here and I am not familiar with his work. I therefore cannot comment on it."
 "where did you get tho title of the lighting parson?"
 That's something I have to thank the newspapers for. lo not box and I never fought in my life excnpt once that I remember, and that was when a rrob attacked mo because of my pro Beer utterances, and I was compelled 10 fight because I dil not want to see nv wife trampled under foot. l think my fighting days are over