Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-02
ITALIAN CONVERTS
TOPROTESTANT|SM
TO CONVENE HERE
This Month Will Witness the
elimination of a Crusade
of Twenty Years.


may be gathered from m enumsra-
ton of the topics proposed for discus
sion. It will be noticed that they are
not less vital politically and socially
than In a religious point of Wow.
Subjects for Discussion.
These subjects, or theses, are. with
the speakers:
First-The church and the pres
emit industrial situation by 3.
Palleria. the man perhaps best
acquainted with the labor crisis
in Paterson, of which city he Is a
resident
Second-The church and Social
ism, by the Rev. Ernete Cav
arocchi, OF Jersey City.
Third--The church and the pre-
vention of crime among young
italian Americans. by the Rev.
Teodoro Barrett. OF Plainheld.
The conference will close with the
celebration of the sacrament Of holy
communion.
Italians and Professionalism.
When one carelessly considers tho
idea Of Italians and Professionalism in
conjunction, there is a suggention Of
incongrulty 1t is as II the two were
utterly irreconcilable. The fiery
southern nature OF the one and the
calm. reasonable basis of the creed Of
the Protestant seem too far apart
ever to have chord OF one nttuned
In unison with q chord Of the other.
But, nevertheless. many Italians
have found in the Protestant creed
and especially in the Westminster
Confession. or Presbyterianism, an as
sonance as dear to their hearts as
those which they. like the SpaniardH.
cultivate in their language. Thus 1t
has been proved that the Presbyte-
rian form of worship is far more to
their taste than the ritual of the
Episcopalian. The formality of the
one they feel as a relief after the
ceremonial of the church from which
they have divorced themselves, while
the apostolic claims of the other and
IT'S Aiiiu ioiui VI IituuilSLlS pTdCtlSe
they regard only as an imitation, and
a poor one. of the rites of the Church
of st. Peter.
Cruel Memories Recalled.
Moreover. Italians of the north of
Italy, especially among them those
who have rebelled at some of the po-
litical activities of the italian HER
archy, those who have studied history,
recall the persecution in Piedmont
which called down upon the Duke of
Savoy the dreaded wrath of Crom-
we'll and inspired Milton to write the
mighty sonnet beginning:
"Avenge. o Lord Thy slaughtered
saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine noun
tains cold"
1t is not surprising, in view of all
this. that the Presbyterians of New
Jersey have reason to feel that their
efforts have not been in vain and that
they have done much in. crowded Ital-
ian sections in Newark and elsewhere
in the State to elevate Italian-A Amer
leans, both spiritually and in a hui
manitarlan sense.
First Church's Energy.
The great success of the propa-
ganda, however, must be credited to
the determination of the First Pres
byterian Church of this city to con-
quer in the Italian field of New Jer-
sey The beautiful Olivet chapel was
devoted especially to this work and II
has been accepted by the better edu-
Gated class of Italians as gift to
cherish and uphold. The Support of
this mission rests wholly with the
First church; in other parts of the
State the Presbytery bears the bur-
den.
Inspired by the unexpected progress
of the missionary crusade in New
Jersey, few of the Italian Protes-
tant ministers of the State, four
years ago, formed a Presbyterian
ministerial association whose first
convention Is about to be held in
this city.
Princeton was chosen as the place
of organization and at once the
faith pledged to it their allegiance as
tfelr governing rellglouS mead
Newark's Part in the Work.
But to Newark belongs the original
credit of the propaganda. Here the
work was initiated a score of years
ago; it has never been allowed to
lapse and today. finally, energetic
action Is being taken to descend upon
the Neck" in campaign, in force.
From Newark the Protestant mis-
sionarles carried their fight through
out the State. Today a chain of
churches extends from Jersey City to
Camden. The work is especially en-
couraging to Professionals in Mont
clair, Paterson and Trenton, as we'll
as Newark.
Strength OF the. Church.
A careful enumeration of the
strength of the Italian Protestant
Church. including only the heads of
families, gives the number of regu-
| lar communicates in the State as
| 1927. with 1,943 children in the Sun
day schools. Fifteen Italian ministers
and as many missionaries, unor-
dained. are engaged in the common
wealth. In the rural districts colpor-
teurs are constantly making the
rounds. freely distributing tracts and
offering the gospel in Italian.
The success of these last agents
of the Protestant crusade among the
alien population of New Jersey is re-
ported as being extraordinary.