The Washington herald., 1915-12-26
IN THE REALM OF RELIGION.

At Q meeting Of the Association ol
College and Preparatory Schools, a
Philadelphia. nearly all the speakers
| opposed the idea OF military training
in tho schools.
The only speaker who favored 1t
was DIR. Thomas Fell, president OF st.
John's College. Annapolis. He said that
military training would give much
needed discipline. favor the growth
OF patriotism, and strengthen both mind
and body.
Answering the question. what does
Billy Sunday do with all the money
that Is given to him?" q correspond
ent of one Of the church papers says:
He carries $1,000. 900 of life insurance.
The annual premium on that is $4,000.
That Is to be Billy Sunday Family
monument: an institute for perennial
Gospel work. like the Moody Insti-
tute; a vision for future genera
tions."-
Prof. Edward Alsworth Ross writes
In World Outlook for January Of re-
ligious conditions in western China
He says:
For all it's teeming population. its
marvellous s4ilage. its amazing activ-
ity, West China is no land Of good
cheer. For most, labor and anxiety
over sustenance seem to have swal-
lowed up all Of life. Despite their en-
ergy and ingenuity, super-fecundity
has trapped the Szechuanese In a
treadmill of food-getting and beget-
ting. while the bats of superstition
darken the mind and shut out heavens
blue.
For they are superstitious. Their re-
ligion as they practice II apparently
means nothing in the way OF COM
munion with their deity. A silk ped
dler FROM Chefoo was with us when
we passed one Of the temples that
crown the high divides. and for good
luck he had the priests light the joss
sticks for him In front of the god.
He was most perfunctory and appar-
emily had no thought of prayer. His
idea seemed to be one of reciprocity:
You do something nice for the god
and he. being a gentleman, will do
something nice for you.
Nine per cent gain in membership
and 81 per cent in probationers Is the
record of Central China Methods,
conference for the year just closed
a record not matched by many con-
ItTeHCtS HI 81
Bishop Lewis pledged the preachers "a
majority of them Chinese) TO three
things during the coming year:
We covenant to search the Scrip
lures daily for our own spiritual
growth, and to teach our children
daily.
We pledge ourselves to teach the
Word of God to our church members
and to others interested.
We agree to examine our members
In the Scriptures we have sought TO
teach.
A special meeting of the Board of
the International Grenfell Association
was held in New York city this month.
at which representatives from Canada.
Newfoundland. Chicago. New York and
Boston were in attendance. DIR. Gren-
fell himself being present after a
months lecture tour In our Middle
West and in Canada.
DIR. and Mrs. Grenfell sailed Decem-
Der IA to join the Harvard unit ut a
base hospital in France for three
months service Mrs. Grenfell acting
as Interpreter for the nurses and in
other needed capacities. The doctor
has left four surgeons in charge of
the Labrador and Newfoundland hos
pitfalls for the winter. He Will return
to the States in the spring. going
North when open water permits. He
has expressed a strong desire to
serve the brave fellows who are
fighting the worlds battles in France.
A letter describing conditions on the
battle front in France after the battle
of Loos has been received from Rev.
W. J. Coates, who writes of his work
as chaplain with undivided admi-
ration / declare that the mood OF
the men was heroic. There was no
bombast, nothing but a high serious
ness and stern exalted confidence. I
spoke to men in every company. held
services in nearly every billet, and
know that IL men were prepared for
duty. for danger. for death. these men
were
Il may not tell you how many lost
their lives, nor how many still are
missing. lying out in No Mans Land.
buried in the German trenches or car
ried prisoner into the enemy's lines.
This l know, that when / came at
the close of the battle TO their billets.
they came and asked for prayer. and
while 1 prayed strong men sobbed.
Their comrades were still lying out
within their sight. outside their help,
or wounded. had been taken from
their midst. Half a platoon. the other
half gone to return no more, looked
in each others faces and looked
away At a word, every man in each
shattered company came for the sim
pie prayer: wounded in spirit and un-
strung, they found their way b God
for healing and strength. Men who
boasted they had never prayed, cried
out that they had prayed that day.
When the whole earth trembled and
shook. and human lie was no more
sacred than a lump of clay. when no
help availed against the screaming
shell, then men leaned on something
bigger and better than all the world.
and that Thing was God.