The Washington herald., 1911-01-23

| Six hundred Chicago business and pro-
fesSional men met at a banquet IN the
Auditorium Hotel last Thursday night.
concluding the all-day session Of the
committee of ninety-seven, which is pro-
noting what is known as '-Tbe men and
religion forward movement" The sum Of
$4,000 was subscribed to finance the cam
paign, which is in its formative stages,
and more was promised if needed.
! Something OF sensation was caused
| by the after-dinner speech of Fred B..
| Smith. Of New York and Washington,
executive secretary OF the committee Of
| ninetyscven, who declared that unless
steps Of a corrective character are taken
at once a high school scandal, involving
the morality or our boys and girls, will
shock the nation from coast to coast"
As previously reported in The Washing
Herald, Washington. through its Pastors
Federation and the Federation Of Lay
men, is one OF the cities slated for an
eight-day convention under the auspices
of The men and religion forward move
ment.
Even a curso-y look at the programmes
| of such bodies as the National Educa-
tional Association. the Religious Educa-
tonal Association (Which meets next
| month in Providence and the Society
| for the Promotion of Moral Education
| with headquarters at Baltimore) would
! convince one that more attention must
DC paid to this important phase of the
| training Of our youth.
| What the committee of ninety-seven is
Ireally seeking To do in promoting this
| campaign is. in the language of the feso-
lutions adopted at Buffalo last October
| TO bring to bear upon the men and boys
| OF the country the moral instruction of
| the Holy Scriptures by systematic and
| daily study, and to continue and increase
| the emphasis of the Christian religion as
the one and only hope of the world to
| make it more effective in contributing
| through the church to tn chest life of the
| continent. socially. politically. CONNER
cially. and physically
Laymen on Committee
Almost all of the ninety-seven men
who met in Chicago on Thursday and
selected upward Of 100 cities in which re-
Hgious conventions are to be held are
laymen. The number of cities whose
people desired conventions under their
auspices far exceeded the number that
present plans could take care Of Plans
are being made on a large scale and
while not all demands may be complied
WAN, IlIduy conventions TO be
held as can be handled effectively The
preliminary campaign. which is techn-
cally known as the period of prepara-
ton is now on, and will continue until
next September. The real campaign
itself is to go forwad from September,
1911. to May, 1912, in eight-day services
in the great centsrs OF popula ton. If
ambitions are attained, even in part. the
movement is destined to be the greatest
II 80 liz III,
The scheme aims to increase the amount
Of downright. old-fashioned religion
among men and boys: a larger number
in the churches. larger number under
Bible instruction i'll Sunday schools
greater gifts of money to missions and
of volunteer workers for missions, closer
touch with all sorts of people along broad
social lineS-theSe are aims. and the
methods adopted to further them will ne
unique in the history of evangelism.
Teams of instructors. college fashion, go
ing from city to city. and losing neither
time nor expense. will be made UP of ex-
pertS in their respective lines. which in
clude evangelism, social service, labor.
the Bible, and the rest.
Men Scarce I'm Churchea.
Speakers before the committee at its
day session showed that there are 5000 200
more women and girls in the Christian
churches in North America than there are
men and boys THE great problem is to
reach the people in the cities" said James
G. Cannon. banker. OF New York City.
and chairman of the committee Of ninety
seven. There We have intensity Of living
that creates at the same time an intensity
Of relaxation, and there lies the danger.
The people of this nation are too pre-
occupied to pay the attention they should
to spirituality. The people of this nation
can be made to recognize the claim of the
Gospel only by a severe jar and that Is
what We propose to give them. We will
shake off some Of the spiritual lethargy
that has come with commercial life"
President Harry Pratt Judson. who pre-
sided at the banquet, declared that the
reason there was so small a proportion
of men in the churches to-day was that
church to be done. THAT is the sole rea- |
son why there are so few men in the !
church. We must have less emotion and |
more business and action he urged.
If this movement is to be judged by |
the bigness of the men who are now
being held responsible for the whole |
thing, there is every reason for conserva- |
tive critics to expect real results. As
types of the ninety-seven men of this |
committee. to take two who hail from the |
Middle West both residents of the State |!
of MissourfJudge Selden P. Spencer, of |
st. Louis, and r. A. Long, Of Kansas /
City. There are many others Just like |
these men on the list-business and pro-
fessional men-all busy as Americans are, 1
but ready to give some spare time to |
the task Of helping others. The number |
of men in this busy world of, America |
willing to do this sort of thing has in
creased nightly within the past five |
years, it is said.
Mr.. Long Well Known.
Mr.. Long belongs to that large and 1
active Middle West body called ''Chris-
tians. or Disciples of Christ" There il |
a big building IL Kansas City bearing 1
his name, a name that is known all 1
over the Middle West region, both in
business and religious ways. Every lead
er among the Disciples Of Christ knows
who and what he is, and what he has /
done, and Is stiTl willing to do. He wants /
TO help disciples to do larger things. and
known for his lumber yards. which, like
the whole lumber business, is managed
h just the way one would not expect
It to be. But that Is neither here nor
there. Lots Of things are succeeding on.
lines that one would not imagine would
30 at all.
Judge Spencer il ont Of once now. but
very much In the law and very much insl
and religious affairs. at least
during such time AZ he can SPARE. He |