The Washington herald., 1915-07-04

Haugen, of Iowa, and John NJ Nelson,
of Wisconsin, join with fVe otncr
prominent Lutherans in a call ad-
dressed to the Lutheran laymen
which is about to be presented TO Inc
men Of the churches Of the General
synod The call refers to the NEE ling
of representative Lutherans which vas
held in Washington on Apr:i OF this
gear at which meeting the following
program was decided upon:
l. To form an organization of men In
every congregation where SUCH an CT
EanizarIon does not already exist.
. To unite these organizations into
an All Lutheran Brotherhood.
}. To arouse laymep to greater
service in The work of the church and
thereby Increase the growth and pow
er of the Lutheran Church in America.
In the accon pIishment of these pur-
poses one step will be the holding OF
a nationa! convention of Lutheran lay
men, which gathering, i: is believed,
will b: held in Washington.
The committee signing the call sets
forward as .easons for the present
step:
We are approaching a tin. v''er all
the churches of the land will be CALI
ed to commemorate with US that great
event of the mailing of the ninety-hVe
theses on the church door at Witten-
berg; and with the enthusiasm OF that
commemoration, there should be an
incentive to enlarged and active work
in promoting the growth OF our
church
The committee appointed at the
Washington meeting brings this sub
iect to your attention, and urges you
10 consider carefully and prayerfully
the object and aim of this undertake
ing, and to request not your sympathy,
but your activity in spreading this
call throughout the borders of this
land and in arousing the Lutheran
laymen to become greater help IN
the church with which they claim
membership.
This committee also desires to have
the expression of opinions as to the
time and place for the holding of
meeting at which Lutheran laymen
from all portions of America shall
gather, the nature of the program to
be presented and the length of such
a convention. Communications can be
addressed to any member of the COM
mittee or to the chairman, as is most
convenient. Let there be a full and
free expression, SO that the commit
tee may act with the unanimous sup
port of our men, and that out of this
gathering may be a revived Lutheran
laity. who will feel the responsibility
of their position and the urgency of
their service.
The recent appointment of Rev. s.
Townsend Weaver to be financial sec
rotary of the American University. calls
forth the following editorial comment
in the New York Christian Advocate:
The Rev. S. Townsend Weaver. a
former member of Des Moines Confer
cnce. now living in Washington, D. c..
and connected with Foundry Methodist
Episcopal Church. has been appointed
financial secretary of the American
University. He has demonstrated his
efficiency in work for the church in
various lines and has achieved fine
reputation as platform speaker. He
is also the author of several books of
acknowledged worth. His entrance
upon the field of effort for the newest
and most comprehensive scheme of
higher education ever undertaken by
the Methodist Episcopal Church is
timely and promises large results. He
begins his work at once
DR.. U. G. B. Pierce. pastor of All
Souls Church, with his wife and
daughter, started last week for San
Francisco, where he is to take part
in the Unitarian conference to be held
there this summer. DIR. Pierce will
resume his work in Washington in Oc-
1ober.
A conference to consider a constitu
tionaI amendment which will have as
its purpose national prohibition and
which Congress will be asked to sub
nit TO the States for ratification. will
he held in Washington on Saturday of
this week. The call declares that no
new organization is to be effected and
urges church and other temperance
societies to name not to exceed five
of their officers or other members as
delegates and to provide them with
proper credentials.
The call is signed by officers of the
following organizations and gives the
place and time of the conference as
Calvary Baptist Sunday School House
at $3.50 o'clock July 10: The Anti-Sa
loon League of America, the Temper
ance Commission of the Federal Coun-
Gil of Churches of Christ in America.
the National Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union. and the International
Order of Good Templars.
The vicar of the Chapel of the Ma
tivity, Rev. Enrich NJ. Thompson. has
announced that a substantial memorial
to Crucifer Henry r. Smoot. the boy
who was recently drowned in Eastern
Branch. would be made by putting an
electric light in the church at a cost
of about $50. In his remarks to the
children of the Sunday School and the
conErega tion he empha sized the faith
fulness of the young man in his church
work and in his regular communion
during the past four years since he
was confirmed by Bishop Harding and
his bright cheerful disposition in and
out of the church.
Through ruling of the Comptroller
of the Treasury. four Catholic boarding
schools for the children of the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw tribes of Indians
will be deprived of about $4,000 dur
ing the fiscal year. which began the
past week. For years these schools
have been afforded contracts payable
out of the Choctaw-Chickasaw tribal
funds, but the Comptroller holds that
they are private schools and cannot
receive the funds heretofore allowed
them. In beginning the case before
Catholics. Cardinal Gibbons, who is
deeply interested in the Indian and
negro missions, asks for generous con-
tributions to make up the deficit, and
it is believed that it will be done
In his circular letter the cardinal
says:
while We hope to obtain relief
from the next Congress. a year must
intervene during which the schools
will be without support
These institutions are the fruit OF
years OF sacrifice and devotedness, and
they are accomplishing a noble and
necessary work: it would be n crime