The Washington herald., 1915-09-26
IN THE REALM OF RELIGION

is great danger in the growing lack
of respect for authority. based on
character. intellect, ONCE and expert
ence. and an uplifting movement find-
ing its chief attraction IN confirming
that lack Of respect cannot be perma-
nently useful. Nor can a coarseness Of
speech, a vulgarity of illustration. a
necessary means OF reaching the
hearts and fastening the attention of
an audience of persons, however un-
tutored or unrefined. There Is a diff
ference between such a style and the
simplicity Of language and LONELINESS
of illustration and the force OF direct
appeal to the plain people like that
which Moody used with great power
and effect. Moody spoke in the lam
guage d the psalmist and the proph-
cts. and the sermon on the mount. 1t
would be difficult to find anything in
common between these fountains of
language. pure and undefled. and
the slangy aphorisms and violent cpl
thets reported to have fallen from the
lips of this latest revivalist- Revivals
of this kind cannot permanently af-
feet the religious and moral progress
of the country. Individual instances
of good results will doubtless occur
and persist. but on the whole they are
to be treated as an ephemeral man.
Hesitation of religious excitement. in
a Undertaking period now passing.
which in the coming decade will seem
bubbles in retrospect"
England's Quakers have to a ce5-
tain extent modified their stand ON
the question of going to war. There
are now two hundred and fifteen Of
them who have enlisted, sforty-seven
Of these being physicians. The an
nual convention, lately held. did not
have the temerity to interfere, but
resolved to take the matter up after
the close of the war. Even SO, nine
tenths of the young Quakers who are
liable to military service have refused
to comply, even On pain Of imprison-
ment and other punishment. They
have asked the government to assign
civil service to them instead, agree
in the civil service. The government
has complied. A part of the service
to be rendered consists in rebuilding
houses and roads which have been
destroyed in the war region. also
clearing battle fields after the battles
are over.
The Bible Society's agent in Petro-
grad writes that since the war began
sale of Bibles and Testaments has
greatly increased in Russia. This Is
outside the special demand for the
Books for sick and wounded soldiers.
In August. September and October of
last year, the British and Foreign
Bible Society provided one million
Testaments and Gospels. in English.
Welsh, French, Flemish. German, Bo-
hemian, Hungarian, Russian, Polish.
Servian, Turkish, Arabic, Urdu. jap
anese, and other languages. to be dis
tributed everywhere possible to pris-
oners of war, civilian refugees. aliens
in detention camps. and troops going
to the front.
Up to September l $4,000 copies of
the New Testament and the Gospels
had been sent to the soldiers of the
nations at war, provided by the move
ment which was to give the Sunday
school children of the United States
opportunity to furnish million nick
els for a million copies. The plan not
working so satisfactorily as had been
expected, adult Bible classes are now
being urged to take it up.
The Reformed Church in France has
in part supplied the vacancies occa-
stoned by the military service or its
pa stors by allowing women to preach
in its pulpits and to perform pastoral
duties in general.