The Washington herald., 1912-06-09
WHAT'S THE MATTER
WITH THE CHURcHP'
Dean Hodges says Something Has
Always Been Wrong, But that
ThinEv Are BETTER To-day.

1N@- A~S@2~8 49, eeeA~NN--~-@
Always Been Wrong, But that
Things Are Better To-day.
Recently the Rev. Dr.. George Hodges
dean OF the Episcopal Theological School.
at Cambridge, delivered a sermon IN an
sEer to the question, whats the mat
ter with the ehurch7'
There has always been something the
matter with the church. and there al
ways win be, to the end OF time, be-
cause the purpose OF the church Is 10
realize IDEALS" declared Dean Hodges-
The church Is trying TO establish
heaven here on earth. Il Is endeavoring
to secure and maintain the rule Of God
over the lives OF men. And Il interprets
the rule Of God as governing not only
the words and deeds, but the very
thoughts and souls OF men. Such pur-
pose can never be completely accomp-
lished.
''The lower aims Of the church have
been easily and splendidly achieved
again and again. II has built magnin-
cent sanctuaries, and worshiped God
with stately worship. and gathered the
people In great multitudes. II has con-
trolled kings. and directed the policies
Of nations. But the higher aims Of re-
ligion-the transformation Of character
AuG DL the VI ~
man brotherhood, the making OF saints
these changes come on slowly.
Human Nature Ever the Same.
They come on slowly because the
church is dealing with human nature.
II is working in a world Of men and
women. all OF whom are subject 70
strong temptations, and most OF whom
are as difficult 70 change as the laws
Of the Medes and Persians. And the
workers themselves are discouragingly
liable to error; they blunder in judg-
ment: with the best intentions they are
In part ignorant as to what they ought
to do, and in part weak 20 do what they
ought even when they know It. The
everlasting matter with the church Is
the presence in II Of the disturbing and
opposing factor Of human nature.
But there are two things 10 be re-
membered: One is that the church
shares this condition with every other
effort to help men.
What is the matter with the law?
Wise men have been engaged during
these many centuries In the endeavor
to establish right and justice But right
and justice are not established. The first
page Of every morning paper proclalms
the manifold failure Of the law. It Is
daily defied, in spite OF the police. And
there is an organized revolt against the
whole system Of government, under the
name of socialism. The energies OF So
cialism are largely occupied in answer
ing the question, What Is the matter
with the law?'
What is the matter with medicine?
Wise men have been contending with
disease since the world began. They
have made progress in that long conten-
tion. They have repelled the ancient in
vasion OF the plague. But how mighty
are the old enemies Of the bodies Of men
In the face Of all the strength Of medi
cine, nobody knows so well as the doc
tor. unless It be the patient And there
is an organized revolt against the whole
practice OF medicine, In the shape OF
Christian Science. What is the matter
with medicine. that these earnest peo-
pie are SO bitter against?
That is one thing TO be remembered:
that whatever Is the matter with the
church, its situation IS in no way Pc
euIiar 1t does but share the criticisms
which are addressed 70 all other en-
deavors after social welfare.
And the other thing Is this: That
there has never been a time In the long
history OF the church when there was 20
little the matter with IL as there is to-
day. They are mistaken observers OF the
state OF religion who still repeat the old
prOverb. The days are prolonged, and
every vision faileth.' The true proverb
for our time is The days are at hand,
and the effect Of every vision
Decline of Candidates.
The complaint is made. indeed. that
there is a decline in the number of men
who are entering the ministry. There
might be such a decline 90 our advan-
l., -
pie are stagy aring under rne foolish bur
den OF the support Of three times as
many ministers as they can properly sf-
ford. The fact IS, however, that what
ever decline there was, stopped six years
ago. The annual report Of the president
OF the Carnegie Institution for the Ad-
vancement of Learning states that since
1906 the number Of men preparing for the
ministry has increased out of proportion
to the increase Of the population. Still
more important Is the fact that the quail
ity Of the men is as fine to-day as ever
il was
The complaint is also made that there
is a decline in the size Of the congrega-
ton They nave looked back with envy
to the days Of their fathers when all the
saints and all the sinners went to
church. But the truth is that the people
have never attended the services with
such unanimity and regularity as to sat
isfy the clergy. Chrysostom was so elo-
quent a preacher that We have forgot
ten his name and remember only the
praise which called him Chrysostom-
the man with the golden mouth; yet he
reproved his congregation for what he
accounted their indifference. They filled
the church, he says, at Christmas and
Easter. but there were empty seats on