The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-17
Rev. F. M. Burgess Declares Before Junior Clericus That it's Passing is
 Automatic.
MUCH IN A CHURCH NAME,
But Passing of Protestantism, He Asserts, Does Not Necessarily Mean Acceptance of Pro-
 ROmanism.

Rev. Frederick M Burgess, assistant rector of Christ church, yesterday de- livered an essay before the junior clericus a the Hotel Garde on the sub Ject Catholicism. Old and New" In it he put new emphasis upon church union, laying stress upon the power of the Roman Catholic church 10 reach the masses and upon the vatue of the word Catholic" in accomplishing big things. He predicted union of the churches by gradual movement.
 MT. Burgess said in part:
 We may accept as automatic that Protestantlsm, as such is passing.
 When pr. Ferdinand Ever preach- ed a sermon on The Failure of Prot estantism. some thirty years ago, he was condemned as a crank and a false prophet. But recent utterances in the same tenor have been received with equanimity and acquiescence This does not mean that the Protestant Scots are dead or that there is no spiritual life or activity among Proteslants, but that traditional Protestantism is spent force. It's ideals are not the ideals of this age. Its traditional theology is discredited, its basis undermined by Biblical criticism and science. Its at tendant sectarianism has been unani- mously voted unlovely, impractical and out-of-date. It can nty4y be a basis forChristian unity, for it is by nature individuallstic and begets disntegra- ton.
 There are some Catholic elements in Protestantism and its achievements are many and evident Its strong ethical emphasis has been most valuable. But, lacking the Catholic balance and sym metry, it has produced some times narrow and pharisaieal puritanism or religious self sufficiency.
 The passing of Protestantism does not necessarily mean Pro-R -Romanism, as the present advocates of the move ment understand 1t.
 Tt does mean Catholicity, and I be- lieve some kind of Catholicism. used the term advisedly because believe 1t is the best word, etymologically and historically The nature of the case de- mands a title with historic associations. There must also be the historic asso- ciations We want some kind of Cath something which has that con- ception of universality and fullness. It is better to have large aim and poli- cy and fail to live up to 1t than to have a low and limited ideal.
 'Protestantism aimed at securing freedom and rights for the individual. Having succeeded, its work Is done. What is needed now is to secure the rights of the community of the social organism.
 Protestants may take up that work, but in doing so they have forsaken Protestantism and espoused the Catho- lie principle.
 catholicism has never denied the rights of the individual, although practically the Roman form of Cath olicism has made it hard for a large number of individuals to get their rights.
 "Individualism is not the ideal oi Christianity anyway. Christianity is es. sentially social religion. Prof. Pea body argues very plausibly that soci. ety cannot be any better than the in. dividuals who compose it and that is true in some senses but 1t is not true of the Christian society. the church i for the church is not merely an aggre- gation of individuals. It has a divine origin. character and purpose. It Ii