Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-24
President EIiot's Views Meet
With Cool Reception.
LOCAL PASTORS COMMENT
Called an "Attack on Every Car
dinal Doctrine"
ALSO WEAK AND ABSURD
But DIR. Pierce, Pastor of All Souls
Claims Belief to Be "only
Sensible Religion"

President Eliot's views on a new re-
ligion, as outlined i'm his address at the
Harvard Summer School of Theology,
have created considerable interest among
clergymen Of this city. Opinions on the
principles announced in the address vary
widely. and the new religion win. 1t is
said, be discussed in many Washington
pulpits tomorrow.
Rev. DR.. Ulysses G. q. Pierce, pastor OF
All Souls Unitarian Church, which Presi-
dent Taft attends, said today: There is
nothing new except the headlines in the
address of DR.. Eliot. The religion he
discusses has been the religion OF all
sensible people for all time. They may
differ somewhat as to details, but il
you take the first thousand persons you
meet in the street you will find that most
of them really think as he does about re-
ligion''
Assault Threatens Danger.
Rev. DR.. S. V. Leech, a retired clergy
man Of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
who will preach tomorrow to the Inde.
pendent Lutheran Congregation. and who
was chaplain of the New York state legis
lature when former President Roosevelt
was member. said: "Dr. Eliot's sys-
tenn of a new religion is an attack on al.
most every cardinal doctrine Of the New
Testament and Of popular Christian theol-
ogy. In itself 1t Is weak and absurd
theory. But because Of his great personal
influence. his immense educational
achievements. his magnificent moral har-
acter and the fact that President Taft
offered him the post OF ambassador tC
Great Britain. his assault on the grea,
dogmas held sacred by the Roman Catho.
lie and Protestant churches will prove
very dangerous to the present faith OF
young men.
$50 many secular university professors
are undermining the old Christian creedi
that the bishops and priests Of the Ro
man Catholic Church and the pastor,
of Protestant churches are everywhere
pleading with their people to have theiI
sons educated at their UNCONVENTIONAL in
StttutiOnS."
Father Russell's Opinion.
Rev. DIR. William T. Russell, pastor OF
st. Patrick's Church, voiced the senti-
ments Of the Catholic clergy OF the city
He said:
president Eliot is not the first since
Jesus Christ to design a new religion.
1 will tell a story that fits the case.
A famous man once presented to Talley-
rand. the great French statesman, a plan
for a new religion which would satisfy
all the aspirations of man and cure all
the ills of the time. After reading over
perfect. with one slight exception. 1,
needs just one thing to make it the re-
ligiOn of the world
''The man was fattered at what the
statesman said, and asked what was nee
|essary to perfect his plan. There is but
one thing for you to do. You must die
for your principles and rise again on the
third day. Then you will have world
religion
1T is rather surprising said Father
RUSSELL, that DR.. Eliot, the head of one
of our leading universities, should not
have informed himself in regard TO a
point of Catholic doctrine which even the
most ignorant Catholic and many in
formed Protestants understand. If he has
been quoted correctly, he said that in the
Catholic church the incense was the sac
rifce. This is not true. On more solemn
occasions We use incense in the mass as a
means of devotion. but it is no more es-
!sential to the sacrifice than the pictures,
"Not Religion at ALL
Rev Dr. Abram Simon of the Wash
ington Hebrew Congregation said: ''Dr.
Eliots new religion is after all not re-
ligion at all. 1t Is rationalism and physi-
cal culture. 1t is impossible to have a
religion without authority, because reli-
gion in it's very nature implies some au-
thority higher than the human. If God
has any place in the new religion. and II
cannot be a religion without God. then
He must represent some power higher in
authority than man.
Farther than this / see nothing new
In DIR. Eliot's suggestions. All of us who
have the interests Of our fellow-men at
heart can Join hands with every one else
who is striving for the uplift Of human
ity and, with mutual hospitality and toll
GRAFTON for each others views. aid In
making the brotherhood Of man a posi-
tive reality