The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-12-10
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
SAYS CHURCH IS WEAK
Stirring Call FOR Vigorous leader
ship.
IS LAGGING BEHIND THE NATION
Deprecates Falling OF in Theological
Students-s Small and Narrow Minds
in the Church Declares the Times
Demand Strong Men and That the
Workers Are All Too Few.

IN the Church--Deciares the At'es
Demand Strong Men and That the
Workers Are All Too Few.
New York Especially "A letter
from President Roosevelt to John H.
Mott. general secretary OF the
Worlds Student Christian Fedora
tion, expressing sympathy with' hr'
Motifs book, THE Future Leader
ship of the Church." published by
the student department of the Young
Mems Christian Association, was
made public here. In explanation OF
the Presidents letter, dated OCTOBER
10, 1908, Mr.. Mott says:
when the need based on actual
facts, of more men--the ablest ana
most vigorous type of men-foi
Christian leadership was brought to
the attention of President Roosevelt
and his aid was asked in bringing
that need before the young men in
our universities ana colleges, he was
greatly impressed, and without hesi
tation, consented to help
President Roosevelt writes that II
is a matter of grave concern that IN
this country there should be tend
ency in the number of students at
! the leading graduate theological
schools to fall off at the very time
! that the communicant membership
| of the church is markedly increasing.
The President says he speaks not
only of ministers, but of all who
take part in a broad and catholic
spirit in work for the essentials of
Christianity.
Call For Strong lien.
The letter in part says:
Small, narrow, one-sided men, no
matter how earnest, cannot supply
leaderships for the moral and relig-
ious forces which alone can redeem
nations. They can DO good in their
own way; but in addition to them,
and especially for this particular
work, the strongest are needed
men of marked personality who, to
tenderness add force and grasp, show
capacity for friendship, and who, to
fine character, unite an intense
moral and spiritual enthusiasm.
Particularly do we need such
forces in nation like ours, which
on the one hand in many places is
only just emerging from the old pio-
neer conditions, and which, on the
|
culiar degree the tense and highly
complex industrialism which Is char
acteristic of the present age of the
world Our territories and our new
states are still plastic; they are still
near enough to the pioneer days to
be in the formative period; and 1t is
transcendant importance that the
highest Christian ideals shall pre-.
dominate and determine their civili.
zation.
Field OF Work Is Wide.
"But it is at least as important
that this should be true of the older
states. Every great city calls with
insistent longing for leaders able and
willing to suffer and fight, to show
fortitude and daring, to grapple witt
iron will and undaunted front, tho
{ terrible evils that grow up where
Y men are crowded together, where
: life Is led under n constant and fe
I verish strain, where great wealth anC
;. biting poverty jostle one another
q The service. can be rendered in th'
n ministry, as / have known it to b.
rendered by Protestant clergymel
4 and Catholic pries5, aye, and by Jew
:. ish rabbi, or 1t may be rendered b.
|. laymen, by such men as Jacob Riis
}. by many man and woman ] coul,
II name, who, with infinite self-devo
!. tion, with love for mankind, bu
/. with wisdom which prevents thi
/. love from becoming hysterical o
o sentimental, work steadily for tn
E. uplifting of their kind
THE field tor work Is very broa
m and very diversified. and those VIII
le work In II are all too few Imm
le grants come to our shores by til
,e million to begin here new lif,
They have been torn up by the root
70 from their ancient associations, an
DC such uprooting gives peculiar oppo
ir tunities to the powers OF evil. Ever
possible effort should be made, fc
n their sake and ours, too, to supp
IS new ties o. morality, of religion,
he honorable Obligation as between ma
us and man, to replace the old ties the
ed have sundered. In the country di
lie tricts. too, there Is a peculiar nee
ce for the churoh to serve as a revivif
ing and social Influence. and to {
ly its part in giving broader oppo
he tunities for interest and usefulne
to in country life, ana to do this w
put stop n the unhealthy drl
to toward the cities"