Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-13
HEAR THE PRESIDENT
Religious Education Society
Delegates at White House.
FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
Series Of Departmental Meetings in
City Today.
ADDRESSES ON VARIOUS TOPICS
Meeting at First Congregational
Church Last Night-Addresses
by Prominent Members.
ADDRESSES ON VARIOUS TOPICS

by Prominent Members.
Following a series of depart
mental meetings this morning and
afternoon, and the fourth and last
general session in the First Con-
gregational Church, 10th and G
streets northwest, this evening, the
fifth annual convention of the Re-
ligious Educational Association
will be finally adjourned, not to
assemble again until next Janu-
airy, when the convention will be
held in Chicago.
The principal speakers at the general
meeting last night were Rev. Washington
GLADDEN. Of Columbus. Ohio: Rabbi Moses
J. Cries. pastor of the temple. Cleveland.
Ohio, and Prof Rufus NJ Jones of Haver-
ford College, and all of them paid special
tribute to Pres;deA Roosevelt. declaring
that "he appreciated the need of educa-
ton in the principles Of common justice
as applied to our complex social life"
and that "he sees the problems of the
nation as problems of moral right and
| moral wrong
The laudation of the President was
in great measure inspired by the >senti-
ments expressed in an address which he
made to the members of the association
in receiving them at the White House
yesterday afternoon. The President said:
1T is a very real pleasure to me to
greet the members of this association. I
doubt if there is any lesson more essential
to teach in an industrial democracy like
ours than the lesson that any failure to
train the average citizen to belief In tho
things Of the spirit no less than the things
of the body must in the long run entail mis-
fortune, shortening, possible disaster up
on the nation itself. 1t is eminently right
that we should pride ourselves upon a
widely diffused and exceedingly practical
system of education. 1 believe in both, but
neither will avail if something else is
not added to the nation.
Material Prosperity Essential.
1.-THE material prosperity is essential as
foundation. but 1T is only foundation,
and upon 1t must be built the superstruc-
| ture Of the higher moral and spiritual
! life, for otherwise in itself the material
prosperity will amount to but little. So.
without education, it is necessary that We
| should see that the children should be
| trained not merely in reading and writ
| ing; not merely in the elementary
! branches of learning strictly so defined.
but trained industrially. trained ade-
| Quately to meet the ever-increasing de-
mands of the complex growth of our in
dustrialism, trained agriculturally, trained
| in headcrafts, trained to be more eff
| cient workers in every field of human
activity. But they must be trained In
more than that or the nation viii ulti-
<o1x, OF hQG rQi nod
| in the elementary branches of righteous
ness; they must be trained so that 1t
shall come naturally to them to abhor
that which is evil. or we never can see
our democracy take the place which 1T
must and shall take among the nations of
the earth.
I'm making an address in greeting any
body like this l always want my words
taken at their exact face value. do not
believe ever in teaching what cannot be
oracticed. 1 do not want ever to hear
man say to pay no regard to the things
of the body in life as it is today. On the
contrary l would tell every young man
that it is his first duty to pull his own
weight; to take care of himself and take
care of those dependent upon him. He
cannot do anything for others until he
has first made it certain that he will not
be a burden upon others. / want to see
a man able to earn his own livelihood.
l want to see the woman able to do her
part as housewife and mother. But all
my plea is that the men shall not be con-
tent with merely that: that the man
shall realize that after a certain point
has been reached the increment of his for
tune. the increment of his material we'll
being, amounts to but very little COM
pared to the result of effort spent In other
directions
Address by DR.. GLADDEN..
The general meeting last night was
largely attended, and the remarks of
the speakers were frequently punctu-
ated by applause. The first address was
by Rev. DR.. GLADDEN.. and he spoke on
the subject: bringing All the Moral
and Religious Forces Into effective
Educational Unity" In part, he said:
The religious forces of the COM
munity include the Christian homes.
agencies. the Young Mems and Young
-"omen's Christian Associations. the
Kings Sons and Daughters the Saliva
ton Army and Volunteers. part of the
social settlements, the distinctiVely re-
ligious schools and colleges and there
ltgious press.
The moral forces include the COM
mon schools. the press in its best es-
tate, various organizations whose OBJ
jects are avOwedly moral. such as tenn
perance societies and societies for the
suppression of vice and those settle
ments which are not professediy re-
should be included the charity organ
ization societies. since the modern char
ity Is distinguished by the emphasis
which is placed upon the Investigation
of the character Of those to whom it
ministers Is the state to be reckoned
among moral agencies? If its function
is to S<tablish justice, it must he so, for
justice is the primary element of mo-
rality.
IF. then, all these religious and moral
agencies and forces are in their very ma
ture educational forces. 1t ought not to be
impossible to bring them into effective ed
ucational unity. No man builds his man
hood out of material furnished by him.
self. A self-made man is a conception as
unscientific as perpetual motion. The
largest part of what we call our char
acters is made up of contributions from
other lives.
And what shall be the law of the in
tellectual and spiritual commerce on
which the entire product of character de-
pends 1t must be the law of friendship
The right relation of human beings finds
his JOY in giving as much he can to all
with whom he has to do and in sharing
his best with all to whom he can be of