The Irish standard., 1913-11-08
SUCCESSFUL OPENING
OF PRO-CATHEDRAL

OF PRO-CATHEDRAI
Continued from page ~
God in unheard, unhonored, forgotten!
The mystery 1t Is of blindness OF eye
or hardness Of heart!
Above all creatures reigns the Gre.
ator; above all other duties primes the
duty OF divine worship. Master,
said q doctor Of the law, which 10 the
greatest commandment Of the law?'
And Jesus answered: Thou shal,
love the Lord thy God with thy whole
heart, and with thy whole soul, and
with thy whole mind. This is the
greatest and tho Arst commandment
Other commandment there are: the
greatest and the nrst is that which
bids us worship God; other duties fall
into secondary place. More yet, the
greatest and the first thrown to the
Winds. the foundation orumbles be-
meath other duties. Why, We logically
aslr, the observance Of secondary dut-
les, when tho chief duty u deemed
undessrving Of attsoion7
h b q NO avail to repeat: Smith
u the best q fellows. diligent in bust
nsss. Z Kind husband or father. and
IN politics anxious to vote for what he
believes t. be the best interests Of the
oountxy.' Smith may bs ell that a
hRandred times over: he fails in the e.
ssnttal duty, the worship Of the AL
mighty God. OF no avail to recount
the many private and public virtues a
sczutinising eye II able to discern In
smith. t1ss many aets Of benevoience
80 .azust put to his credit, tho high
md disinterestsd patriotism Of which
b hAs been the willing actor. Virtues
may be there, never more noble; deeds
nay be tbsrs, never moro gh-minded
- moro oo0sptcuous. But when the
Mt Of duties II read out before the
6ibunal Of eternal Justice, the chief
Duty for which man - responsible
enaith has neglected, the chief deed IN
mans obligatory activity Smith has
lset undoos. Fellowmen may have
bssn served: God has been neglected,
r not despised.
I Tue service Of humanity properly
ordered, properly intentioned, merits
approval and praise. Approval and
praise We gladly accord. But in it's
best form, the service Of humanity is
always . secondary duty. The great
est, the first commandment Is the wor-
ship Of God. The service Of humanity.
10 the exclusion Of the service of God,
|s the profession that humanity is the
I'll in all: it is the enhancement Of
humanity upon the pedestal of the
aiety; it is the denial Of the sinatic
mandate: II am the Lord thy God
Thou shalt not have strange gods be.
'ore Me-"
To induce Smith, "the average
notwithstanding American" to go to
church, the writer in the Atlantic
proposes remedies-the prin-
cipal that churches transform them
selves into institutes Of social better
mont, whittier crowds will be attracted
BY popular eloquence, dramatics, con-
csFt1 picture shows, whence influences
win 30 forth into the outer world in
works ot benevolsnce and human up
Iiet. The writer notes with special
Emphasis the results obtained by
Of this kind through Saliva
Hon Army homes'' and 'social SETTLE
such a. flourish in our larger
rites. and Expresses the hope that
hare u to be seen the forerunner Of
ths Christian church Of the future.
A. to service done to humanity, as
sursdsy I raise no objection. Service
70 humanity 10 intimately linked with
the woTship Of God; it Is a conse-
qusnos Of this worship. He who bows
10 God loves and serves his neighbor
In obedience to Gods commandment,
But BY itself tho love Of the neighbor
p always and ever tho second com.
naaasdmsnt: never at it's highest flight
doso It q can 1t make amends for tho
sbosuos Of obedience to the first;
nsvsr. IN it, most fruitful blossomings,
does 4 or can It leave guiltless the
man who tossets his duty to God.
Nor shan rebuke the use of sub
stdiasy methods to draw men to the
church, provided those methods be in
al ways legitimate and in harmony
with the great purpose to be held In
view. the worship Of tho Almighty God.
It 10 all in vain to bring men to the
church. II, when they are there Cad