The copper era., 1911-10-20
God Of FASHION ByRev. George R. Lockwood Pastor of Glenolden Congregational
 Church. Philadelphia

| There has never been c period in the | worlds history that humanity has not l worshiped some sort of idols. You 1 can't read the Old Testament without having your heart pained; when you l see how Israel was continually turn | ing away from God, and placing some | thing in their hearts that ought to 1 have been occupied by God himself. | Well, now exactly the same thing has 1 been true in every age and amongst 1 every people. There is a strong ten l dency in the mind and heart of hu- manity to reach out and lay hold upon {! something and put it in the place ! that belongs only to God.
 The first strange god that is amongst us is the Fashion" This whole subject of dress Is a very inter- esting one. I always claim that 1t 1 takes more brains to build a dress than it takes to build house-and it takes brains to build a house. What I mean by that is, 1t takes brains to build a dress that, in certain sense, | bef1ts the individual that is being clothed It doesn't take any brains to reach your arm across to Paris and lug over here some fashion across the
 
 there are comparatively few people who seem to have the happy faculty of building a dress&ha just meets their own individuality. Such dress as 1 just fits you in every sense of the wOrd-a dress that is the expression of your own mind and your own soul that is an exceedingly hard thing.
 What Is the result of this thraldom sl.k kI.Hz There is a decentralization and de- moraliZation that is going on in our American life; it Is enough to pain anybody deeply. I can't quite under stand why America should reach across the ocean and bring her fash ion from Paris.
 If there Is one city on the face of Gods earth that is any lower down in perdition than another, it is Paris. And why should we be enslaved to Paris for our fashion? In every other respect we claim to stand on our own feet; why can't America stand on her own feet when it comes to the subject of dress? It seems to me there are brains enough in this country to ere ate a fashion for ourselves and to break loose from the slavery of for eign country.
 But that is net the sad part of it all. I wonder if you realize the terrible extravagance that Is associated with this one phase of our American life? l wonder if you can bring before your minds the untold number of homes that are simply wrecked; or, picture the hearts that are broken because of this terrible slavery. namely-the slavery of America to this god of ''fashion?"
 Let me illustrate. Here is a girl she is brought up in a comparatively poor home; she has not had any eX perience in holding money in her own hands; she marries a comparatively poor young man, and they go and start q home for themselves. When he comes back from his first week. he puts his wages ill her hands. She has had no experience in the use of mon ey; and what does she do? Almost the first thing she does is to rush out into a great city, lose herself in one of these big stores and instead of bring ing home something that is going to make the whole atmosphere of that house rich and beautiful she brings home something that is absolutely worthless to herself.
 She spent her money foolishly.. and because the money is simply thrown away the home is wrecked and hearts are broken.
 The second strange god to which I desire to call your attention is the idol of education" What is the ideal education? Some people say it is knowledge; some say it is success; others say character and personality. In the eyes of a great many people education is that which fits one to make success in terms of money; but that is not my own ideal of education. It Is that which fits US to serve our God and to serve our humanity. and anything that units us for the service of God and humanity-caH it by any name you will. but don't call it edu- cation
 One of the perils of the east today is that education is being translated in terms of dollars and cents. instead of in terms of character and personal ity What is one of the secrets of the great success of the west? It is education, and education of the right sort, too.
 The third strange god that l want to speak about is the god of 'amuse- ment" Amusement is a good thing; it is a safety valve. don't know what we would do with our nervous temperament, here in America, if it were not for amusements. l love to see people enjoy themselves, especial ly after a strenuous week of hard work But amusements ought never to be an end; it ought always to be a means to an end, and that end must fit into the purpose of God and the wei fare of mankind.
 The real test as to whether an amusement is right or wrong is this: If it creates in our hearts a disIaste