The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-06
NATION is IN PERIL
Encompassed With Outside
Dangers, Even Officials
Are Corrupt.
SAYS REV. DR.. RICHARDS
Hard Work Needed to Fight Evils In
Public and Private Lifc-Ap-
pcals to Yale Men.

AT the university service yesterday
morning in Battell chapel. Rev. DR.,
William u. Richards OF New York
preached on "The Cali of the Present
Day" He took the foundation of his
sermon from the book OF Esther, the
the story of how Esther went at q
crucial and dangerous moment to the
king to save the people. although the
going might have cost her her life.
DR. Richards said that at the time In
the history of the country when men
have been most needed they have ap-
pcared Such, he said, was the case at
the time of the Revolution when Wash
ington took command. Again 1t was
seen In an even darker time, when
Lincoln was elected president before
the civil war
The crisis to-day, said pr. Richards,
Is as serious as any other time With
the black peril in the south, from whom
we hear mutterings daily. with the yell
low peril in the east, which just now
has called an American fleet to the
Pacific, the dangers from foreign pco-
pie is plainly to he seen. The complete
secularizng of Sunday and the in
vasion of the home by bad influences
are other peris.
In years past, he said, we have been
proud to point to our excess of exports,
TO our crops, and to other statistics,
as evidences of our prosperity. We
have called 1t development and adj
vance To-day we cannot look upon
those things congratnating ourselves,
| but must look at the danger Anyone
who has lived through the past few
months knows that there Is a danger.
It was a panic brought brought on by
| those INSCRIPTIONS and dangerous
methods which have led to the so
called development" In our govern
mcnt we see corruption among high
land low officials
The call TO service now is greater
than at any time In the history Of the
country. Yale was founded that Its
men should be of service. That we see
at the start. They were to be of ser
vice in the church and in other walks
Of life. The call to-day Is for the pres
ent Yale men to go out into the SER
vice and bring about a better state OF
things.
You have often noticed in an athletic
contest with some other college that q
player on the Yale side is injured ant
has to leave the field. And when III
leaves the field you notice the deepes
regret on his face The reason is tha
though the contest Is hard and uphill
he is sorry that he cannot continue
against the heavy odds Such is thu
spirit of Yale on the athletic field anc
such should be the spirit Of her sons
after they have left college.
Wonderful things will happen in th,
coming several years, things which
and some of you will not live to see
But / would like to live to see our ma
tional government pure, and pure gov
ernments in place Of our present cor
rupt municipal governments, I woulc
like to be alive when the government
of my own city, New York, has rid it
self of corruption and become pure
, The time is one which calls for tn
best there Is in men and the call /
one which Yale men should respond tc
Following Or. Richard address tn
communion Of the Lords supper wa
4 observed. The delegates from the Ne,
England colleges for the conferenc
here of those who are interested in tn
Christian ministry attended the servle,