The daily sentinel., 1914-07-09
AFRAID To
SPEAK PLAINLY
To the Editor of The Sentinel;

To the Editor of The Sentinel:
Under the above heading in an edi-
torial in last nights paper, you quote
the words of a New York rabbi who
declares that most of his brethren
are afraid of what the rich will say
If we take a stand for social and
economic justice" and goes on to ac-
cuse them of preaching justice, but
not daring to practice it. Your COM
ment on this statement is that this
arraignment could be made applica-
BILE to practically all governing boards
of all the great religious denomina-
tions, and when we say this, we are
making no exceptions whatever"
Now | do not know whether the
rabbits criticism of the religious lead
ers of his own faith is just or not, but
do know that The Sentiners ar
raignment of "all the great religious
denominations is absolutely false
and unjust.
II I speak only of the Episcopal
church, it is not because | would have
IL supposed that ii alone stands bold
ly for social and economic Justice"
but simply because | am more ia
miliar with the work of my own
church than | am with that of other
CuTlSlluu denominations.
The supreme governing board" of
the Episcopal church is the general
convention. At its last meeting in
October of last year it passed the fol-
lowing resolution
Whereas, The moral and spiritual
welfare of the people demands that
the highest possible standard of liv-
ing should everywhere be maintained
and that all conduct of industry
should emphasize the search for such
higher and more human forms of or
ganization as will genuinely elicit
the personal definite stake in the sys-
TEN of production to which the work
er's life is given; and
Whereas, Injustice and dispropor-
tionate inequality as well as misun-
derstanding, prejudice and mutual
distrust as between employer and
employe are widespread in our social
and industrial life of today: there
fore be it
Resolved, The House of Bishops
concurring, That we the members of
the General Convention of the Prot
estant Episcopal Church, do hereby
affirm that the church stands for the
ideal of social Justice. and that it de-
mands the achievement of a social
poverty and the gross human waste of
the present order shall DE eliminated.
and in which every member shall
have just return for what he pro-
duces, a free opportunity for self
development. and fair share In all
the gains of progress. And since such a
social order can only be achieved
progressively by the efforts of men
and women vino in the spirit of
Christ put the common welfare above
private gain, the church calls upon
every communicate, clerical and lay.
seriously to take part in the study of I
the complex conditions under which |
we are called upon to live, and so to
act that the present prejudice and
injustice may be supplanted by mu-
tual understandings sympathy and /
just dealing, and the ideal of thor
ough-going democracy may be fully
realized in our land.
The above is piece of pretty
plain speaking" And the church
means just what she says. As proof
of this, during the past few months
trouble arose between the rector and
vestry of Ascension Church. Middle
town, o. The rector. who is a So
cialist economically and politically. /
displeased his vestry by the tone of
one of his sermons. The vestry in
their desire to be rid of the rector.
resigned and appealed to the bishop. i
The bishop inquired carefully into i
the matter, and declared frankly i
that so long as the rector was true
to the faith of the church. moral in
his character, and did not use his
pulpit for. the purpose of preaching
his own political cor economic opin-
ions, he could not. and would not, be
removed.
In addition to the joint commits
sion on social service appointed by /
the general convention. and repre-.
senting the whole church in the Unit
ed States. almost every diocese has
its own social service commission. /
which seeks to further the cause of
social and economic Justice" in every L