Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-09-25
UNITY BEFORE PEACE
Status of Movement to Unity The
Christian Churches of The World.
Work of Presenting Movement in
Europe Just Begun Before Out
break of War.

Appropos of the conditions exist
ing in Europe which made possible the
present war the following Bulletin
from the secretary of the World Con-
ference on Faith and Order is worthy
the careful perusal of the thoughtful
The assured Peace of the world can
never come to pass so long as the
people of the world are divided and
preJudiced against each other in the
matter of religious Faith and no
movement which tends toward the
separation of the various religious
faiths by prejudice and enmity to-
ward each other but helps to make al
ways possible just such crises as that
which arose in Europe this Summer.
There can be no assurance of perman-
ent peace without unity of religi-
Gus faith among the peoples of the
world:
Bulletin No. z.
Before the outbreak of the Euro
pean war, notice had been received of
the appointment of 48 Commissions
IN the United States, Canada, South
America, England, Scotland, Ireland,
Europe, Australia, South Africa,
India and China to cooperate in the
preparations for and holding of the
World Conference on the Faith and
Order of the Christian church. Other
Commissions were in process of ap-
pointment, SO that it can be said that
the proposal has the approval of the
Anglican Communion throughout the
world, of the leading Protestant Com
munion in all Engish-speaking coun-
tries, of the Old Catholic churches of
Europe and the warm sympathy of
dlgnitaries of the Holy Orthodox
Eastern church and of many leading
Roman Catholics in different parts of
the world.
| The Commission of the Episcopa]
/, church in the United States had plan
med to send a Deputation, consisting
i. of the Rt. Rev. C. P. Anderson, D. d.
: Bishop of Chicago, the Rt. Rev. C. B
Brewster, D. D., Bishop of Connecti.
/, cut, the Rt Rev. P. Nj. Rhinelander
, D. d., Bishop of Pennsylvania, the
Rev. William T. Manning, D. D., Rec
tor of Trinity Church, New York
9 and DR.. John R. Mott, to lay this
o matter before leading men in every
: ! Communion in Europe and the neal
1 east. The Secretary has been trying
0 to arrange their trip, and had gone tx
, Constance to attend Peace Conference
Q Of the Churches which was to hav.
o been held there August 2-5, hoping tx
Q meet the many influential men from
: all parts of Europe who had expected
6 to be present. Only half dozen o.
s them were able to arrive, but tn,
y Secretary received at Constance OF
o August first the last batch of letter.
. needed to assure the Deputation of /,
3 cordial and sympathetic reception
8 everywhere. They had planned t,
IS visit practically every country il
= Europe.
% Until the Secretary began cor
% responding last May to make arrange
~ ments for the Deputation, no effor
Is had been made to present the matte
generally in Europe, but that cor
= respondence showed that the propose
of the Conference had became widel,
known. Not only were leading in
dividuals in very country looking wit
interest for an opportunity to co
operate, but many religious paper
had published sympathetic accounts
not only in countries like German,
which might be expected to be i
thought, but in others more remot
like Finland and Hungary. Almos
everyone in Great Britain and on tn
Continent of Europe who knew of tn
proposal recognized it as the most i'm
portant question before the Chris
tian world, for, till the obstacles t
Christian Unity are removed by tina
by the prejudices and misunderstood
ings which are so largely the caus
of the continuance of their divisions
their separate and often hostile ef
forts to preach to the world Chris
and His law of love and righteous
ness and peace will continue to
only feebly effective.
One of the first and greatest lesson
of this dreadful war which is convuls
ing half the world is that only by uni
ty in the one Lord Jesus Christ, tn
Prince of Peace, can Christians hel
to make Kingdoms of the world tn
Kingdoms of the Lord and of Hi
Christ, and surely the terrible des
truction which the war will cause
whatever else may be its issue, Wi
make Christians see more clearly tn
need of reunited Christianity.
Of course, the world wide plans fo
the Conference will now be suspended
Yet there is much that has hithert
been neglected which can be done b
those of US who are not involved i
war.
L. We can pray that God the Hol
Spirit will direct all the prepare
tions for the Conference and will hast
en- the time when this world wide e1
fort for Christian Unity may be re
sumed A card of prayers for Unit
and the Conference may be had in an
quantity on application to the Secrt
tary, Robert H. Gardiner, Gardine
Maine, U. S. A. Surely, to thes
prayers we will add the daily petitio
that God will turn the hearts of tf
warning nations to peace and goo
:, will.
7S 2. We can spread among frient