The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-30

New York, October 29-(Special)-It has come to be accepted in less well informed circles that religion is losing its power, that the church is retrogressing and the tide of infidelity and indifference is steadily rising with a prospect of sur prising the whole world.
 Statistics fail to show any such state of affairs. An investigation of the facts that never In the history of the church q speak of no sect or denom- nation, but of the church as whole) been more wide-awake or better equipped to be spiritually and materially for the carrying out of its mission to regenerate the world.
 The best organized talent in the world today is energetically combating sin. Millions of dollars, exceeding all previous records, are going into missions. Reig-
 ous movements, adequately financed and ably managed, are at work among the very foundations of things.
 The Sunday school, once the perfume tory annex of religion, where old men, human pillars of the altar, taught bad boys, present by compulsion, and molly coddles, present from choice, and where old women in black bonnets and bonn bazine dresses instructed good little girls, has grown to be martial in its swing, in terest and force the great recruiting camp of the modern church. Onward, Chris tian soldiers has become as exciting as 'Yanlkee Doodle' and a fife and drum. No matter how he is viewed as a whole John D. Rockefeller has given the Sun day school the persuading impress of | the business, commerce and success. He 1 Is no sour, old fashioned nonentity in front pew. but a commanding figure | with money in his pocket and a friendly | look on his face His testimony counts with boys and young men. But he is only | the representative of a now common l type.
 | A pickle maker, coming out of his mothers kitchen where he learned his l trade, into a fortune of many millions, | is another conspicious worker in the 1 Sunday school, as rebuilt and rejuvenat- | ed on present day lines So is John Wan
 amaker, as very one knows, and so Is
 the Michigan man who discovered. sub stitute for whalebone, and in conse- | uueuce thereof Is the owner of the big l factories and many bonds and shares. Rockefellers son and the son of Theo. | dore Roosevelt are teachers now or have
 been. The Sunday school man can be l found in the big advertisements of maga- | zines and newspapers. He is doing busl-
 
 l land.
 l The birth of the matter Is that the l impression as to the decadence of the l church is due to the same reason that | some superficial observers are coming tf | believe that the American home Is 1T danger of distinction through divorce
 The fact that some more or less vel | known man announces his disbelief in tho | miracles or in the existence in God i: | of more news value and gets more space l than the thousands of better known mer 1 who go along serenely in the old faith l Just as the fact that one couple ill-matet seek relief from the marital tie in the courts, Is of greater news value thar
 the thousands of couples who are happily
 mated. live good true lives and rear use 1 ful families.
 An election bonfire is more showy thar
 the flames In the eas range. but if doe' not indicate that all the gas ranges art | going out of business.
 In this country there are more churche. and Sunday schools than saloons. Int
 pupils total 12.s70.0o0 and there are 1,53s | 100 officers and teachers. William N Yartshorn. millionaire and business
 man is the active commander-in-chief O fhis gigantic army of recruits.
 A division hos occurred in the Raptis
 -nrIs v-hsch f'hicapo leaders in the move
 ment declare will make itself felt in every
 ,ort of the United States. Higher crti- cism is the rending force. Those wh, | realize their common views in ths movement as the result of which Pro r. ssor George B Foster was recently ex ,elied iron, the Chicago Baptist Minister, conference have formed an organization of their own. which they hope will mals' ttem independent of the Chicago univer sity
 Dr w A Matthews. orc of the raber r'c'e Pantist church of Chicago has re rs@ned from his charge to assume tn, presidency of the new divinity school others who will aid the movement ar pr. Johnson Meyers of Immanuel church ~hiraeo: Dr. J. w. Riley. of Minneapolis President Leavitt of Ewing college ant