Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-24
SOCIAL EFFICIENCY NEEDED
DR.. Pierce in Favor Of Freer Dis.
tribution of Literature.
MANY ADDRESSES DELIVERED
International Peace Will Be Dis
cussed at Meeting In Continental
Memorial Hall.

Davis Of San Francisco. president of the
twentyfourth annual conference of Uni
tartan churches at todays session. Mr..
Davis, Rev U. G. B. Pierce, pastor of
All Souls Church of this city, which
President Taft attends, and other promi-
nent ministers and laymen delivered ad-
dresses.
Mr.. Davis said that no church could
live on its past, that interest in dogma
was passing and that questions of social
service were taking its place.
"A great occasion for justice to the
helpless and dependent pervades the land
and the storm center of the movement is
outside the church." said he. The labor
unions, the universities, the conventions
of charity, the prison commission. a
thousand different clubs and societies or
ganized for the public welfare are dis
cussing these reform prOblemssand every
legislature adds to the code new laws for
preventing injustice and aiding the weak
The real life of the Unitarian Church
efficiency. and 1t is up to this conference
to mark out clearly what we can do"
Plea for More Literature.
In his report for the council of the
conference Rev. Dr.. Pierce made a plea
for more literature for the Unitarian
effort. At the present day. he declares,
the church should move along this line
with vigor and thus keep pace with other
denominations. He said the Unitarians
should give more attention to the ques-
tion Of attending services and also see
that the children are looked after more
closely than at the present time. The
instruction they get. he declared. should
be a matter of the deepest consideration.
The president of the Unitarian Sunday
School Society; Rev. w. l. Lawrence nee
more Sunday school workers. The
Beacon" the Sunday school paper of
the denomination. he declared, now has
IL 600 circulation among the children of
it is difficult to estimate the advance
which can be made IL 1t is improved
in each issue.
The Unitarian Church. he declared. now
has one field worker for Sunday school
have hfty-two and the Baptists and
Methodists also have q large number.
This. he said. Is conclusive evidence
that the Unitarians should wake up
and take deeper interest in this
branch Of the effort.
Those Who Spoke.
The list Of those making addresses
Emma C. Low. Brooklyn. N. Y. presi-
tartan Women: Rev. Dudley Hays Fer
National Young Peoples Religious
Union: Rev. Edgar S. Weirs. Mont
clair. n. J.. president Of the Uni
tartan Fellowship for Social Jus
tice; Rev. A. D. X; shurtleff. Boston.
ioty
York. secretary Of the Unitarian Lay
mems League. and Rev. DR.. s A. Ell
lfott. representing the International
Council Of Liberal Religious Workers
The session adjourned at 1 o'clock and
at o'clock this afternoon there will be
a meeting under the auspices Of the Ma
tional Religious Young Peoples Union.
At the same hour one OF the interesting
events of the conference will be held al
the Arlington Hotel, when a reception
will be given to vls members by the
National Alliance of Unitarian Women.
This evening at O'Clock in Cont-
mental Memorial Hall the general topic
Of the meeting will be international
Peace the list Of those to deliver ad-
dresses including Revs. Edward Cum
mings Of Boston, Jenkin Lloyd Jones of
Chicago and William &. Gannett of
Rochester.
Taft Is Praised.
President Taft was praised at the open
ing meeting of the conference last even
ing in All Souls Church. Rev. DIR. James
De Eormandie of Boston, who delivered
the sermon. declaring that the executive
has done more than any other TO promote
and spread the gospel OF peace.
He said that the world needs a wider
spread Of religion. which will aid the
peace movement immensely. Conditions
for world peace are more favorable now
than ever before he declared, even though
Europe is in a turmoil. Spain and Por-
tugal are at odds. Italy and Turkey
are at war. and Persia and China are
openly hostile.
Every great and earnest movement
said Mr. De -,ormandie. "can be directly
traced to the church. 1t is the great in
spirational body of the world
Prayerful consideration Of the problems
confronting the church was urged on
those in attendance, as. the speaker said
they are shortly to return to their
homes, where they must answer the criti-
cisms Of the skeptical, who assert that
the church Is at the present inefficient
and unable to cope with the practical
problems Of life as presented by the civ
ilization Of this century.
Rev. Walter Reid Hunt led the devo-
tional services Of the meeting, and pre-
sented DR. De Normande.