The Detroit times., 1911-02-21
HUMANITY MUST
HAVE RELlCION'
Laymen's Missionary Movement Indi.
Gates Response to Cnrist's Leader
ship, Declares Bishop Williams.

Probably mo religious communion
has shown greater evidences OF the
newer spirit OF organized Christianity
than the Protestant Episcopal church.
The battle fought out in the Baltimore
convention showed conclusiyely that
the progressives were in control ana
that the spirit OF modern Christianity
was to express itself I'm this infiuen-
tial religious body
The recent Cincinnati congress only
emphasized the conclusions formed as
the result OF the Baltimore gathering.
And strange 10 relate the house OF
bishops was the more progressive OF
the two branches OF the convention
the bishops and the laymen. IL VIII
be remembered that j. Pierpont Nor
gan established q fund OF $lOO,OOo
looking toward a closer fellowship
among the evangelical Christians.
Compare this with the spirit OF ten
or twenty years ago In this commur
ion and one can appreciate the very
marked change that has come into the
spirit and councils OF this great
church.
One of the most influential and broad
minded and eyhngelistic of all that
great body was our own Bishop Charles
ID. Williams. Day by day In his TEL
lowship with his brethren OF other de
nominations he Is showing a beautiful
spirit that expresses itself In his atti-
tude toward the several great interde-
nominational movements like the Lay
mems Missionary Movement and the
Men and Religion Movement which
are sweeping the country with mighty
power
What is the significance of the
Laymen's Missionary Movement which
has been sweeping over this country
during the past year," Bishop VIII
liams was asked.
TT seems TO me 10 indicate, first,
new response to the spiritual leader
ship of Jesus Christ In the extension
of His Kingdom throughout the
world" said the bishop.
And, second, the awakening OF the
Christian church generally to the new
and marvellous world conditions that
confront us in the dawn OF this twen-
tieth century"
What do you mean by New world
conditions?
II mean this: That at the beginning
of the last century the world was a
fragmentary world, so to speak.
There was little sense of common
humanity throughout the various races
OF mankind. Nations were isolated
one from another. China dwelt Sc
curely within her great wall. Japan
barred every port OF entry against
al h< ~ . 1n nRIA A fxfn q
an unexplored continent. Only a few
venturesome pioneers went forth to
explore the unknown regions in the
interests of commerce. science, the
gospel of Christ or inspired by the
mere spirit OF adventure. And they
found every door locked and barred.
To-day the whole situation Is
charged. Every bar Is down. Every
door Is wide open. The ships of COM
meree, plying back and forth across
seas, like shuttles. are weaving all the
nations into a web of common human
ity and mutual interdependence
Telegraph lines by land and cables un-
der sea stretch everywhere like world
nerves, giving US a new world-con-
sciousness and constituencies You
J cannot touch the human race any
where today without all the rest OF
mankind feeling and responding to
the touch. A furry In stocks cannot
take place In Toxic without Wall.st
Immediately sensing IL. The Bubonic
plague cannot prevail in Calcutta or
Hardin without San Francisco and
New York declaring quarantine
against It. Unexplored Africa is now
hunting ground for our ex-presi-
dents. The only remote and inacces-
sible spot left on the globe, the only
place where one can take summer
vacation secure against the newspa-
Per, the telegraph and the pressure
OF the worlds life, Is the plateau of
Thibet. And even that is being open
ed up to the world"
what are the most salient results
of these new world conditions?,
II should say they are two. First,
a remarkable unification Of the hui
man race. We sometimes talk of our
own country as "the melting pot"
wherein various races are being fused
and amalgamated. AS matter OF
fact, the whole world Is today one
vast melting pot. In every city on
: the globe you will find representatives
Of almost every race and nation. SOL
diers, sailors, traders, administrators,
educators, missionaries, men OF every
sort commingled in one common mass
of humanity, No one race or people
can any longer maintain itself in iso-
lation. and declare quarantine against
the rest of humanity. We must touch
and share in all that We have and are
our blessings and our curses, our best
and our worst.