Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-05-19
MEN IN NO "a ELI III N go RNiARD
..55$! M oVEMEk
i Cred B. snith.).

\ $$ 1t is not at all strange that many OF
1.-The most thoughtful man III the church.;
Eboth Of the ministry and laity, should
hold their breath and look askance
when there comes the nnouncement
Eof a new and unusual effort which pro
poses to invest time, thought, physi-
Ecal energy, and money in attempting to,
solve vet more fully the problem Of
THE church and its men. The years
have been 50 filled with such announce
fments that another one here or there
fdoes not make much OF an impression.
|: Notwithstanding this handicap at
the beginning, the fact is, that "The
Men and Religion Forward Movement
Iis rapidly gaining the Commentator,
hearty approval, and personal co-opera-
Ition of the greatest men of the church,
East, West, North, and South. Men
who three or four months ago said
they did not feel as though they were
called upon to take hold of this new
lsenterprise, are today found among its
strongest advocates. The question may
reasonably be aked: How can such
a change be brought about in SO short
"a time? Two or three answers can be
|$given: ~, II: r
| First, the ideal of 1.-The Men and
Religion Forward Movement" lis SO vast
that countless thousands of men are
seeing in it a hope Of enlarged vision
for the men and boys Of these two ma
tions. North America is today flushed
with prosperity. Life is full of things
that make it charming and fascinat.
ing. No great hadow overhangs the
future. 1t takes only, a casual glance
at history to remember that such peri
DDS have not been times of greatest
permanent progress for either nations
Or individuals. North American life
needs an ideal that is vast enough
and compelling enough to demand the
best blood among it's men. Serious
men among us believe "The Men and
Religion Forward Movement" furnish
|es such a program. ~ $s5.,,,$
+, Second, "The Men and Religion For
ward Movement is one step more IN
the trend of the modern spirit of uni.
ty. Nowhere does the literature make
any reference to an attempt to consol-
idate, from an organic standpoint, the
Christian forces. Indeed, this is Meth
Eer directly nor indirectly thought to
be an essential part of the campaign.
Organic unifcation may or may not be
essential to the future of Christianity,
but the spirit Of unity is indispensable
and is being demanded from! every an
gle of the civilized world. There are
not a few men who profess to- believe,
In ::'The Men and Religion Forward
Movement" simpl because it de.
mands one more step in bringing.
Christian forces to a unit in their at
tack upon the problems Of world evan.
gelization. Fl w - * ~ g5ff:a s
Third, the men and Religion For.
ward Movement" has tremendous, an,
pealing power in its whole plan BY
reason of the unusual preparations
running throughout the whole scheme
to- conserve the results and thoroughly
link them to: the life Of the local
church. At the very inception: OF the
strong committee has been
appointed charged with the definite re-.
sponsibility Of outlining methods that
will make the movement Of lasting
permanent value. The Conservation
Day is announced for April 28, 1912,
at which time the men Of every church
in North America are to be- called upon
to meet in their own churches to make
permanent plans for specialized work
among men and boys. At a recent
meeting Of the committee held in New
York, the most conspicuous report was
the report Of this committee, which is
now IN active service six. months be-:
fore the campaign begins. \ I. Isl
Fourth, 1.-THE Men and Religion For.
ward Movement Is unique III It's ef.
fort to bring into action all of the
greater elements that ought, to be In
the working curriculum Of every
church. There have been evangelistic
campaigns, Bible rallies, and mission
airy emphases for the propagation OF
each il turn. These will and ought to
occur again, but never before has any
one movement proposed to 4 display
them all upon one platform. This
ideal is 50 vast that its daring has ILL.
Voked sympathy and cooperation from
many herwise Indifferent men.
FIFTH, The Men and Religion For
ward Movement Ii back to the
Church appeal. NotWith standing the
elements nioned and many others
that might be named, without doubt tie
one outstanding reason for this a IN.
usual interest and co operation may be
n r,l, III 4, ~ u y Il. +. -