Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1910-11-30
Report Of A Discussion
Given In New Century
Club, Wilmington

ol i TIC lSHlpti VI N(ul ntcS. Dy
Miss Carpenter, who has SO success
fully conducted such atars IN the New
Century Club OF thiladelphla
For any who may feel degree Of
ennui arising from lectures tn Sc dis
cussions afford rather unique diver
sion, giving opportunity Tor the few,
so to speak. to reply to the pulpit. or
as yesterdays leader said. to air ones
mind i'll tins day when the day air
ing has come to be regarded as abso-
lutely vital to individual well being
Miss Carpenter bent on avoiding
''the hard work OF arguing alone,
keeps her audience on the a. TT larry
ing but moment for the query or
repartee sure to be called .orth by her
suggestive leadership She and her
hearers are soon in delightful accord,
and agree il need be to disagree with
the utmost good humor.
For said the speaker, in discuss
ing The Temper OF Our Tine" 'let
us not be disturbed by opposition to
our particular idols. What is the
temper of our time? How will the fu-
ture speak OF us? Howwill she who
stands here speak OF those in your
places?
I'VE recall the age OF Pericles for
art, the Augustan Age for letters, the
Middle Ages for superstition, the
Renaissance for the awakening and
beginning of progress. the Elizabethan
Ior performance, for doing things.
The qucs ion arises, what is our
strongest trait' Is it optimism or
pessimism? For answer, how do we
gauge our own lives by our diseases,
faults and failures, or do we all ask
to be accepted at our best? Are we
better than Our great grandmother?
For measure of difference, take the
church, the state. the school, the home.
Beyond doubt, touching the first,
we have grown more tolerant. True,
our forefathers were more Jealous in
attendance at public worship, but were
they as truly religious. If they
thought they dared not speak nor in
vestigate as we.
ITO quote from Herbert Spencer,
the scientists are accused of irrcl
gion, yet they it is who are most truly
religious, because hey open the book
OF nature and read Would be we
lieve i'll the avowed love OF anybody
for a book which he never openedo
No. We have learned to be religious
without being orthodox. We have
learned TO tolerate all from a Moham-
medan Mosque to a Quaker meeting
Is this better than otherwise, or is
there a danger OF becoming SO tolcr
ant that we are nothing?
rs the separation o. church and
state i'll France because France wants
to return to the age of reason: Hard
ly. The opposition is not against
goodness or faith; il is against the
church hierarchy, religious domino
ton, suppression OF private Judgment.
The need OF living religion is vs-'
ibe on al sides; in the marvellous
growth OF Christian Science; in the
spread OF the ethical culture societies:
the rise OF the Young Mems and
Young Women's Christian Assoca-
tons; in the appearance OF such books
as those OF John Fiskc-'Through Ma
ture to God end The Destiny OF Man,
Viewed in the Light OF His Origin
Every movement points the be-
liei that faith without works is death
Pro esSions must be lived, not talked.
Nov in the STATE, take politics.
Which is stronger, the party believing
reform? Alexander Hamilton said
the man who contrQls your pocketbook
owns your soul. ~Ony one man in
ten thousand possesses the strength
Of u Tuistai Porf IS the handwri,-
ing is on the wal. We hope 50.
But let us take some concrete ex
ampleS, and see. for our encourage
ment. whether we have not progress
ed. Would our age--the age OF Vic
tora, OF Edward the Seventh, of Viii
liam the Second oi Germany-tolerate
the overbca-ing Elizabeth of England,
Catherine de NIedici in France; Mani
milan l., in Italy, Philip L., with his
four wives, in Spain; Ivan the Terrible,
in Russia, or Henry the Eighth of
England?
France is today an established re-
public; in pace Of ieuds between the
city republics, we have United Ttalv
to offset Nicholas H., are To,stoi and
TurPenieff, in Russia.
Take the history OF our own gov
erning body at Washington, Compare
our congress o. the present day-on
the whole refined, dgniticd, patro-
tic body--with the Continental con-
gress in 1884, as its history is drawn
by John Bach McMsster, vibrating
like a pendulum between New York
and Annapolis. The general Level, we
must conclude. is higher.
DO we think highly enough OF our
great and good men OF the present:
Of Roosevelt, of Foulke. OF Woodrow
Wilson, whose election as governor
Of New Jersey is enough to encourage
anyone. The so-caled insurgents
are men of courage. They may be
mistaken, but they are brave. Roose-
velt though threatened with political
death for calling the coal commission,
SETH jaws and said It's the end of
me, then, for I'll do it. And we know
it was not his end
Think of Julia Ward Howe, Jane
Adams. Clara Barton, Susan B. An
thOny E,nrence Niuhti,, Erances