El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-16
RELIGIOUS BODIES PLAN FOR THE
BEST YEAR IN CHURCH HISTORY
Will Push Religious Matte Along Scientific, Rather
than Revival, Lines; Anne rican Jews Enter the Year
With Larger Vision; Catholics Are DevOt
ing Efforts iowa I'd Securing Peace.

when it shall be settled The spirit
. shown in Russia toward The Poles, and
the treatment BY the Russians Of Jews
1 who volunteer for military service
1 against Austria and Germany, have
! given American and English Jews new
/ hope for Jews of eastern Europe. An
] effect has been to cause Judaism to
1 drop it's differences to a considerable
/ extent Never did Jews enter upon 4
! year with greater hope or larger plans
! that show some chance Of fulfillment
Catholics I'm Peace Effort.
The. supreme task before the vatican,
I a task in which American Catholics
/ about peace between nations now at
! war The new pope is said to think or
! talk CT little else than how the Catho-
/ lie church may serve the cause Of
! peace To this end English, Ameri-
can and other. diplomacy is sought to
/ be drawn in. Even diplomatic rela-
/ lions with France, broken off ten years
! ago. are sought to be renewed.
/ At the opening of the year CathO-
! lie leaders are working hard to help
/ Catholics Of the world, crippled in their
support because France is at war. Des-
perate conditions obtain, and Ameri-
can Catholics must come to the res
cue Catholic Iaymen, strongly united
in their declarations; are taking i'm
mense interest in the relief of Cath
olics in Mexico. They are also talking
cooperation with others as they have
not heretofore done. Fair dealing they
! ask. and an end to criticism; plea
in which they seem to be met more
than half way by leaders in other re-
ligiOus bodies.
Big Religious Plans in Hand.
with a common purpose such as has
not obtained since Civil war times, if
it obtained even then, religious bodies
in America are entering upon the year
1915 with a determination to show that
they have not failed because war over
took Europe Baptist Episcopal and
other leaders are prOclaiming the ne
cessity for the maintenance and multi
plicatiOn of spiritual dynamOs. Almost
every plan of every religious body,
even If it have money as its goal, is
this spiritual gospel Never was it
stronger. Never did it have central
place in plans more than now.
There is big Sunday school plan in
hand for the year, the International
Lesson people leading. Tours to South
America and Japan are parts of the
plan Bible distribution through the
American Bible society, new evangel-
lists with religious education as their
special line, penetration into the far
thest fields all of these, in all bodies,
is the 1915 program. Religious educa-
ton is being put upon the same scien-
tific basis as secular. and some measure
Of secular efficiency and equipment
is being attained by the more progress
sive bodies.
The Peace Plans.
The peace plans, with the churches.
Protestant Catholic and Jew, vigor-
Ously behind them. are aimed at two
objects. One is a World Peace confer
ence in London next summer, war or no
war with men present from nations
now at war if possible. Another is to
prevent the United States government
from entering upon the building of
large numbers of battleships and re-
crulting expensive armies. Believing
that some concession must be made to
the military spirit of the past a few
Christian leaders like president Hib-
bon Of Princeton and others, are sug-
costing training Of students, and en-
largement of state guards. On the
other hand, il is safe to say that most
leaders are absolutely opposed to rep
resentatiVe Gardner and those who side |
with him, and favor absolute depend
ence upon gospel peace plans-a ma
uonal turning Of the other cheek il !
one be attacked
Tremendous progress is making in
some sections through the adaptation I
OF plans making churches community |
service centers. Here and there 4
churches that have spiritually slept !
Tor generations have walked up doubled /
their incomes and working stats, and /
shown others what efficient churches !
may be. This efficiency program, to |
be for churches what the same program l
Is for industrial plants. is one of the !
striking features OF the future, and !
1915 is expected to demonstrate il in 1
large ways.
To Reach the Stay at Homes.
Taking advantage Of stay at homes |
This year, because Europe cannot be !
visited church planners are arranging /
meetings in connection with the Pana- 1
ma Pacific exposition. and especially
such as are held in cities on the routes I
between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts /
Every subject under the sun is to be /
presented, if it relate at all TO COM !
munlty welfare and meetings by the
hundreds viii occur. Indeed, this /
novel feature-meetings on successive |
dates with speakers taking up meet |
ings in one city Immediately they have /
concluded meetings in a previous one
is to mark the year 1915.
american Church Expenditures.
It costs the American people $500
100000 a year to maintain churches Of
all America. No other people pay
so much They give $50, 000,0 a year
year to those abroad; in both respects
leading all nations. These sums grow
steadily, and if 1915 financial plans
be so much as half realized. their ]
growth this year will be far greater /
than ever. OF the $685. 900, 600 given /
by Americans ito education and to gen
eral benevOlence, by far the largest |
part is given by people who also sup
port the churches.
in spite of constant statements to the
contrary, membership growth of all /
American churches, unless it be 4 few /
of the smaller ones, is steady. and our
ing the past few years has rather mere !
than maintained its average. In par
tic1lar the Catholic the Episcopal, the
Presbyterian, the Lutheran and the
Disciples are growing in numbers The /
war has directed the attention of peo-
pie TO themselves and their RESPONSE
buities, and most churches look to 1915
to bring in membership greater than /
for years past. There is larger sym
patty between different bodies than
formerly, and while there are still di-
visions, they are ceasing to be I'M
happy divisions New administrative |
machinery is being perfected, and
churches are now able to concentrate
their energies upon causes in ways I'M
dreamed OF ten years ago.