Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-03
YEAR JUST CLOSED WAS
MOST EVENTFUL FOR YEARS
Church News Association Predict,
Great Changes During Coming
Twelve Months.

The Church News Association, In it's
annual review. declares the year 1914
10 have been more cventful than any
Tor centuries. and il predicts tina; 1915
will witness changes of tremendous
consequence. The review says:
The breakdown of Christian forces
III Europe. as shown by the great war.
profoundly affected Christian forces in
America For months organized Chris
iianity on both continents was admit
;cdly unequal TO the challenge. When
the storm broke at Vienna and London
last summer many big plans OF
churches went to smash. The Rev. DR..
j. ~. Jowett, of New York. until re-
Gently a foremost English pastor. has
described the union movements be-
tween British and German ministers
and fratcrnal visits to their respective
countries. Three hundred British pas
tors went to Germany and were SPLEEN
didly entertained, and the same number
paid return visit TO England. Dele
gates from both England and Germany
came to America carly last summer and
gave aid TO plan which was to include
fraternal deputations of ministers OF
all three nations. or course all of
these plans went TO smash with the
declarations OF war.
World peace delegates. backed by
the churches and including in their
number Emperor Williams Berlin pas
tor, were in session In Constance and
the war sent them scurryinE for shell
ter There was battle between peace
and war, and war won. An adjourned
sessino was held in London, and an
organization was kept intact. although
German and Austrian ministers were
no longer a part of it.
"In Roman Catholic internal admin
istration the event OF 1915 was. OF
course. the death OF Pope Piux and
the election of Pope Benedict Nv
II was a marked change involving more
than the supplanting OF one man by
another. IL was change from 4
pontiicate that looked backward in not
few ways 10 one that looks forward
in all ways. II was n change from
Pope who came UP from common poo
pie, worthy in all respects. TO one rep
rcsenting the best culture of Italy.
Among the Jews the year witnessed
tremendous changes, both here and
abroad. Suffering brought them about
with war rs the cause. Changed politi-
cal power Of Turkey changed the out
look in Palestine for the Zionist move
ment. Admission OF Jews as officers
in the Russian armies has given Jews
of the world new hope for better treat
ment of Jews in Russia. Extreme suf-
fering of Jews in the Near East has
brought the Jews of America into com
mon action for relief and TO such
larger sympathy for each other as
never before obtained since there was
an American Judaism. The year 1914
is historic in this respect.
Financially, 1914 was the most try
ing to Christian and Jewish leaders
they ever knew. Missionary societies
in great numbers had fallen into debt
at the beginning of the calendar year:
some Of them the greatest deficits in
their histories. Then came the war
and the distraction which followed
Later appeals for war relief. coming In
far larger proportions from church
supporters than from others, further
weighted down conditions. The year
closed with some slight Improvement,
but slight, indeed
THE single aggressive note of the
year, apart from the struggles to over
come debt and war, was for efficiency
in business methods. social and moral
influence In new places, utilization of
the moving picture and the practical
demonstration of new forms of build
ings 20 religious work"