The Detroit times., 1908-05-16
CHURCH IS SLOW
TO DISCOVER
!. MANY EVILS
SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE
IN CURING THEM. SAYS SPEAK
Err AT EPISCOPAL CONGRESS-
SESSIONS END TODAY.

That organized Christianity has a
place in modern life appeared TO be
the concensus OF opinion among the
speakers In the Episcopal congress in
the Light Guard armory, Friday
morning.
One or the most interesting address
es was delivered by the Rev. Hubert
w. Wells, OF Wilmington, Del, who
said in part:
ITO thousands OF men in the world
today the church seems at best an
antiquity; 10 other thousands she
! seems a hindrance TO true progress
paid and pampered retainer TO the
powers that be. something not to be
loved, but 10 be hated. To some she
is very powerful enemy. However,
we are not prepared to admit that or
ganized Christianity is outworn. nor
are we prepared 60 take hostile at
titude towards II.
christianity as organized does not
command the enthusiasm OF great
number OF those who are in the world.
"Amelioratlon OF the conditions OF
society is not the main business OF
the church, but TO make society over
after the mind OF Christ-this is her
mission. The church has appealed to
the selfishness of men and has spoken
her word and lived her life in that re-
gard. We know that salvation is in
cidental TO man losing himself for
others. A man cannot be saved except
as he becomes unselfishly the saviour
OF others.
Crimes Of the Rich.
There are millions of persons In
the world underfed, unsheltered and
unhappy and along with this we find
relatively small number of persons
overfed practically living the life of
| luxury. There is also a large class
trying TO avoid one extreme and the
other. and concern themselves with
what they call business, department
of life by itself distinctly distant from
all that goes by the name OF religion.
The end OF all business is to make
money, and II 1t does this, ii is care
less OF who or how many go unfed,
unsheltered and unshod. This is a
business world. Therefore. II man
desires power, he must make money.
Most men do desire power and so
most men today are striving to be
money rich. These men TO obtain
| money. resort to craft and cunning,
qualities Of the rat and weasel, but by
no means the highest qualities of the
human soul. They manipulate the
market, system Of lying commonly
called advertising. and control the leg
islatures, resorting TO getting all you
can and keeping all you get. II
means every man for himself and the
devil take the hindmost 1t is simply
organized selfishness.
Luxury Worse Than Poverty.
| I'VE shall never be able to drive
away the great bulk OF drunkenness
until we drive away poverty. The
painted women are at their nefarious
business because they must choose be-
tween that and poverty. Poverty is
the cause Of most OF our social evils.
The church must get back to the
| teachings Of Jesus Christ. Luxury is
! worse than poverty. Poverty means
having too little for the best manhood
and luxury means having too much for
the best manhood. The vices of pov.
erty and the vices OF luxury are al
most Identical. The vices of both are
drunkenness, the social evil and crime,
and they must be eliminated in some
way"
The Rev. Frank l. Paradise. of Med
ford. Mass, declared that religion had
been slow TO discover many OF the
evils, especially the fact OF child la
Dor.
I'VE cannot shut our eyes to the
victims of the social cruelties," he
said. I'VE as workers for God must
establish an economic basis OF society
which shall lead the ideas we hold un-
I'll the church shall say. like its Mas
ter, 1t descended into hell. Class Is
arrayed against class, and man
against man. This gives to the church
its main initiative. II should turn
these powers Of social unrest into So
cial health. The church must stand
for the whole social body. II must be
as human as Jesus and as bold as Luz
Their. 1t can have but one mission
and that mission is to proclaim the
eternal justice and unfailing mercy OF
God"