The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-22
NEWS AND COMMENT.

| NCWO ANU SONlNlClNl
Very few New York churches of
prominence will close this summer and
| some of the few to do so have impera-
tive reasons in the locating of new or
| gans or other changes. At one time
II was contemplated TO close the Firth
Avenue Presbyterian to put in two new
| organs, but the plan was changed to
/ September. and the famous July and
August services will be maintained. The
| Fifth Avenue Baptist and Madison
/ Avenue Reformed Churches will close
but are almost the only ones to do 20
for long periods. st. Nicholas Reformed
| Church will close during July. but in
August will have as preachers, in the
order named: Revs. James l. Vance,
| John Balloon Shaw, ID. II. Martin. and
| Russell II. Conweli. IL the last named
| RECEIVERS from his present rather serious
| illness. At the Madison Avenue Baptist
Church Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman. the
evangelist. will be the preacher for July
and August. The Central Baptist Church
has closed because II is to be torn down
! to make way for a new $4,000 edifice
on the site. Rutgers and Central Pres
byterian Churches close in August and
part of September. Many churches are
| to be kept open with out-of-towa preach
ers. More are to maintain full sched-
ules than for several years.
I A large proportion OF the Jewish rabbis
serving either permanent or holiday con-
gregations in New York. the greatest
| center Of Hebrew people in the world,
were educated abroad. Many of them
cannot speak English, and do not take
the trouble to learn 1t. Many years ago
| Hebrew Union College. Cincinnati, and
later the Jewish Seminary. New York.
began efforts to turn out more and better
| educated American rabbis. The last
named institution has just closed its
first ten years. and has graduated the
was eleven, and in IL are some scholars
of the first rank. Upon Hon. Mayer
Sulzberger. OF Philadelphia, the eminent
publicist, the seminary conferred the de-
gree OF doctor of Hebrew literature.
In his address to the students the presi-
dent of the seminary, Rev. Solomon
Schechter, declared the time TO have
come when American Jewry must raise
up some scholars II 1t is not to descend
to the level of seminaries that are mere
| sociological institutions. synagogues that
are nothing but settlements. and a Jewry
that is. to use the presidents term.
| only a ranting sect" II is educated
leaders in all religious bodies. according
to the learned rabbi, who give forth
ideas and hold up ideals, and none can
long live without both. The projectors
of the New York Seminary report them
selves well pleased with the progress
made in the decade Just ended.
Vacation Bible schools during July and
August will be held in many cities, and
most of the colleges and seminaries in
the East will furnish teachers for them
from among their student body. Leaders
in the movement are Atlanta, Baltimore,
Boston, Chicago. Kansas City, New
York. where is the head ONCE; Philadel-
phia, Pittsburg. Seattle. and Washing
| ton. The aims are to take children of
hot streets in vacation time, to utilize
otherwise vacant parish houses to teach
Bible, sports. and industrial handwork.
and to give young men and women now
in the colleges actual experience in
teaching boys and girls. There will be
| at least 200 schools in existence during
July under the national movement and
| as many more under independent con-
troll. 1t is found that six weeks instruc-
ton is possible at a cost of less than
81 per child.
| New features Of the work this season
are a National School of Methods
wherein teachers are trained, and which
held its sessions in April and May, and
prepared instructors for their work in
July and August, and an exhibition Of
handiwork of the children, the proceeds
from which go to increase the number
of schools. Work made by children is
returned to them after the exhibition.
| Schools for colored children are intro
duced for the first time this season. and
greater emphasis Is laid upon instruc-
ton in English for children of foreign
born parents. Students of particular coll
leges are, In steadily increasing num-
bers, contributing money to pay salaries
! of one of their number, one who Is work.
\ ing his or her way through college, to
| teach in q school.
| The Society for the Propagation of the
Faith. the one great foreign mission
4 agency of world Roman Catholics, re-
| ports receipts for 1872 of s., $1,000, a sum
larger by s15s. 400 than in 1911. and the
largest in the history of the society. or
this ss5, 300 increase. or more than half,
was sent by Catholics of the United
States. American Catholics contribute a
far larger sum than those of any other
country. France alone excepted The
sum last year was S3s6, 4O0 the New York
Archdiocese sending sl5l.soO. Boston $40
900; Philadelphia $4,000. Baltimore H,yo,
| and Chicago S. 70o French Catholics re-
4 mann STcdI IceOuTCc VI SdtnOllC Tor
| eign missions, giving last year SGT 800
| Those OF Germany gave sls6,ooo, Of Italy
,o0c. Of Spain s4GN0. and of Austria
$4,000 Ireland sent So, 100, and the South
1 American Catholics s74,o0o almost all OF
1t going from the Argentine.
The amount of the contributions, stead
lily growing. seems to depend on educa-
ton and system. The society's head
quarters are in Lyons, and French Cath
olics have been educated to give. On the
other hand, Italy's Catholics have not
been. II appears, and SO famous Italian
dioceses are recorded as sending $50 and
even smaller sums. Rome itself contrib
uted less than 5000. English Catholics
gave $4,000. However. in some of the
countries mentioned. foreign mission con-
| tributions go through the religious or
ders rather than through the Lyons So
ciety. A unique feature in the practice