The Washington herald., 1915-09-19
WHAT CHURCH PEOPLE
ARE SAYING AND DOING

I Law enforcement should very seldom b
| undertaken by churches or even by citi.
| zens organized into law and ordel
| leagues. but should rather be courteous
| ly and irresistibly demanded Of ofnciali
by influential deputations Of citizens
The revivals of Billy Sunday himself arr
| Intellectual as a force for civic regenera
| tion.''
These quotations are from the speecf
| of Rev. w. F. Crafts. of Washington, Il
the members Of the International Evan
| gelists' Association at the Winona As
| sembly. His was a bold speech for q re
former to make at Winona, for It has al
I ways been exceedingly conservative ir
! its theological attitude, and has beer
dominated largely by evangelists whit
have placed the emphasis upon cleaning
/ UP the Individual rather than upon clean
ing UP his surroundings.
DR.. Samuel NJ Zwemer. of Cairo
Egypt, is on a brief visit to the United
States apd will deliver an address In
| the Fifth. Avenue presbyterian Church
New York, on Friday evening, OctobeI
| l, at mass meeting in tho interest,".
If organized religion is to make
| headway in fronting the moral and
social tasks laid upon 1t in our time, II
can never be content to put up with
what Matthew Arnold calls 'the
worlds poor routed leavings," says
the New York Evening Post. It must
have the most vigorous-men and
women who are drawn to the church
not to find consolation for disappoint-
ments or a cloister for aching hearts
but as a militant institution for hu-
man welfare. And the inspiring ac-
tivities which it has to offer to those
most energetic and enthusiastic and
overfowing with life should make It's
hold upon the finest Of them independ-
ent of the ups and downs of business
The prophets of old knew what ad-
versity was, when the fg-tree did
not blossom, and the labor Of the
olive failed, yet they went about their
religious duties in the spirit of q
| strong man rejoicing to run a race.
which the Church might we'll covet
and seek to instil today.
In Cleveland the churches have
failed to agree to invite Billy Sun
day to the city for a campaign. The
| ministers of the city have decided on
a campaign Of their own. adopting
this slogan: Every pastor his own
station: and every service a call to
decision"
Baptists of the whole country are
rejoicing over their achievement in
paying off, last year. more than $780,
600 of Indebtedness on their four mis-
sionary societies. The gift of $780,
900 from John D. Rockefeller. an
nounced since the Northern Baptist
oa Of Ar0
was in part accounted for at an earlier
date. When the convention opened
$4,000 was still wanted. All Of the
societies are now free of debt. An
other gift. recently announced. is
5000, 900 from 'Abram Swasey. Of
Cleveland. This giver is a manufac-
turer Of scientific instruments and his
money goes to ministerial relief. An
other 100000 is pledged for the same
cause. A fund of s1.6oo.ooo is being
raised.
A committee on efficiency has sur
prised Baptist leaders by recommend
ing that the Publication Society, with
headquarters in Philadelphia, and the
Home Mission Society. New York. be
consolidated. The consolidation plan
has been put over until next year.
when the Northern Baptist convention
meets in Minneapolis. The Publica-
ton Society is among the oldest and
largest of denominational publishing
houses. with large property interests
in Philadelphia.
One Of the most distinguished lay
men of the Episcopal Church has said
that the effort to evangelize solely
through the clergy has continued 50
long that the great majority Of the
laymen have lost the powers of their
own mission. The church today is en-
deavoring to win the battles Of the
lord by sending into the firing line
the generals, colonels. captains. lieu
tenants. and noncommissioned officers
of the army, with no army of pri-
Yates to fight battles and win vic
tories. Missionary work is now dele
gated almost wholly to a selected Of
fetal classic clergymen. and a few
laymen and laywomen chosen for spe-
cific tasks. When a change from pas
sive profession to living service is
effected, the church will present it,
self in a new aspect, and its mission
airy power will be resistless. Man Is
today endeavoring to evangelize the
world through an official class proc
lamation of the Gospel. instead Of BY
a steady, active, and progressive
spread of the life of the church which
our LOrQ SSIaDllSueQ tuC SdNIu8
Of the world. 1t takes not only the
work of the clergy. but the life Of
the church to make it grow and
flourish.
Bishop Homer c. Stuntz writes to
the Christian Advocate concerning
the work Of Gospel teams whose
operations he has recently had oppor-
tunity to observe in the West. He
says:
At half a dozen points in the State
of Iowa 1 have run across the trail
of the new gospel team movement I
have heard very little of it from
preachers. / have seen almost roth
ing ABOUT 1t in newspapers. Ny per-
sonal contact with it has been through
meeting laymen who are engaged in
the work either as speakers, personal
workers or transportation committees
in connection with this rapidly spread
ing evangelistic movement. 1t is
gratifying in the extreme to notice
how sane, how enthusiastic and how
fruitful this work IL.
In city Of about forty thousan0
people I was at a dinner with a for
mer parishioner. His pastor was with
US. On the way out to his beautiful
home in the suburbs he said TO me:
"You will never know how sorry
was to miss your address yesterday.
but I am chairman of the committee
nm fra ananorfa ffop for thA uoapAl teaun