The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-09
civic UPL|FT IS
OSBORN'S THEME
Michigan Representative to Ma
tional Civic Congress De-
livers Address.
CHURCH LEADS THE MOVEMENT
First Citizen Of the 500 Declares Fash
ionable Church and the Aristo-
crat as Such Must Go-Ap-
ply Christ's Methods.

New York, Dec. 9.-Addressing the
members OF the National Civic con-
gress, i'm session here. the Hon. Chase
5. Osborn of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
declared the only practical and work.
able civil uplift, which would be uni
versal in its scope, must come through
the church, and the adaptation of the
teachings of Christ TO present day
civic problems.
Mr. Osborn, whose most recent
prominence arises from the publica-
tion of an excellent volume on South
America. in which political, govern
mental and civic problems of Latin
America are dealt with at length, spoke
upon the subject practical Civic Up
lift" Declaring that the accomplish
ment of practical results along the
lines sought by the congress could
only be achieved by reducing problems
met to a simple basis, and seeking
their solution in the eternal verities,
the speaker proceeded with a compre-
hensive but brief review of the great
religious and moral movements i'm the
that the tenets OF Brahminsm, the
subtleties of Greek philosophy the
teachings of Buddha, the beliefs of the
Shintoists, the laws of Mohammedan-
ism. and the ethics of Confuscianism
had all, alike, utterly failed to produce
civilization in which the Individual
of each succeeding generation did not
find himself in a worse state physical
ly and materially. with no adequate
conception of faith and hope, and lack
ing inspirational resources.
Continuing Mr.. Osborn said:
'Contrasted with all of these others
is the religion OF Jesus Christ 1t may
not be possible for a man to divorce
himself from the bias OF environment
and heredity. Like all of you here.
have lived under Christian influences
and so have all Of my ancestors. Like
many of you, i have travelled in
every part of the world, and have en-
deavored to compare civilizations and
the conditions of mankind. 1t seems
to me that the Christian civilization
had done more for mankind than any
other: but / am impressed with the
somewhat melancholy fact that it has
not done what il might have done If
| il had been accepted fully and had
been applied as practically and as per-
sistently and as meaningly as we use
those rules that lead to everyday ma
terial success.
IF / am right that only civic uplift
lean come through Christianity,
through the humanistic and altruistic
senses that may be developed by Christ
love, then this conference has some
thing tangible that il may do.
Christian religion has been inter-
preted, perpetuated and applied by
lorganized Christian churches. These
churches have done much and they
can do much more. They have become
human. They have taught the theory
of love, but have not succeeded in
ticed
Love. as practiced by the average
man toward his fellow men, with few
exceptions, does not equal the affec-
tion that the average man shows for
his dog or his horse. This being true,
or even partially true, then the church
has failed in its work in just so far
as 1t has not accomplished the love
of man by man.
'If this conference will reform and
recrudence the church, 1t will have
an agency to work through that Is
vital and persistent. and has proven
both by long existence.
There will be no need of civic So
cieties in cities IL the church shall
be developed to its highest effective
ness. There is no room for civic as
sociations in small communities, but
there is room for a church and church
work
There is nothing that will level
class and make the mass OF people
homogeneous like care and love. Once
breed a type of men that are true and
honest and noble and common, and
lcivic uplift will take care of itself.
There are only two known govern
ing agencies; one Is reason and the
other Is force. Reason and love may
be so closely associated as to be al
most indefinable.
"If this conference can use the
church organizations to get at the
masses of mankind In the right way
some good may be confidently expected
To result-and I mean by church or
ganizations churches themselves
church publications, Y. M. C. A., and
even fraternal orders might be in
cluded.
There has got TO be an improve
ment in mankind before there Is any
: hope for n decided civic OF social up
lift: and there can only be perman.
ent and general Improvement in man
kind by common association of the
best and strongest with the weaker.
"The fashionable church as sucf
gttaI