Evening star., 1914-04-19

Observation-Disclosures
grace Tho toieration Of the world
toward the church is sufficient indictment
of the church We are prone to question
the cost of principles and hesitate il the
cost appears too much. Triumph awaits
the church ~ hen the first question is tho
righteousness Of things. and the last uues
tou the cost Of things.
inspiration and initiative would end
Journalism and drifting. Churches are
apprehensive of now methods and only
try them when driven by absolute neces-
sity. Some churches arc morgues 70 bury
laughter. hence young people refuse to
he constant mourners and stay away
from church
What the church most need. TO
strengthen its appeal are conservation.
zeal. energy and the fighting spirit. !
was told by Commander Evanceine
Booth of the salvation Army. II cannot
doubr she is industr. ousy eultivatiac
these things. The fact that she is actual
" fighting apathS shows that she =
alive TO hsr duty
4" 'Go-fo-chrrch sunday * orc Of Tho
fruits Of this aroused CONSCIOUSNESS. II
is no perrunctcry effort but an effort in
Splred 10y a sense Of du;y that rccnS
milton Of its own former rem ssness has
intensified.
No person Who witnessed the success.
ful effart of The y W c. = ard y. NJ. &.
y raise the stupendous sum Of four
million dollars during period % iinan-
cial depression can doubt that rich men
are con IflS lhelr iEDt3fS to a niShsr
service. II is hardly likely that man
will consecrate his money unless he is in
hearty sympathy with the movement
that it is intended to promote
Twenty years ago il would have been
the very height of fooiha rdness 10 at
tempt any such campaign.
II Is because the Salvation y rny he
lieves profoundly in the future OF the
church that it is about TO ask the people
for million dollars 20 promote its work
We would not. If Ne believed that th.
church was unsymnathetic. the preacher
nnfaithfal. the sermons cold and didactir
and the whole spirit OF religion depressed.
undertake . scheme Of this nature.
Possibly the church-and I includ.
the Salvation Army in this criticism-is
not all that ii should be. But il is a
great deal more than its critics would
have us believe il is Ii is the most
potent force in the world today, and no
perfectly normal person would suggest
that it be dispensed with
'''rhe church needs both tine grace of
God and stronger intellectual leader
ship. said President Charles r. Thwing
of the Western Reserve University. who
is also the head of the Religious Educa-
tional Association
The socialist propa gandist and former
cigarmaker. Rose Pastor Stokes, wife OF
j. G. Phelps Stokes. gave me this answer:
TO strengthen its appeal. the church
needs a clergT brave enough to throw of
the yoke placed upon them by their rich
men-the yoke OF support for silent
auiescence in a social economic order that
has become intolerable TO the great
masses OF the people.
1T needs a clergy who viii preach the
poor mans gospel-the gospel of the king
dom here on earth. The people are struz-
Cling in a nightmare of poverty. irsecur
ity. periodic unemployment and the agony
of squaring a miserable existence with
more miserable wage They want decent
work and bread and security now: the
promise of golden harps tney are going ("
play doesn't bring cheer and hope to those
in whose lives only few miserable. in
adequate copper coins circulate today.
1t is told of Christ that He whipped
the money changers out OF the temple.
Is it true that now the money changers
are whipping Christ out of the temp1eo II
So are the clergy standing idly by? r.
they are. they may soon find themselves
preaching TO none save the money chang
erS: the people will have refused to be
party to such coxardly surrender
/ felt that this article would be incon.
plete without the advice of Charles Ram
Kennedy. who in his sermon-play. The
Servant in the House" has attacked this
very problem from behind the footlights
But he was out of reach and l risked a
letter to him.
Too busy" he replied. but when I
begged for lust two words he relented.
thus:
Since you are good enough to say that
a postal with two words will suffice for
an answer TO your question. What does
the church most need TO strengthen its
appeal? | am happy to furnish you with
three very unoriginal but important ones.
which i think may meet the case, namely,
the Holy Ghost
Copyright. 1914. by John Elfretb WatkinsJ