The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-17

Though the French church seems chiefly occupied in conducting an aggressive cam paign against the state In behalf of the -curial maxim that Christianity stands or falls with state recognition and the own ership of property, 1t is clear that this kind of activity does not appeal to the whole body of French churchmen. A large number of young men, mostly belonging to the church, started movement eight years ago which under the name Sillon has become widely known becailse of its Intensely real and earnest propaganda
 It's object is to gather together those who believe in the brotherhood of men and who see in religious faith an indispensable moral basis for the public good
 One of the best known leaders of the movement is Marc Slaughter, a man of great oratorical power, who has used lt to organize all over the country branches or the Sillon movement. weekly news paper is published and every year a. con- gress is held where the principles of s-unionism and cooperation are pro- claimed with great effectiveness.
 At the last congress held in Paris M
 Slaughter had before him an audience of 10000 persons. The platform of the Sil- 1onists is to fix by legislation & living wage as a means of fighting the sweat ing system, to secure workingmen's pen sions, limitation of the hours of labor
 and, as the present end of social effort, the development of trades-unions and CO., operative societies. But they hold that social transformation can only be real if 1t has moral force behind it. The en- | thusiasm of the Sillonists has drawn to | them many outside the Roman church; | French Protestants, Thinkers and | Anarchists are now attending Sillonist meetings because of the practical char acter of the programme. They are also 4fx-a. 4oI Hxr 4a x,<.r r-4f 4fe1-
 The title of the SiAbn newspaper "The
 Democratic Revival,'' specially proclaims
 the fidelity of the movement to the prin- | ciples of modern France The Sillonists
 are altogether out of sympathy with those | members of the church who look back | affectionately to the ancient regime. Their l own purpose is to express in all socia
 matters the spirit of the Christian re- | lgion; so that nothing can be more ap. propriate than the title they have se lected for the movement, the French | word sillon meaning "a furrow." This they use as the symbol of the sower SOW. ing in the furrow the seed of better things that is meant to work it's way into all seditions of society and politics.
 In his sermon on ."True and False Pa | triotsm'' at the Church of the Messiah
 recently. the Rev. Dr. John Hayes Holmes 1 predicted a civil war in this country within the coming generation. The strife
 he said would be between those repre- senting special privileges on the one hand and the great mass of the people on tho other. .'As look over the great mass ot the American people, said he, absorbed as Mammon, I wonder, when the issue
 comes within the next generation, the
 struggle which is now at hand; won
 der how many will dedicate their lives
 their fortunes and their sacred honor tc
 the sacred cause of the people. as theil
 forefathers did a century and g, quarter l ago." Bishop Greer has in his diocese, q parish which is probably unique. in the
 whole world It Is known asst Philips church, and it is composed entirely of | negroes. The rector himself, the Rev Hutohins Bishop, is negro, and very proud of the fact, although he is fairer I of complexionethan most white men. For
 merly St. Philips church was at 161 West Twenty-ffth street, New York, and f( years ago the Corporation of Trinity