The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-19
Tuesday, November 1e, 1907.
DR. SMITHS COUNSEL.

If the mature counsel of the Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth of the historic Center church on the New Haven Green is followed, new policy will intimately be introduced into the re- i,e,ous life of the city Perhaps we ought not to say new policy, as that is scarcely accurate. It would be oet- fer to say that he aims evidently for the revival of policy which once im- posed upon the church the obligation of seeking the welfare of the people by constantly and consistently taking the church and its powers for good to The people rather than waiting for the people to come to 1t. This has long been the secret solution of laymen who have only held their tongues lest their belief should be subjected to suspicious scrutiny. Now that a divine of Dr. Smyth's influence has openly advocated the same idea laymen Will feel more at liberty to consider it se- riously.
 If 1t may be said that Dr. Snlyth's plan lacks definiteness of expression 1t may fairly, we think, be attributed to a desire on his part to have the younger men of his congregation work out the details It is apparently enough for him under all the circumstances to state in a general way what the weak nesses are of the existing organization of the church. Nine times out of ten the recognition of a structural weak ness represents more than half the battle for new ideas and an improved organization. For one thing, Dr. Smyth is eyerlastingly right when he warns the members of Center church that s'nothing could be more fatuous for this church than to search for pas- tor in forlorn hope that somewhere some nfan may be discovered who pos- sibIy may fill impossible expectations" We take these words to mean that a hunt for a man of brilliant powers, for example, or one of high emotional traits might possibly result in the dis covery of such man, but the achieve ment would signify nothing from the Fundamental purpose of the church so- ciety To use another expression of Dr. Smyth's: "The working position should be made for the man before the man should be called to the work. 7 The church organization which he has in mind is Ia varied, thoroughly sup. ported and endowed institute and min istry of religion--not for a limited number of native born New England families only, but for all classes and conditions of people, and in all Ian guages now spoken in New Haven It would be difficult to more politely indicate the character of the task which is to be set the representative: of the church who are to do the re organizing.
 In spirit pr. Smyth's counsel har rnonizes with that given by the Rev pr. E. P. Parker of Hartford, who ad vocates the rechristening of the churcl he has presided over for so man years in order that name may b ', ;oI, eho1 tp1 1foot ta 1an IVc tian character of the church and it desire to emphasize Christian fello V ship more than theological difference of judgment If Dr. Smyth goes on step farther, as he appears to do an advocates the possible merger of dow town churches which have sim
 problems to face," and the establish ment of great consolidated church i their place. it may perhaps be explain ed on the ground that he too has com to realize the duplication of churc machinery in the center of the eli and the consequent loss of spirituI | leadership where it is most neeGe One has but to count on the fingers ones two hands the number of Pro estant churches which are masse within the territory covered by u original nine squares of the city to st what the problem is which logical perplexes the soul of Dr Smyt Should the public school policy of u city, for example, follow a like pls of distribution it is easy to see wh v the consequences would be- The chi dren most needing to be brought und the disciplinary and educational i fluences of the schools would be hop lessly on the outskirt of things al would grow up in their own indepen ent and demoralizing way The or Justification there could be for a sii liar concentration of factories in a gi en district would be the demonstrat supremacy of the law of supply a
 demand So that when Dr, Smyth seel