Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-22
Church WORK IN China
ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT
MIR. Wilson, at Presbyterian Meet
ing, Adds Plea for Christiauiza.
ton of Awakening People.

When President Wilson walked into
the Central Presbyterian Church last
night to address the presbytery he laid
aside momentarily the Office which he
holds and again became only the son
Of Rev Joseph r. Wilson. a Presbyte-
ran minister. Only once during tho
PRESIDENTS address did he make any
reference to current matter-that be-
ing a reference to tho awakening OF
CHINA. which. he said, should be so
great as to stir the Imagination or
every one
his reference to China followed a plea
made by Warren H Stuart of China.
urging the wider spreading there OF
the word of God.
Wneh think of the great bodies o.
oplhioh which sustain tho Affairs OF
heart and nucleus of them is the nr,n-
clpie or Christianity" said the Frcsi
uent. and that, therefore the conser-
vation or that great fountain of all
.nat Is Just and righteous Is one OF
tne most important things conceivable
infinitely more important than tie
things which those of US do who at
Tempt to take some part in administer
ing the external affairs of the world.
anu "neh hear men like Mr.. Stuart
this great influence into a MARI Of INC
world now for the first time feeling tts
connection with the rest OF mankind
now first Weakening to the possibilities
OF the power that lies latent in n /
wonder II ii is possible thar Tho -.
nations of Christian people will fail 10
take fire. Ian 10
Amazing and Inspiring Vision.
Why. this is the most amazing and
inspiring vision that can be offered
you this vision Of that great sleepinr
nation suddenly cried awake bv the
voice OF Christ. Could there be any
tnlns more tremendous than that And
could there be any greater contribu-
tlon TO the future momentum of the
moral forces Of the world than could
De made by quickening this force,
when Is being set afoot in China?
Chlna Is at present inchoate: as a ma
tion 1t is congeries of parts in each
or which there is energy, but which
are unbound in any essential and
active unit. and just as soon as its
world. Should We not see that the
parts are fructifled by the teachings
of Christ?
But that is quite apart from what 1
had come to say. ] had not come to
speak on foreign missions. / am not
competent to speak on foreign mis-
sions. ] am merely competent to utter
my deep allegiance to the things which
are represented by bodies of people
like this and to express my thanks to
God that a youth and as man I
have been permitted to have some part
in Them
Whimsical and Reminiscent.
Further than this point President
Wilson's address was whimsical and
reminiscent. A strong feeling OF senti
ment showed beneath his references to
his boyhood, yet from time to time he
brought forth laughter from his audi
tors by his descriptions of his difficult
ties In trying to assist his father keep
records of presbyteries held in his
youth.
In my very happy boyhood ] was as
ISOLATED with one of the most inspiring
fathers that ever a lad was blessed
with. During practically the whole or
my youth he was the stated clerk OF
the Southern General Assembly. There
fore, among many other things, he
edited the minutes of the assembly.
Il did a lot of the hard work, let
me say, of editing those minutes, and
I still retain in the back of my head
certain grudges against some moder-
ators of some presbyteries. The clerks
of those presbyteries gave me great
deal of trouble. Some of them. par
ticularly of the country presbyteries,
would not consult the almanac.
They would say that the presbytery
would convene on the second Monday
after full moon at early candlelight.
Ny father exacted of me that 1 shouid
find which Monday that was and cal
culate the probable hour OF early can
delight 1t was before the days Wnen
I had studied the mathematical aspects
of astronomy, and / was not perfectly
ioy- hours
Calculated the Time.
.It was necessary for me constantly
to resort to very puzzling almanacs
and to make calculations. of the cor
rectness of which / was by no means
certain Then those same clerks gave
me a great deal of practice in addition.
1 had to add up the columns ftheir re-
ports to see whether they had added
correctly. 1 have sometimes suspected
that l may have substituted errors otn-
er than their own.
NV father because of his office. had
an extraordinary acquaintance with the
active membership of the southern
Presbyterian Church, its ministers and
elders in particular. Their names were
familiar in our household: anecdotes
about them made their personality
very real: the visits of a great man!
gladdened US. My father was very
lively companion and seemed to pro-
woke and draw out liveliness in other
people.
HE had the very risky habit of al
ways saying exactly what he thought
a habit which ! in part inherited and
of which I have had diligently to cure
myself He was the best instructor, the
most inspiring companion, venture
to say, that a younsSter ever had-and
in facing a Southern Presbytery |
cannot think of myself as the President
of the United States. l can only think
of myself a the son of Joseph II. VIII
SON.