The Washington herald., 1912-07-27
The Trend OF Things

Churches are taking steps. through
their official agencies. to establish train
ling schools for laymen. The laymen. on
their own account, are also making sim
lilar moves. The Southern Presbyterian
Assembly named a committee to draw
up courses of study and encourage syn
DDS to plan classes. Their aim is to
make the schools continuous throughout
/ the wear, but as q beginning the first
summer school in the Southern Church
has Just closed its successful session at
jackson, inaugurated there by the
Synod of Mississippi.
The purpose Of these schools Is to make
more effective the larger interest now
held by laymen. In a few cases It Is
contemplated to pay trained men who
as leaders, but the governing idea is
that those who are trained in these
schools shall be lawyers. bank clerks,
professional. and other business men,
who give their spare time, or some part
| Of Il, without salaries. These schools, as
far as they have gone. give instruction
along all lines. as missions, Bible study,
boys work. social service. and evangel-
ism, and thus. II is held, will do much
to batter down the narrowness which
usually obtains when one line Of work
only is fostered.
Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran. and
Congregational bodies are leading thus
far in this lay instruction. Some OF these
bodies are employing the method recon-
mended by the new school at Nashville,
where It is contemplated to train sal
aried lay readers for work throughout
the South. More are. however. advo-
eating the endowment of chairs In these
subjects named, as many as possible in
each, and then sending teachers from
city to city, a month or three months
at a place, as the need may be, TO IN
struct local teachers and workers. The
notion prevails that the churches are on
the eve of a tremendous development OF
strength through the utilization. after
training in these schools, OF volunteer ana
unofficial lay help. The schools are 10
be for both women and men, but many
Of them have men chiefly In view.
Two Washington pastors who Will at
tend the General Conference Of Christian
Workers at Northfield. August to Is, are
Rev. James T Marshall, D. D., OF West
Street Presbyterian Church, and Rev. b.
d. Cav, of West Washington Baptist
Church.
Missionaries reporting on conditions In
Porto Rico, growing out of the bubonic
plague, express confidence in the govern
the cleaning-up process will in the long
run prove a good thing for Porto Ricans,
and, second. that Americans at home help
the people OF the island to establish hos
pitfalls TO care for the sick, and schools to
teach, among other subjects. how 10 Sc
cure sanitation and keep well. So far
none save native Porto Ricans have been
attacked. and the plague is confined
chiefly to San Juan. and to one OF the
poorest sections of the city.
Baptists report the losses Of one church.
which had to be demolished in the cru
sade against rats. A tent must be pro-
vided or the congregation will have no
place TO worship new church is need
ed at a cost Of $1,000. The work is under
direction of the American Baptist Home
Missionary Society. The American Mis-
sionary Association reports DELAY in
building a much needed hospital because
OF lack of funds. The new structure.
now more needed than ever. is to be To-
Gated at Rumacao.
Presbtyerians have two hospitals. one |
at Santurco, the other at Mayaguez.
They state that congregations have been
much affected by the fright So have |
some Of their schools Episcopalians
have a hospital at Ponce, too far away !
to be much used in the present emer- |
gency, and their chief congregation at |
San Juan has been almost annihilated
because of people fleeing from the city. |
Others having work there are Methodists |
Disciples, Lutherans. and Friends. Soma
religious bodies are sending $4,000 a year !
of American money into the island. |
Roman Catholics have six hospitals. one /
of them the municipal in San Juan,
where Sisters of Charity are in the |
midst Of the present plague. The Amer
lean Bible Society colporters report their
work interfered with through bad trans
portatioa because Of the plague.