The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-04

Thackeray with a stroke II his In
imitable sarcasm seems to sound the
keynote Of the >Church's attitude thus
far toward this great and au-impor-
FAINT question when he wrotes: II have
long gone about with the conviction
on INV mind that had work to do
q work with q great w, il you ike; q
purpose to fulfil; q great social evil
to discover and to remedy. That con-
viction has pursued me Tor years. II
has dogged me in the busy street;
seated itself by me In the lonely study;
logged my elbow as 1t lifted the Wine
cup at the Festive board; pursued me
through the maze OF Rotten Row; fol-
Lowed me in Tar lands. On Brighton's
Ghinrly Beach, or Margate's Sand, the
Voice outpiped the roaring OF the sea;
It nestles in my nightcap and whis-
pers, Wake, slumberer. thy work Is
\ not vet done BY moonlight, In the
4 Coliseum, the sedulous voice came to
me and said, My fine fellow, this is
all very well, to suppose there is
work to do, but you should be at home
doing it. ("
The Church Is now, as never be-
fore, perhaps, In her history, begin
ming to realize her great responsibility,
and Is being aroused to action: she II
making greater effort to recognize
and relieve human needs and to right
human wrongs: but how often has she
sat supinely with folded hands while
a thousand organizations have sprung
up at her side to do her proper work
No benevolent work or reform. even
though inspired by Christian spirit,
should ever have been allowed TO be
forced out Of the Christian Church on
the plea that 1t must do work which
the Church should do, but has not
and does not do.
To the Church has been given not
only a great mission. with Its gigantic
problems and possibilities. for solution
Of such problems, but also to her has
been given the insight and inspiration
and power to perceive and know ano
recognize what the mission Is. and
what 1t is expected to accomplish:
bringing to the humans OF this eartn
not a scheme for mighty reforma-
ton, but a revelation: not revoiu-
ton, but an evolution; not destruction
but construction, If you please. OF re-
construction; not the creation OF
new tocial order, by means of new
ideals, but rather the old order the
actual conditions as we find them to-
day. reshaped. remolded. read1usted
hy the vitaiiZation and inspiration OF
the old ideal. TITS the old social order
F seen through new eyes, viewed from
purpose, and this Is the Church's mis-
ston---to find the most effective meth
cd for applying the gospel OF the nrs'
century (the old ideals) to the mer
and women of the twentieth century
the gospel which embodied the grea'
essentials and ideals OF life, given bl
the Man OF Galiiee TO all men IN al
ages. under all conditions; and We
must bring the ideals of the first cen
fury into the problems and needs OF
the twentieth century. In the words
OF Emerson, II is like putting tbs
centuries against the hours. Tbs
Church In asked to give to the men o.
this period and generation. for al
posterity, the principles embodied II
the commission which she received
the beginning
II In q problem which demands oui
ciearest thought. hottest prayer ant
most consecrated service.
The subject of this essay presents
TO our mind three distinct and wei
defined thoughts, which shall be treat
ed not in the order in which they DC
cur in the title, but in the order II
which they seem to demand treat
ment. We have here presented th'
two extremes. and the problem o
finding the best method for bringing
these two extremes together.
In medical phrAseology. we have
the illness, the known remedy and thu
efficacious application OF the remedy
So there 10 the ailment In the socia
u order: the strong, healthy STANDARD
by which all life must be measured
IN and the means by which the aiirnen
Can best be cured.
< There II the community socia
] needs. the Church with her great ans
z glorious ideals. her one great ideal
and the problem of applying known
principles of Ectual conditions. which
will work the longed-for and expect
ed results, In lifting the whole stand
ard OF life UP. up, till 1t approximate
the ideal standard
The Community Social Needs.
Were, we to look at conditions to
y day through the eyes OF Carlyle. O
some sour dyspeptic, or some embit
tered pessinlis., we might well thinl
OF the solution of the problems con
fronting US as being utterly hopeless
and the social ills beyond all remedy
s~Nn which reason We might find
plausible excuse for the Church's APP
parent failure to change the condi
tons. but IL we study these condition
with intelligent purpose, with cheer
full hopefuiness. with courageous op
timism. looking not for the reaafxa
ton OF the Elusive utopian dream n
once. we will get no such idea OF thi
grand and glorious world In which W
are privileged TO live. peopled Wit
muititudes at men and women or In