The Washington herald., 1914-05-10

the Student Young women's Christian
Association.
Schools wherein boys are taught to
sing church music, started FIRST In Eng
land, are now largest and finest in
America another direction In which the
New World has beaten the Old in its own
line. One Of the two choir schools In
America, that of the Cathedral Of St
John the Divine. New York. has Just
received a gift of $4,000 for its endow-
ment. The other school is that connected
with Grace Church. The third such
school In the same city is asked for by
the choirmaster Of st. Thomas Church,
in Fifth avenue. who complains that he
Is unable here, as in England. to get
competent boys without the accessory Of
school In which to train them. The
choirmaster in question was formerly
choirmaster OF York Minister. England.
Almost every part of the United States
east Of the Mississippi is searched for
unusual boy voices. Curiously, Iowa has
furnished some Of the best. but the South
Is fertile field for them. The number
desired Is few, and the opportunities
great Hence those in charge go far afield
for boys. and demand much in the way of
voice. The boys are secured at as early
age as eight and nine years In the
schools boys are given excellent college
| preparatory courses in addition to musi-
cal training in return for their choir
work. all at practically no expense to
the boys With the large endowment. and
the probable founding OF a third school,
additional opportunities to boys will open.
Great cathedrals now building or project
ed. like Washington. Baltimore. Boston.
San Francisco and Denver. will result.
it is said. in the founding Of additional
choir schools.
In view Of the dificulty Of bringing the
Sunday school people of China together
for a great national convention. on ac-
count of distance and cost of transpor-
tation. Mr.. Tewksbury, secretary of the
China Sunday School Union. conceived
the idea Of bringing the convention to the
people, instead of the people to the con-
vention. Thus a number of meetings
were held which, all together. constitute
the Chinese National Sunday School Con-
vention. The cities In which such meet
ings were held were Shanghai, Hang
chow. Tsinaufu. Hankow. Pekin. Tientsin,
and Moukden- Mass meetings which were
less than the typical convention meeting,
were also held at Wuhu and Kin-Kiang.
on the Yangtsu River. Each convention
meeting consisted of field sports, mass
meetings. conferences on Sunday school
work. and demonstrations as they
were called, Of the kind Of Sunday school
| work the Chinese schools are actually
doing: the operations of a Chinese Sun
day school in its various departments
were shown on the platform, the idea
| being to show the new work being done.
and to contrast IL with the old style of
work. With such a leader as Mr. Tewks-
bury. II goes without saying that re-
markable exhibits were made. and the
commission saw that old America had
some things to learn from new China.
At the mass meetings and field day ex-
ercises immense audiences assembled.
This was notably the case at Sanghai,
where $500 were present. and at Nan
kin. where 1000 gathered under a great
mat-tent especially constructed for the
occasion. and no speaker. even In Chris
tan America, ever faced a brighter or
more intelligent general audience. Other
meetings were quite as remarkable. These
great gatherings were not only a surprise
to the commission, but also were a reve-
lation to the missionaries and native
Christians Of their own strength, and will
in the future enable them to go about
their work with a greater consciousness
Of power.
China has turned from her idols, to
| Christianity, as represented in the Ameri-
can nation. At banquet given the COM
mission In Tientsin so many English
| speaking Chinese were present that 1t
was not necessary to have an interpreter.
A graduate of Harvard was toastmaster
A dozen American colleges and UNIVERSE
ties were represented. glance at both
houses of Parliament in Pekin will show
that they are in the control of the young
men Of China, who are deeply touched
with Western civilization.
Neither chaplains nor welfare secre-
| taries are on board some of the battle
ships now in Mexican waters, nor is pro-
vision made for the recreation of enlisted
men, as In the case of men in the
| Spanish war, beyond that provided by the
government ITSELF Things religious in
army and navy are at the moment of
the breaking out of the Mexican differ
ence In a confused ami undetermined
state. All has waited the action of Con-
gress. and Congress has not acted. The
situation causes not a little anxiety to
religious leaders of all bodies.
Strong efforts have been under way for
months. backed by Catholic and Profess
tant leaders through Cardinal Gibbons
for the former and the Federal Council
Of Churches for the latter, to secure In
crease in the number of chaplains to ono
for every 1000 enlisted men. Commit
tees have reported favorably. but the
| Dill ID not yet passed. Consequently no
more than the old number of chaplains,
the same number as back In 1876. are
available.
Secretary Daniels recommended the
naming OF welfare secretaries. such as
the Y. N. c. A. provides. His recon-
mendaticn did not specify Y. n. c. A.
men. but It was assumed they were to
be such, snd the church Representatives
stoutly opposed laymen as against min
listers. They won and ministers alone
were recommended by committees of
Congress. The Y. NJ c. A. has had
welfare secretaries on two warships, but
none was sent with the fleet going to
Mexico, pending decision CT the larger
matter of regular chaplains. The Y. N.
c. A. refuse to discuss the matter, but
the officials, especially the Protestant
ones, are insistent against the laymen,
at least until ministers are provided. II
Mexico be invaded. the American co.
liSted men remain there long. the whole
question Of their spiritual and recrea-
tional welfare u yet to be taken up.
The will Of Mr.. Sarlxis G. Teifeyan, the
well-known rug merchant Of New York,
who died recently, IL remarkable docu-
mcnt It gives notable example Of the