The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-11-11

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Washington, Nov. 11--President
Taft this morning delivered the prin-
cipal address at the opening session
of the Laymen's Missionary Move
ment Organization, of which Wash
ing ton is the national nome. Clifford
Pinchot, presiding. introduced the
The President leaves this afternoon
for Middletown, Conn, but Will be
back Saturday.
He is in the pink of condition, but
II is generally reported among his in
Inmates 1nat he has gained. however,
several pounds on his long trip around
the country. and is planning a vigor-
our campaign of golf to reduce his
girth.
Taft to Talk on Religion.
Washington, Nov. 11.-President
TAFT will round out a busy day by
making an address on religious top
les this evening. His oratorical ef-
tort will formally open the national
campaign meeting of the Laymen's 3
Missionary Movement. which will be
IN progress in Washington during the
next three days. The organization in
charge of the gathering was formed
three years ago with the purpose of
uniting the laymen of the Protestant
churches of America, to the end that
a crusade might be inaugurated for
bringing the entire world to a knowl-
edge of Christianity.
The invitation to President Taft
has met with mucn opposition. The
West Virginia Synod of the Presby-
terian church, at a recent meeting,
passed a resolution protesting against
the presence of the President as the
'-honored guess" of the movement, on
the ground of his affiliation with the
Unitarian church.
The Rev. DIR. Samuel Spahr Laws,
who IS widely known in religious and
educational circles throughout the
country. has also added his voice and
Influence to the expurgation of Presf-
dent Taft. DIR. Laws, in well-teGnper-
cd words, ventures to criticise and
take exceptions to a phase of the pro-
gram for the convention, which pro-
poses Ito take place before tnat con-
yention as its most diStin guisned and
honored guest, and before the public
as Hs representative to sound the
keynote of its proceedings in its open
ing address, a very distinguished CT
tizen whom I greatly admire. bat who
does not worship Christ nor believe in
;Iis Deity" He refers to the Presi-
dent of the United States.
He says this must be an error, "for
n unfortunately would place him and
also the convention in a false light,
and could only forebode a blithing in
tuence on the cause"
DIR. Laws protests that his view of
the case is absolutely free from po-
htical considerations; that his pen
has been used in defense of the Presi-
dent against a political assault on his
religious views, however, variant from
his own, and that II is solely incoCn-
ratibility of things religious that In
considered.
Leaders who take part in the pro-
tected campaign will have to contin-
ue their efforts into the spring, and
the campaign will close just in time
to enable them to get over to Edin-
burgh. Scotland. for the Worlds Mis-
sionary Conference. Some of the
most important of the topics to be dis
cussed have been assigned to A-neri-
can leaders.
The plan contemplates the holding
of the great missionary gatherings in
ffty large cities. All the Protestant
bodies will be asked to furnish speak
srs and workers.
Officials of the movement feel that
The churches of the United States and
Canada are fairly responsible for the