The Washington herald., 1911-06-18
THE TREND OF THINGS

Concluding a review OF the forces which
have contributed to the steady growth Of
what DR.. Lyman Abbott calls '.the Amer
the Outlook makes another striking argu-
ment for unity" He says:
I'VE have learned the lesson Of reIi-
gious liberty. The Roman Catholics and
the Protestants no longer persecute one
another. Not only that, they no longer
wish to persecute one another. Increas-
ingly Roman Catholics are glad that
there are Protestants in the country.
Increasingly, Protestants are glad that
there are Roman Catholics in the coun-
Try. About a hundred and fifty years ago
a Scotch Presbyterian stonemason was
excommunicated for helping to build an
Episcopal church Presbyterians and
EpiscopaIians now worship peacefully
within the sound of each others church
bells
"But while we have learned the lesson
of religious liberty, we have yet to learn
the lesson of religious cooperation. How
in a country where sordid interests are
so powerful, where vice is often ram
pant where capital tyrannizes over la
Dor and labor wars against capital, where
the politician eagerly asks to be corrupt
ed and private interests are eager to cor
rupt him-how in such a country all
Christians can cooperate in common
effort for reverence toward God and hu-
manity toward man, for the religion that
is doing justly, loving mercy, and walk
ing humbly with God, is a problem
which We have yet to solve
THE work of the Christian church in
this twentieth century in America is not
theological; it is sociological 1t is not
simply teaching the truth that God is
our Father which is in heaven; it is
teaching the truth that all we are breth-
ren. 1t is true that each new generation
must be taught the Fatherhood of God,
and incoming immigrants, unemancipat-
ed from the dominion of superstitious
fear, must be taught that God is to be
loved with the perfect love which casts
out fear. But the great work of the
Christian church of to-day is of a differ
ent kind. Its divine call is to understand
what Christ means by the declaration,
All ye are brethren and to show by
teaching and by practice how black race
and white race, foreign and native Amer
ican, Jew and Christian, Roman Catho-
lie, Protestant and agnostic, employer
and employed, wise and ignorant, virtu-
Gus and vicious, can live together in one
brotherhood, founded on mutuality of
respect and bound together by mutually
of service, in nation conceived in lib
erty and dedicated to the proposition
that all men are equal
Men and Religion Movement.
Big things are planned for the men
and religion" movement in Washington
during the coming winter. Recognition
Day." observed last Sunday, was merely
the prelude TO the large work which will
be carried out here. From now until
September "a the work will be done
mainly in the committees already ap-
pointed.
Preparations will be matured for Rally
Day." September "a next, when the
campaign will be started in earnest On
November l, F. ]. Nichols, of Dayton,
Ohio, a specialist in religious work for
men, will come to Washington and man.
age the campaign during the fall and
winter, remaining here until April
Washington will be visited by a com
mittee of experts January @, 1872
There are three such committees con-
nected with the men and religion" for |
ward movement. Each is composed of |
eight men who are experts in their par
ticular line of religious promotion, evan
gelism, boys work, music-as the case
may be.
Fred B. Smith. campaign leader. has
just returned from England, where he
has met with success in interesting some