The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-30
URGES CHURCH
To SAVE POOR
Rev. Charles Stelzle Says Send
ing Them to Country Is
Not Wise Expedient.
MONEY SENT ABROAD is
NEEDED HERE AT HOME
One Denomination Sells Meet
ing House and Sends Pro-
ceeds to Missions.
BY D. v. FRANCIS.
Leased Wire 10 The Tribune.

By Leased Wire to The Tribune.
NEW YORK, April 29.-What is to
be the relation of the church to the
social unrest which is so marked a
feature of the twentieth century do
velopmcnt?
This is g. question which merits a
great deal more attention than 1t Is
receiving at the hands Of church people.
One Of the men who does recog-
niZe it's vital Importance and seeks with
all his might to impress upon his fell
lows the necessity for its consideration
is the Rev. Charles StelZle, superin-
tendent of the Presbyterian department
Of church and labor. Mr.. Stelzle says:
ffThe recent census returns indicate
that the city will eventually dominate
the nation. Whereas the country as
whole increased 81 per cent in popula-
tion during the past ten years the
cities of 5000 and over increased 90
per cent, while the population in the
country districts is steadily diminish
ing. The city must solve its own prob
lens. 1t is folly to imagine that we
may send the city's poor to the coun-
try, hoping that the country will do
for us what we have failed to do for
ourselves.
"It is most significant fact that
the church is slowly but surely losing
ground in the city, where the masses
of people live. If the city is to dom
mate the nation and if the church
continues TO lose in the city it does
not require prophet to foretell the
inevitable result for the churches. 1t
means that they will become waning
influence.
No Nationality in Religion.
An attempt has been made to JUS
tlfv the surrender of the churches in
lower New York by the statement that
lower New York is inhabited exclusive
ly by foreigners. This is not true; but
suppose it were. We have been in
sisting that our gospel is universal
gospel, but by our removal from lower
New York we are confcssing that this
gospel is effective for the foreigner
only when it is exported to his native
land, and that it is of no value when
that foreigner comes to so.called
Christian country.
GA church sold its property in lower
New York, because there were too
many foreigners in the neighborhood
and then sent the proceeds to the board
of foreign missions.
is our gospel applicable TO the
needs of the crowd or is its effective
ness diminished as the tenements in
creaSe2 Can it give relief from the
human woes Of the masses or must
they look to the agitator outside the
church for dcliverance7
"These are questions which the chhurch
must frankly answer, for there are
other forces which are challenging the
church for supremacy in the hearts Of
the people.
Principal among them is socialism
The Socialists in lower New York are
conducting more open air meetings than
all of the Protestant churches in the
city combined. They arc going after
the people as the church has never
dreamed Of doing Their literature far
surpasses the literature of the church,
1t can be read and understood by the
man on the street
Workers Naturally Religious.
The spirit of democracy among the
people is one Of the most significant
signs of the times. For many years the
people f06gs Tor. religious democracy,
and they won, Then, for 400 years,
they shed their blood upon many a bat
tie field as they struggled for poIit-
ical democracy. and they conquered. To
day they are fighting the battle for in
dustrlal democracy and no human
power can stop their onward march.
'fUnderlyInp this sDirif IF social I'm