The Washington herald., 1911-10-01
NEWS OF THE CHURCHES
AND ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS

OF Harvard University, In a spirited de
fense Of The religion of the future,
responding in Boston to an attack b!
Prof. Benjamin Wisner Bacon, this week
said:
Twentieth century religion, gradually
perfected in this respect during the last
half of the nineteenth century, regards
human pain as an evil to be relieved and
prevented by the promptest means pos
sible, and by any sort Of available means
kphysical, mental, or moral; apd, thanks
ITO the progress of science, there is COM
paratively little physical pain nowadays
which cannot be prevented or relieved q
| Prof. Bacon has criticised Dr. Eliot's
| new religion on the ground that II does
not get to the bottom OF things. The
theory of evolution" says eProf. Bacon,
| has brought about only a dead religion,
a religion imposed from without and cast
| in the unchanging mOlds of the past. The
| Christianity advocated by DR.. Eliot un-
der the title of The religion of the
| future is like Beecher's fifty fathoms
of cable to sound 100 fathoms of water.
1t is good as far as it goes, but it does
not touch the bottom
| DR.. Eliot does not believe that the
religion of which he has spoken is in
need of a defense. He has not advo-
Gated a creed or a gospel; he has merely
made a prognostication. He says: The
religion of the future will not be bound
by dogma or creed; it's workings will be
simple, but it's field of action limitless.
Its discipline will be the training in the
development of cooperative good will.
There are now various fraternal bodies
which to many persons take the place
of a chruch; If they are working for
good they are helpful factors. Again.
different bodies Of people have set up
ne hVVf NLA NF
by the church.
The religion of the future will ap-
proach the whole subject Of an evil from
another side than that promised by
churches. The Breton sailor who had his
arm poisoned by a dirty fishhook which
had entered his finger made a votive Of
fering and prayed for a cure The work
man to-day who gets cut or bruised by
a rough or dirty instrument goes to a
surgeon. who applies an antiseptic and
prevents the poisoning.
That surgeon is one OF the ministers
of the new religion. The new religion
cannot supply the old sort of consolation
but II can diminish the need of consola-
tion reduce the number OF occasions
for consolation.
"A further change in religious think
ing has already occurred on the subject
Of pain. Pain was generally regarded as
either punishment or as a means of
expiation, vicariOus or direct"
The missionary convention OF the Dis
ciple churches of Maryland. Delaware,
and the District OF Columbia, held this
week at the Ninth Street Christian
Church. was one Of the largest and best
this society has ever held. The reports
of the work in the mission churches
were very encouraging. The Bible schools
churches n g. IA Shnurn
a good increase in attendance and mem
bership. The financial showing was very
encouraging. All bills were paid and there
IS a balance in the treasury of nearly $780,
Plans were perfected whereby both a
Bible school worker and an evangelist
will be put in the field to give their
whole time to the work next year. The
attendance at all the sessions of the
convention was very large and the peO-
pie were we'll cared for by the Ninth
Street Church The addresses were of a
very high order and all were pleased
with the work of the past year.
For some weeks past there has been
appearing in the columns of the South
ern Churchman. Of Richmond. Va. an ad-
vertiement wherin the vestry of Will
lam and Mary parish, St Mary County.
invite correspondence with a clergyman
ueSlFOuS OF SuCn a CndrSe as ne Will
find in that parish, the oldest in Mary
land we believe
This form of securing a rector is not
usual, and apparently. judging from the
length of time ii has been running, it |
is not very successful Bishop Harding |
could probably give several names from |
which happy selection might be made ,
The convention might do a good ser
vice in empowering the bishop to fill |
II
the vestry had failed to fill Especially !
should this be done where the parish is |
dependent on the missionary bounty of |
their fellOw-Churchmen.
AnaCostia churchmen are deeply inter- |
ested in the Sunday closing movement. |
At a meeting held this week in the |
parish hall of Emmanuel Church, Rev !
W. G. Davenport. rector, it was an
nounced that every church in AnacostIa
v as in sympathy with the movement
and would lend its aid.
A committee to further the cause, con-
sisting of representation of each |
has been formed and is now at
work
A Sunday school institute will convene
in Hyattsville on October %, at which
the Bishop PinCkney Memorial Church
Rev. Henry Thomas, rector, will be rep
resented. There will be two sessions, one
from to 6 o'clock and the other from
7:30 to Q o'clock, the second session to
be preceded by supper The institute will
be representative of all schools from
Laurel to the District line. Each minis
Ter has been given two subjects and will
nominate two speakers.
The Theological Seminary of Virginia,
ocated near Alexandria, which supplies
so many of our churches with able and
aithful pastors, opened its doors on We'd
lesday last for its eighty ninth session.
On the same day the Episcopal High
school. which is also located on Semi
lary Hill, opened its doors for its sew
,nty-second year. This school has been
likewise a great helper of the church.
The second semi-annual meeting of the
of Concordia EvongelicaI
lutheran Church will be. held in the
.hapel of the church, Twentieth and G
treets, on Sunday, October l, immediate ,
y after the morning services. /
The West Virginia Methodist Episco-
'al conference, and the West Virginia !
Iaymens convention. assemble at 1
Charleston on next Wednesday. Two l
hundred and fifty preachers and two
hundred and fifty laymen compose these
Bishop J. R. Berry. LII. ,,
J., of Buffalo. n. Y, will preside. The }
ID 1