Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-01
NEGLECT OF THE BIBLE
Dr.. Kinks View of the Trouble
With This Nation.
POINTS OUT THE REMEDY
Addresses Annual Convention of
Sunday School Association.
CAUSE OF RELIGIOUS DECLINE
Sessions Begun Last Night in First
Congregational Church-Presi-
dent Millan's Report Good.
CAUSE OF RELIGIOUS DECLINE

With over 1000 delegates and visitors
vention Of the Sunday School Association
of the District Of Columbia began in the
First Congregational Church last night.
An address by Rev. Harris e. kirk.
pastor Of the Franklin Street Presby-
terrain Church, Baltimore, in which he de-
clared that the trouble with the nation
today Is not luxury. drunkenness or
greed, but ignorance Of Gods word. and
the annual report of the president. w. w.
MILAN. were the features Of the opening
session.
The annual session OF the District OF
Columbia Primary Union began this aft
ernoon at 2:3O O'Clock, with Mrs. Amy
May Gray. president, presiding. The pro-
gram includes addresses by Mrs. Mary
Foster Byrner. elementary secretary OF
the International Sunday School Associ-
alton; Mrs. Wilbur F. Crafts Mrs. Frank
Byram, e. Richmond and Mrs. Kate s.
OutWater.
The Matter With the Nation.
What's the Matter With the Nation?"
| was the subject Of DIR. Kinks address
last evening. an address which aroused
| tho enthusiasm Of the audience. Taking
az his text II Kings. kits, And Hikiah.
| the high priest, said unto Shaphan. the
| scribe, have found the book of the law
| in the house Of the Lord" he declared
| that the people of judah last the book be-
cause they had BECOME wicked, careless
and neglectful and had incorporated in
| religion everything new that came along.
| And want to emphasize two lessons
| to be drawn from this story. DR.. Kirk
said. First, religious decline in nation
| may be traced to ignorance of Gods
vival must begin with the discovery OF
| Gods word.
People are asking today. What is the
matter with the nation?' Foreigners
come to this land and see things on
Broadway which lead them to say that
luxury Is the evil: they go down on the
Bowery and see doings there that lead
! them to say that drunkenness is the trou-
BILE; they go into Wall street and they
say that money Is the root of the evil.
do not think any Of these is the primary
cause.
The greatest defect of the nation is
the disrespect for law and authority. our
rebellion against all forms Of authority,
secular or religious. and behind that dis
| respect for all law is the disrespect for
Gods law. The root of the difficulty IS
that we are ignorant Of God because we
are ignorant Of Gods Book.
Ignorance of the Bible.
Zone bad feature of our churches is
| the shameless ignorance of the Bible
among Christian people. They are
ashamed to be regarded as ignorant Of
Shakespeare or Milton. They praise the
Bible and talk about 1t and try to get
| their children to read 1t, but they don't
read 1t. That's the reason we are re-
garded as the most irreverent people on
earth.
I'VE will never have a revival in Amer
| lea until we rediscover Gods word. 1t
was the rediscovery Of Gods word by
| Martin Luther that developed the modern
| world with its faith in freedom.
| 1T is strange what comes out Of a
| reformation. We got our ideas Of free
dom and democracy. There is so much
democracy In our land that we think 1t
is wrong to teach anything that every
| one doesn't believe. And in some places
! the Bible has been taken from the public
schools because of our ideas OF democ-
racy Although this nation was Graded
in religion. yet God is forgotten today
For the sake Of an element of foreigners
| who think freedom IL license to make
! beasts of themselves. we have civiliza-
ton that has no recognition Of even the
After pointing out that the only way in
| which this nation Is In danger OF losing
the Bible Ia by neglecting 1t, DR.. Kirk
presented as the remedies for the nations
personal. profound persistent study Of
| the Bible.
Choir Of Sixty Voices.
Last nights session was opened with a
song service by a choir of sixty voices
under the direction Of George A. Provost.
with Mrs. Grace D. Jackson as organist
and Mrs. ". ". Gilbert as pianist. After
the convention had been called to order
by President MILAN, Rev. DR.. s. H. Wood
row. pastor of the First Congregational
Church. conducted devotional exercises. A
feature Of this was the singing Of hymn
by a dozen members OF the Chinese Sun
day School of Calvary Baptist Church.
The presidents annual address and re-
port followed He pointed out that the
enrolment of the schools Of the associa-
ton Increased during the past year $3.50,
or almost per cent.
Worlds Sunday School Convention.