The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-12-04
from Thursdays DslIs


Members OF FIVE churches of the
city, Presbyterian. Methodist, Bap-
fist, Congregational and Christian,
held a union Thanksgiving service
at ten o'clock this morning in the
Congregational church. A sermon
on Thanksgiving. laying particular
stress on the relation of that an
nual festival to the great war now
raging in Europe, was pretched by
Rev. T r. Paden. pastor of the
Presbyterian church. Rev. Paden
said in part:
AS spectators of this great trag-
edy or catastrophy,-this reyersion
of a large part OF Christendon to
the primal instincts Of the brute. this
reassertion of the ethics OF the
jungle among civilized nations.
while we have no reason for self
complacency and every reason for
humility, yet we stand on a great
vantage ground for new enlightment
and should have a message OF love
and light for the nations.
The charge that the European
war among Christian nations in
some way discredits and refutes
Christianity still continues to be
made. John Galsworthy. and Eng
lish agnostic and play-writer in the
last Scribner's magazine declares
that when this war Is over, and
reason resumes its way, our dog
mas will be found scored through
forever Galsworthy's charge con-
fuses the cure with the disease.
II is like blaming the physician
for the disease he comes to heal.
the teacher for the ignorance OF
the scholars and doctrines Of ethics
for the crimes that violate them.
II Is not Christianity but lack OF
Christianity that has plunged Eur.
ope into war. Christianity is max.
ing war on war and will continue
to do SO until men beat their spears
into pruning hooks and their swords
into plough shares, turning the i'm
plements of war into the nipple.
ments Of peace.
mo, Christianity has not broken
down. but naturalism-the theory
that human life has no significance
outside it's material boundaries and
must find its entire fulflllment
through natural processes-has brok.
en- down. Ethical culture has brok.
en- down. We see nations reaching
the greatest height OF intellectual
and so called ethical culture; but
without God the cultured nation re-
verts In a day to the primal in
stincts OF the Goths and Huns and
is no better than the savage brute.
Naturalism-ethics that are not de-
rived from our relation to Gods
bankrupt and has left the nations
insincere and false to each other
Their SO called ethical culture Is
sheer mental pagan;sm. Material
ism--the doctrine that natural exist.
ence and expansion are dependent
on physical force-must go to the
scrap heap. We need a new evan.
gelism but not a new evangel. Our
evangelism must be adapted TO the
needs OF the age to do justice to
the old evangel The world will
have cast much of it's Goddess phil.
osphy on the junk heap when this
war is over But Il viii reach GU.
hungry hands for the world of life.
There will be a mighty famine for
the word of God. Men will no
longer be content with view of
life that finds no Significance in II
beyond what we can see and handle
and prove. Men will find that the
only alternate 20 the spiritual view
OF life. which find It's significance
in a spiritual universe beyond the