New-York tribune., 1908-01-29
"CHURCH STILL ASLEEP"
Its altitude Tozvard Labor Dis
cussed at Conference.

,.. - Oh. a,,,t,se of the Church toward
labor was handled with gloves on yesterday a.,ei
noon at conference following the ann"1i ineeal"s
of the Federation of Churches and Cnristiah oi-
~.n;za.,onr in New York City. Not more IMAM
thirty persons attended. and that iac' was re-
ferred to by Alexander Irvine as the most per :
feet example Of the attitude OF the Shurch so"aiu
this problem to-day.
ST have come here this afternoon out Oh respec1
for men like Mr. StelzIe and Mr.. Bruere ana DE-
,dIs~ who do things" said Mr. Irvine. This
n,obleu, of labor is the most important one the
Church has had to face for several generations /
started out working in the Church Dut came 70
feel that 1t did not contain a pulpit "hefe man
could speak the whole truth since then mere
seems TO have been q slight awakening Dut as
whole the Church is still asleep. and for my part
7 purpose to let it sleep until 1t Is rudeiy a"aS
ened to the living truth by the men "noni IL mas
scorned.P
The Rev Charles stelzle. chairman Of the church
and labor committee of the Federation OF
Churches who presided. said that the Ianor PROD
lem did not mean necessarily organized laoof-
Labor unions might pass away. he said ana tnere
would still remain labor problem, growing more
pressing as time went A large number OF TABOR
leaders to-day members or some Churcn' NC
said whether Protestant or Cathonc-
THE question of the future Is wheSner the
Church will capture the laboring man, or the LABOR
ing man the Church" he continued Is IL any
wonder that socialism has taken such strides when
meetings throughout America than all the cnurcnes
of ths country combined. including the Salvation
Army and the Volunteers of America! 10 my
mind the workingnan must find three Things IN
the Church il II expects his allegiance He must
find absolute sincerity. Some OF the very men VINO
politically and financially betray the worKinsrnah
to-day are prominent in Church circles. Then there
must be greater democracy in the Church and less
paterralism, and finally. more Of the prophetic
spirit than he finds there now
Robert Bruere, the general agent OF the AsSocia-
ton for Improving the Condition OF the POOR. toio
the conference that greater part OF the poor and
destitute with whom in contact were MEM
bers of churches.
But the churches have made them feel' said Mr.
Bruere that they have to do only with doctrines
and creeds and not with real life. Take the prob
len, of the unemployed with which now con-
fronted. If the Church would only go to the bot
tom of the social pollution and find out the cause Of
such conditions have at present. whether II Is
racetracS gambling speculation. what not. and
see that the conditions do not come again.
then it might take real part In the life OF the
worlxingman"
The Rev. John H Melish, delegate to the Cen
traI Federated Union of Brooklyn. said there was
no panacea for the problem, but that the more one
studied il the more one wished would work tow
ard it's solution. A number of exhibits showing
different phases Of the religious and social statis-
tics of this city explained by the Rev. DR.. Wal
ter Laidlaw secretary OF the federation. The con-
ference was held IN the parish room of the Fourth
Avenue Presbyterian Church, where the exhibits
may be viewed any day until Friday.
The Rev DR.. Anson Phelps Atterbury presided
at the annual meeting OF the federation. New d.
rectors were elected follows: Robert Watchorr.
Commissioner of Immigration at the Port OF New
York; the Rev Dr. Henry Mottet, Canon Chase, Of
Brooklyn; Charles ". Ogden and A. NJ. Harris.