Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-04
TAFT TALKS TO
CATHOLICS AND
UNIVERSALISTS
LAYS CHURCH CORNERSTONE
AT PORTLAND
CROWD CHEERS AS EXECUTIVE
WlELDs TRoWEL
President Leaves oregon's Metrop-
oils at p. m. for Sacramento.
Extols All Christian Denom-
nations in Sermon
IBy Associated Press. ]

Taft today preached another sermon.
The scene had changed from the
Mormon tabernacle at Salt Lake CITY
on Sunday last to the cornerstone lay-
ing of the First Universalist church IN
East Portland.
The president handled the silver
trowel and worked hard to see that
the stone was properly adjusted. HIS
evident earnestness in setting the stone
called out great applause from the
open-air audience.
The president referred to his various
church experiences and in concluding
his remarks said:
mo church in this country, however
humble 1t may be. that breaches the
doctrine of true religion and true mo-
rality will lack my earnest support to
make it more influential whenever op-
portunity Offers
The presidents train left at $40 p.
m. over the Southern Pacific railway
for Sacramento
MIR. Taft had a truly religious day
which began when he attended the
morning services at the First Unitarian
church in Portland and listened to
sermon by Rev. w. G. Eliot. Jr. FOL
lowing this service the president was
the guest of honor at luncheon ten
dered by Senator Bourne and Which
included the various state and city
officials.
In the early afternoon the president
visited st. Marys Roman Catholic
school and made a five minutes ad-
dress to the school children in which
he declared that loyalty to church
meant fidelity to country.
Line of March
The line of march followed by the
presidential party to East Portland
was almost as crowded as were the
streets on Saturday, and there was
handclapping all along the way and
some cheering by the more enthuslas-
tic in the Sunday throng.
When the president had been intro
duced at the cornerstone laying by the
Rev. Jas. d. Corby, pastor of the
church, he said:
Il don't know that any one questions
the propriety of my being here and
offciating on such an occasion as this
or that an explanation of any sort is
called for But, l want to say that
! believe it to be the duty of the pres
ident of these United States to wei
come and to support every instrument
by which the morals and religion OF
the community may be elevated and
maintained.
mot long ago I offciated at the
cornerstone laying of an orthC doX
CONGREGATIONAL church in Washington.
Then | appeared in the pulpit of a
Jewish tabernacle at Pittsburg. But a
few days ago | helped to lay the cor
nerstone of Catholic institution at
Helena, Mont.
And now it is my great pleasure to
assist here today in laying the corner
stone of this UniVersalist church,
which like ,my own church the Uni
tartan, is Known as liberal church.
Nations Cornerstone
81 am glad always to be present at
such occasions as this. for / believe
that the cornerstone of modern civil
lization must continue to be religion
and morality"
The president told some of his eX-
periences with the Catholic church in
the Philippines and then said that on
the occasion of his visit to Rome some
two years ago. he ventured to say to
Pope Plus X. that while in America
the sentiment was strong for the prin-
ciple of the separation of church and
state. there was nothing in the Am
erican government or the Anne lean
people that opposed the church or its
highest development; that in no Euro
pean country had the Catholic church
grown or fiourished as it had in Amer
lea; that in this country the church
received from government and state
officials only that treatment accorded
to every other denomination.
adQeu, continued IHe pTeSlu6llls
that this was not to be taken as an
indication that every government and
state official was other than anxious
to encourage the establishment and
maintenance of churches and that their
influence might be broadened through
out the land,
"T think we have reached the time
when the churches are growing to-
gether, when there is less bitterness
of UNCONVENTIONAL dispute and that no
matter what creed we may follow, the
churches are beginning to realize that
they must stand shoulder to shoulder
in the contest for righteousness; that
we all stand for the fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man.
He's an optimist
81 am an optimist.
az believe we are much better today
than we were fifty years ago, man by
man. l believe we are more altruistic
and more interested in our fellow man
than we have been at any time in the
last fifty years.
"Of course you hear from time to
time of instances of selfshness and
greed, but the only reason these in
stances are given prominence is be-
cause we condemn them the more and
believe that in calling attention to
them they will be made more and
more infrequent
mo cnurcn IN inns couHi - ~" ny, ~,
humble it may be, that preached the
doctrine of true religion and true NOR
alitv will lack my earnest support to
make it more influential whenever OPP
portunity offers"
On his way to the corner stone lay
ing i'm the afternoon the president
stopped by St Marys Catholic school,
and from the steps of that instltu,
tion made a brief address to a yard
full of boys and girls.
Mr.. Taft was presented by Arch
bishop Christie, and after congratulat-
ing the children on their rosy cheeks
and "chubbiness." said
"Your church teaches that loyalty 10
God is the same as fidelity 10 country