The Washington herald., 1913-08-30
NEWS AND COMMENT.

NEWS AND OOMlWENl.
z The bill in the English Parliament pro
posing the disestablishment of the church
In Wales has been again rejected on tht
ground of injury to the whole established
church. 1t was pointed out that II the
church in Wales were dismembered II
would be followed by the disestablish'
ment Of the Church of England as a
whole. II this were accomplished every
parish in England would be deprived Of
four-fifths of its property and the CLERGY
of about a fourth of their stipend. The
act of disestabIishment was asked in the
name of nationality, but 1t was main-
tained in the debate on the subject that
the church in Wales was the only ma
tionaI institution Wales possessed. and
its history went back beyond that of
thrones and Parliaments."
A law of moral character, calculated 20
have definite moral effect. is that passed
by the Washington State Legislature, and
known as "the lazy husband law" Its
purpose is to make men support their
families. Amy one who chooses to make
a complaint of neglect may take into
court the person regarded as neSlectful.
Penalties include Imprisonment with hard
labor, the proceeds to go TO the family
In case of men who do not want to work
and will not, the law may have a whole
some effect, but in the case of willing
men who cannot get work to support
their families, the course indicated is to
provide work without Imprisonment as a
necessity to obtain work.
Some discussion Is taking place over Il
resolution of convention of a Catholic
association which took exception recent
ly to the hymn America" as a national
anthem. The exception was taken on the
ground that the Land of the Pilgrims
pride" was not altogether represented ac-
Curatcly by the hymn. and the tune was
taken from 4 land with which the coun-
try had twice been 1T war Exception
has also been tal-en to this hymn from
Protestant source" u.I the ground that il
is provincial having reference principally
to New England. The Catholic cOnven-
tion preferred The star SpangleG Ban
ner" as the national anthem. writer
in America is authority for the state
n'ent that the mUsiS Of Tho Star Span
gled Banner cumc originally from Ire
land
An Fl isr"puI clergyman nf the mission
ary Cistri,t Of Western Colorado ISSUES
an Op,n letter in The Living Church TO
the National RUard OF Censorship Of mo-
tiCn picture films, calling attention to th-
invarip BE Use Of the sun and gun play
in depicting life in the West. 1t is pointed
out that such pictures are untrue. The
clergyman states that he has lived for
Years in the West, and. except in remote
corners Of the the then Indian Territory.
has never seen 4 gun toted.' much less
Used as the picture film" would indicate.
He intimateS that there is more gun
play in New York than on the plains of
the West. He points out that mischief
is done 20 ;hc impressionab!e minds of
the young, who see the gun-play type OF
ttlm. which has its part in developing tine
gun san-s Of the city. The clergyman
asks that the gun film be disarmed.
A sane evangelism is the greatest
question now before the churches. aC-
Cnrding Ia the opinion of the Rev. w H.
Skeels. secretary Of the general cOnven-
ton Of the Gniyersalist churches. which
il to meet in October. He holds that in
any town OF l0,OJC. where there is no lib
cral church there is opportunity with
the Ii-ht kind OF minister and the funds
But where the really great task is TO be
found is in the saving Of rural churches
from extinction. The fate of these
churches. ne points out. is bound up in
the whole social tendency OF the times"
The demand is for an evangelism that
builds surely and truly. The type and
method Of evangelism that has become
customary has ceased to have vitality.
In a special cable 10 the New York
Times. it is announced that the Pope has
published condemnation of the philos-
Cphy of Henri Bergson. as outlined in his
book, Creative Evolution" His Holi-
ness says:
In the presence of the false theories
Of this new Bergsonian philosophy. which
seeks to shatter grand fundamental prin-
Ciples and truths, it is necessary to un-
mask the poisonous error of phiIosophic
modernism 1t is tine more destructive
because il is suEar-coated, subtle and Sc
iuctive in nature"
VI. Bergson announces that he will re-
ply to the Vatican in a series of winter
lectures in Paris.
In church journals is going on criti-
cism Of current magazine fiction in which
also some daily papers have Joined.
America, the weekly Catholic review, has
frequently pointed out the moral danger
of suggestive stories that creep into the
pages of magazines of popular type The
Charleston News and Courier editorially
advises that the Postoffice Department
should read a few current magazines.
The Baptist Standard OF Chicago reports
that the demand on the part of fiction
readers is for something lively" The
general comment is that this sort of lit
erature creates a tickle, fictitious, and
demoralizing moral atmosphere.
The degree to which the spirit Of fra
ternity is modifying or breaking down
prejudicial feeling is illustrated in the
success of the Cosmopolitan Clubs or
"Corda Fratres'' among students, whose
eighth international congress is now in
session at Cornell University. These
clubs are found in English. German,
French universities, and other European
educational centers, as well as in Japan
and China. In the United States over
thirty clubs have been formed, the larg-
est being at Cornell University. Any
person from any country, regardless Of
creed, color. religious or political aftilia-
ton, is eligible to membership.
The idea grew out of the former atti-
tude toward foreign students in uni
versfty. No matter how good a standard
a foreigner may have in character, con-
duct. and scholarship, there was little
readiness to concede his equality in the
student body. In order to overcome this
preiudice and to introduce spirit of in
fernationalism the Cosmopolitan Club
was organized The idea Of a clubhouse