Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-21
General Assembly of the Pres
byterian Church Opened
Today in Chicago.
MODERN DRESS FASHIONS
BLAMED FOR IMMORTALITY
Women of Church Called Upon to
Help Battle Tendency
of the Times.

CHICAGO May 21-Rev. John Tim
othy Stone of Chicago. moderator,
opened the 126th General Assembly OF
the Presbyterian Church in the United
States here today with a gavel made
from the pulpit of George Whitfield.
one of the founders of Methodisna. who
died in Newburyport, Mass. in 1853.
The gavel is small and light and its
rnallet- shaped head is bound by gold
bands. It was presented to DR.. Stone
last year at Atlanta, when he was elect
ed moderator.
The General Assembly Is composed OF
$50 members, half ministers and half
elders Representation is upon the basis
of the number of ministers. This gives
a strong representation to the home
mission fields. a state like Washington
having several times more representa-
tives than the city of Philadelphia,
though with fewer church members
The interests of the home mission,
therefore. were expected TO nsure
prominently in the choice of mod
orator and in the acts Of the assemols .
The program for today was shor.
The assembly was opened with prayer
and after a report of the committee on
ARRANGEMENTS recess was 10 pc tol-
lowed by the election of moderator.
There will be general reception TO-
night
Report on "White Slavery"
The white slave report discusses the
magnitude of the evil, declaring that
there are 10000 white slaves in the
United States. This report was prepared
by Paul r Hickok. John Balcom Shaw.
John Kennedy, Winfield Scott Hall and
!. NJ. T. Penney. who made an exhaus-
tive investigation. After pointing out
that the course of silence and mysti-
cism" is wrong. the report urges parents
to answer the natural questions Of their
children frankly, fully and sympatheti-
cally.''
Speaking of the factors in the increase
Of the social evil. which are now as
Stunning alarming proportions the report
continues:
"One of these appears in the vulgar
tendency of modern fashion Our stand.
ards we remember, expressly forbid all
.immodest apparel Today many of our
women are going to such extremes of
dress as to shock even the least prudish.
and open American womanhood to the
charge Of a complete forfeiture of mod
esty.
'The unfortunate side Of it all is that
the women of the church. whose most
conspicuous adcrnment is supposed to be
1neekness, are quite as guilty of this Of
Tense as are Wo-en who make no re-
ligious professions Until our Christian
women can be made to see what mischief
is being done by such a reckless abandon
to the foibles of fashion. there can be
little hope of steuming this evil tide We
call the women of our Presbyterian
Church to a practical separation of
themselves from these tendencies
Modern Dances Criticised.
Modern dances are also blamed, and
the report continues:
THE literature of the day presents
another very serious factor in this great
problem. Nearly every work of fiction
that is printed today has woven some
where in its plot the intricacies of sex
question. The book reviews are a long
series of descriptions of such stories.
And the most grave feature of it seems
10 be that this is what they appear to
want"
The report sees real danger in what
We believe inheres in the too general and
indiscriminate publicity given to ques-
tons of sex in the name of education
The report concludes with set of
resolutions calling upon pastors to guard
children: indorsing the juvenile courts,
and demanding the punishment of men
as well as women for immortality.
College Standardization was discussed
at a conference of fifty college presi-
dents yesterday afternoon. 1t was agreed
that schools of the first class should
have at least six professors.