Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-10

For was a hungered and we gave me
meat: | was thirsty and ye gave me
drink: l was stranger and we took me
| in. naked and ye clothed me. l was IN
/ prison and ye came unto me.
"Inasmuch as We have done it unto one
of the least of these my brethren ye
have done it unto me"
1t naturally follows that the so called
burning questions of the day find a large
place in the preaching of our progressive
pulpits, and the single tax, woman sur
frage. capital and labor, social justice,
social evils, hygienics and eugenics, and
kindred subjects, are favorte topics,
hacked by all the enthusiasm of earnest
souls.
On the other hand, the so called con-
servatives have another view. They
recognize all the crying needs of the
world they are not Indifferent to them,
and they feel the obligation of remedying
or alternating them; but they would
adopt another method, that of reaching
them not directly by the church as an
institution, but by the men and women
who receive their spiritual power and In
spiration from the church. and through
it's kindling influence are led, among
other things, to attempt to become their
brothers keeper.
THE place of the Church in Modern
Life" is favorite topic on conference
! programs but these conservatives say
that the place of the church in this de-
cade is little different from what it prop
erly was three decades ago, that the
] he
as old as the race, and are but the fruit
| of selfshness in various forms, rather
constant factor in human life. To the
college student who was complaining be-
cause the physiology used as text book
was 20 years old. the professor quietly
replied, Yes, the book was written 20
wears ago. but you would be surprised,
young man, to know how few bones
have been added to the human body
within that time
! But even IL new evils have arisen these
conservatives say that the primary func-
ton of the church has not been changed
thereby but simply challenged to greater
effort, that the church is something
more than an institution for social bet
terment, worthy as all work along that
line NAV be and is, and the better way
to state the topic would be 1.-The place
of the Modern World is in the Church I;
/ that if the great movements for social
uplift are outside the church, there Is
where they should be because the true
| function of the church is to train men
and women, boys and girls along the
lines of moral and religious educatloh'
to drive into them the eternal Ideals OF
Righteousness, justice and goodness, ana
to teach them to offer the daily and Ter
want nraver. Create in me a clean heart,
| oh Lord, and renew a right spirit wlthlh
me-; that with the clean heart created
and the right spirit renewed, winch IS
the province of the church, the work OF
regenerating the world easing the pur-
dens of the heavy laden, cleaning up the
waste places of humanity, draining the
polluted marshes and making the human
desert to blossom as the rose, all TINS
will follow as effect follows cause.
efficient righteousness and righteous
aeciencv. saw the conservatives, gained
fror, christian teaching will find ex-
nression in individual conservation to the
needs of humanity and to its cries both
spoken and mute.
And so these conservatives say Una.
they too accept the approving WORDS Oh
the Master, already quoted, as their own
motto. remembering at the same time
that they were spoken not TO chuiches
but TO individuals and by one VINO safo'
"seak We first the Kingdom of Heaven
r,hioh kingdom he defined as within the
hearts of his hearers.
thus summarized-alth briefly and
imperfectly-we perceive that the ."o
wings have motives and purposes tor the
! most mart in common and that they oli-
| fer chiefly in the methods OF accomplish
| ment It should be our aim not 10 sep
| arate hut to harmonic the hoioers VI
these somewhat divergent views so tha'
oil with like purposes may work To-
! ,,o4,ar in a VINEYARD where the laborers
are all too few.
Nav the churches represented at TINS
conference be drawn into closer and more
cordial relations, may you, the delegates
be touched with the inspiration Whie"
comes from meeting co-Workers III q
common enterprise, and may all wnetner
vour homes with sympathies quicKeneo'
courage renewed and vfgor fresneneo'
TO such a conference l gladly bid you
welcome.
Address by President
che third speaker of the evening
vuas Former Chief Justice William
Penn Whitehouse.
In the course Of his address. as presi-
dent of the Conference, Judge White-
house spoke as follows:
| have said that we meet under the IN
SEPARATION of q common faith and purpose
And what is that common faith! II Is
not an elaborate system of theology OF
q code of Ecclesiastical laws. II Is mol