The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-12-17
WILSON
Breaks Record As He Shakes
Hands With Over 5000
Thousands COngregate 10 Hear
His Address Before National
Conference Of Churches

Columbus, Dec. 11.-Presideni
Wilson yesterday established a new
record for number of persons greet
ed by him at public reception ac'
cording to members OF his Official
party. Seven thousand persons pas
sed through the rotunda Of the state
capitol and shook his hand, IL was
estimated, while 5000 was consid-
cred the largest number ever greet
ed before by a president on a similar
occasion.
After four o'clock when the pres
ident and others in the receiving line
had shaken the hands of nearly g.
600 men, women, children for nearly
an hour and half, Dr. Cary T. Gray
son, the Presidents physician rec
ommended that the capitol doors be
closed and none other admltted. Inc
president refused to give ms APPROX
al, however. and for another hali
hour he dispensed handshakes ana
smiles for the people VINO came at
the rate of go minute. When the
doors were finally closed, more than
1000 we're turned away. About lOOO
of those who passed down the receiy-
ing line were suffragists. Mrs. Frank
b. Willis, wife of Ohio's governor
was at the head of the sutfragist del
egation. She gave President wilson
a boquet of yellow roses and whlte
lilies of the valley, the sutfragist col
ors.
Governor Willis, former Governor
Harmon, Senator Pomerene, Repre-
sentative Brumbaugh, and Mayor G.
]. Karb, of Columbus, were in the
receiving line. The presidents cous-
in, Guy H. Woodrow, of Columbus
and his son, Lloyd, were also in the
line.
closing session of the National Con-
terence on the Commission on
Church and Country Life, President
Wilson emphasized the need of max
ing country churches more useful.
He spoke before four thousand per-
sons. many who were clergymen and
agriculturists from all parts OF the
country
The president declared that laws
are useless unless they express the
moral feeling of the people. There
fore. he said, it is PRIMARILY the duty
of Christmas to better the moral
character of all persons. He added
that Christianity is the most vital
izing thing in the world.
Nations are judged by what they
think rather than by what they pos
sess." he said.
Some churches hre over-organ-
ized," the president declared, amid
applause He said that he believed
that the schools and churches should
be used as social centers in rural dis
tricts.
The president commented on the
tendency of too many churches to de-
velop to much internal organization
and too accomplish too little actual
good to the community. They are in
clined to hold unnecessary public
meetings, he suggested and to take
less interest than they should in such
problems as scientific farming, CO
operative marketing of farm pro-
ducts, and Capitalization of commun-
ity interest in the church as social
center.
He dwelt on the impossibility of
trying to improve society by legisla-
ton, saying legislation only follow
ed the moral judgment. To improve
this Judgment is the function of
Christianity, he declared.
after all the most vitalizing thing
in the world is Christianity, he said.
"The world has advanced to what we
regard as real civilization, not by
material but by spiritual means, and
one nation is distinguished from an
other nation by it's ideals, not by its
possessions, by what it believes in,
by what it lives by, by what it in
tends to do, by the visions of its
young men and the acheivments
which it's men of maturity attempt.
"When / think of the rural church
| wonder how far it is vitalizing the
lives of the community in which it
exists. / believe that where the
school house is inadequate and even
where it is adequate, the most vital
social center should be the church
itself. | should not want to see any
church run any community, but |
would have the church assist the
community to run itself. | hope this
conference will remind the church |
that it is here not alone to save the
individual, but to save society |
You've got to save society in this
world, not in the next.
America is great in the world not
as she is a successful government,
raerely but as she is a successful en-
bodiment of unselfish citizens. That
is what makes the world feel Ameri- |
ca, draw it like a lodestone; that is
the reason that ships that cross the
sea have so many hopeful eyes lifted
from their humber quarters toward |
the shores of the new land. That is
why men after they have been for a
little while in America and go back
to the old world for visit have a
new light in their faces, the light |
that has kindled there in the coun-
try where they have seen some of
their objects fulfilled That is the
light that shines from America. God
grant that it may always shine and
in many a humble hearth in quiet
country churches the flames may be
lighted by which this great light is
kept alive"