The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-12
CHURCH OBSERVES
 25TH ANNIVERSARY Mooney Occupies Pulpit at
 Morning Session DIR. STAGG LAST NIGHT Says Increase in Knowledge, Wealth and Population Are Among the Greatest Problems Confront
 Ing Christianity.

day at the Second Presbyterian church were attended by crowds that taxed the seating capacity of the large auditorium. The services were in celebration of the church's twenty-fifth anniversary, and the tenth anniversary of the pastorate of the Rev. Urban D. Mooney. The church was founded In 1884 as a mission of the First Presbyterian church, then under the pas torate of Dr. L. s. Handley. When the present pastor, MT. Mooney, came to the pulpit in 1899 the membership of the church was only about 60, while the pres ent enrolment shows a total of almost 400. The property value of the church has grown from s4000 to $40000.
 At the morning service held yesterday at 11> o clock the chief feature was the an- niversary sermon preached by the pastor The text chosen was from Matthew 161s, Upon this Rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The sermon dealt with the church as divine institution, and of its consequently imperishable nature. Dr. D. H. Sholl, an elder of the church and member for many years, gave very in- teresting memoir of the founding and sub sequent struggles of the church.
 At the service held yesterday evening at o'clock Dr. J. w. stagg, president of the Alabama Synodical college delivered masterly address on '~rhe Kingdom of God" Dr. Stagg dealt with the relation of Christianity to problems that confront society among which are the increase of knowledge, wealth and population. He spoke in part as follows:
 Man Is not slow In discovering his lim- itations. Even our language Is made con- fusing by words that are made to mean different things. The kingdom of God as described by Jesus Is often defined ob- scurely; it's meaning is not always quite clear. It is the tendency of mankind to seek knowledge of the kingdom by set ting boundaries to its width and breadth, but this tendency is the result of the in- ability of man to appreciate the workings of the divine mind. The kingdom of God cannot be bounded, for, in the meas uring abilities of the human mind, 1t is nowhere. It is not place but dis position God seeks to change men and the dispositions of men. The mightiest force in the world today Is the force that tends to draw man nearer in nature to his creator, that tends to make man and God alike.
 Men frame laws and found institu- tions for the protection of society. An appeal for good conduct is made through the jail, the penitentiary and the gallows but no law within the power of man to create is capable of preventing the natural viciousness of human society. The misdoings of man and the destruction of happiness are factors that have not been and will not be eliminated from the history of hu- manity.
 Besides the laws framed by men there is another and far greater in fiuence for the control of society-the influence of public opinion. The frown of public opinion upon viciousness is one of the greatest forces that tend in any way to quench vice. Nine people out of 10 are not in life what they really are, because of the fear of public opinion. It is an external force that keeps them in the right path and not internal strength of character. This pandering to the decrees of style and fashion point to an internal weakness. People will not be themselves because of what other people think of them. Carlyle was not far from right when he said, Great Britain is populated by 45,000,000 people, mostly fools' And the same applies to mankind in general.
 But God will some day take away every restraint; every man will be made to be what he is, whether or not t. kingdom of God that every man must be stripped of every restraint. and man and the law will eventually be reconciled.
 "One of the greatest problems that society has now to cope with is the mar velous increase of Knowledge of nature. Many have found seeming impossibiities in reconciling the natural and the spir- itual law because of the great strides made in the field of science. In the nine- teenth century great discoveries have been made in chemistry, electricity. geol- ogy, paleontology, archaeology, bacteriol- ogy. astronomy, photography and scores of other sciences. Truth pays for being widened, but in spite of the new conflicts that have arisen between science or truth and religion. the church has never lost but gained in power and stability. Man is now enabled to understand God more reverently than in the past ages, because he knows more than our forefathers It is not brave to fear the increase of knowledge; it is cowardly to say that interpretation of the Word of God is no longer possible. The Jewish religion and Christianity were different, but this does not prove that the religion of the Jews was untrue. The difference is due to nothing but the increase of knowledge; the Jewish religion was suited to the time in which it lourished, because of the state of general knowledge during that age. Protestanism and Catholicism are different, and the difference is due to the same cause. Catholicism was suited to its time. though it cannot exist in an age of intelligence.
 The increase in wealth is the second great problem that confronts the society of today. The dictum that breaches that great riches and piety cannot go together is as false as that which holds that pow erty itself is goodness. Wealth is not an evilj the harm is caused by it's improper use. It Is glory to change wealth into institutions of freedom and liberty; 1t is infamy to acquire it at the expense of the downtrodden millions. The gospel is the great force that teaches the proper use of wealth. The spread of the gospel