The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-22
Modernist Movement of Great
 Importance.
The Pastor of q sicilian Church Tells of Conditions Under Which He
 is Laboring.

1t IS brave man, one of deep con- victions, who today holds to the views of the Modernists in Italy. That may explain why the Protestant Church makes so little headway in King Vic- tor Emsnuers country and why the Waldensian Board of Evangelization sometimes feels discouraged though never willing to relinquish the fight that 1t has been making for years to win converts.
 Protestant Church at Grotte, Girgenti, South Sicily, is one of the men best qualified to speak of the situation. He was educated at Edinburgh and Is in constant communication with the headquarters of the church in the Cot tian Alps. Pinerolo and Turin. The mission work of his church is carried on over practically the whole of Italy by staf of fifty pastors, ten evan gelists. twelve teacher evangelists, fifty teachers and eight colporteurs. They have studied the question of modernity and viewed 1t from all points, so that MT. Clot speaks with authority.
 You must make a distinction be- tween the anti-clerical and the mod ernist movement" he said. The anti clerical feeling Is strong in Roman Catholic provinces and is directed as 6GAAbL uO AAihObt do hiuSti 1S 09@AAA@s the Church of Rome. It favors us a little for the simple reason that 1t realizes that we have nothing in com mon with the Vatican, though it will not be long before it will be manifested equally against every form of organ ized Christianity.
 But the modernist movement is an- other matter. It is regarded by the Roman Church as an attack from with ln hv and thArA- fore, to be crushed out as a foe to the church. But at bottom 1t bears in itself the. principles of religious re. form and aims at the restoration or the conscience to the rights.
 "The movement is making little headway in Italy. It has gone deep, and 1t will go deeper. But there must be remembered the almost omnipotent power of the Roman Church over its subjects and 'adh herents. Take the case of Signor Minocchi. professor of He- brew in the University of Florence. Recently he gave a public lecture on the Garden of Eden, during the course of which he explained the allegorical nature of the Genesis narrative as distinct from the historical. This was distinctly modernist view, and he was immediately requested by Rome to retract. This he positively refused to do, and as a consequence has been suspended "a divinus.' Now, the signi- ficance lies just here. Professor Min occhi treats the Vatican decree just as he would treat the pious opinion of a critic, He smiles bravely, and refuses to Keep silence.
 T do not know whether there be any kind of working union between us and the Modernists A bridge has been thrown out between them and us. and 1t Is for them to cross 1t one day or another. I am located at Grotte, in Girgenti, in the heart of the sul- phur mining district, an industry that IS at present in a very depressed con- dition, at last year over 100000 emi- grants left the island for the United States and Canada. My work is al- most entirely among Roman Catholics and our schools are full to overhowing with the children of Catholic parents. Six years ago we had ninety children In our day schools, now we have over 300, and last year I had to refuse ad- mission to about eighty for want or room.
 "Up to ten years ago at Grotte there were on an average of fifty murders each wear. These crimes were gener- ally committed on a Sunday. NOW the number of similar crimes does not amount to two or three per year. The police inspector told me only snort time ago that much of the change must be assigned to the work and influence of the Evangelical Church.
 50 far I have met with little oppo- sition at Grotte, but in some or the ne;ghboring towns-Favarra. for in- stance-I could not go and preach They would stone me"