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

q speech. He told his remarkable story,
and ended with the words which We
wish to emphasise. and which nearly
upset the dignity of tho presiding
bishop: Tn these troublous times the
only thing for us to do 10 to stick
to our task of preaching. I must con-
fess that. when I looked down those
nve rife barrels had serious regrets
that even for three weeks I, had turn
ed aside from the legitimate work Of
the ministry"
Influx OF members and broadening
and deepening of the activities of the
churches are apparent in the various
city churches Of Omaha. Neb. Five
weeks after Billy" Sundays last SER
mon in Omaha it was estimated that
$500 new members had been received
into the churches, with others to
come. Various new organisations have
been formed in conjunction with the
churches and their work. Some of the
ten gospel teams that have been or
ganised since the Sunday meetings
are holding services. Gospel meetings
are being held Sunday evenings in
many Of the churches; also on wednes-
day evenings in some. Financially tho
churches report Improvement. The
people seem to have learned to give
better than they did before" said one
pastor. They realize their pecuniary
duties to the church"
Mrs. Russell Sage has given S2.soo
toward an NJ. X. Scudder Memorial
Ward In the Mary Taber Shell Me.
mortal Hospital. veIlore. India. now
being erected by the Board of For.
eign Missions of the Reformed
Church This will enable the women of
the Collegiate Church of st. Nicholas,
New York, of which Mrs. Sage is a
member. to make a much larger ward
for Miss Kitty Scudder. a missionary
supported there by them.
Church publicity was the theme OF
a recent address to ministers by Rev.
DR.. Carlton d. Harris, editor of the
Baltimore Southern Methodist. and he
praised the daily newspaper as per-
haps the most powerful instrument IN
modern life for church or any other
kind of publicity.
'1t is estimated that nearly $780,
100000 >Sre expended annually for
newspaper space alone" he said Tho
enormous growth of advertising is u
proof that 1t pays. All classes of bust
ness are advertising today. as their
existence depends upon it
The church. the most conservative
organization on earth, is just Begin
ming to recognize the value of public
ity. No institution has larger justifica-
tion for demanding the attention of
the public. for IL has the commodity
that all men need-the truth. The
church bell sufficed in simpler days
gone by. but its clamor has been
drowned by the call of the Sunday
newspaper. the automobile, the golf
links and other means of amusement
IN spite of the materialism of the
age men were never hungrter for
Christ than at present. The church
must satisfy this hunger and finds fc
not difficult once the men have been
gotten within the power and influence
of the gospel. But II rs far easier to
convert them, once inside the church.
than to get them into the church. That
difficulty should be partially solved
by church publicity.
1T is said that nine-tenths of Billy
Sundays usefulness would be lost but
for his tremendously eficiept public
ity bureau By the time he arrives
he has been so thoroughly advertised
by means of prayer meetings, organ
ization OF working forces. church an
nouncements and pewspape that
there are tens of thousands of un-
saved persons waiting to hear him.
1T was DR.. John F. Carson. for
VI fTC3DyI6I1dh
Church. who said: The church that
would adapt its ministry to the condi-
tions of the age must avail itself OF
the services of the daily press. In
urging this I am thoroughly loyal TO
the general method OF Christ and His
disciples. This was their method: To
employ the best ways known to their
age of gaining publicity for their rne.-
sage. Had the newspaper been in ex-
sSra IA N&
'I know personally of many in
stances where persons have been led
to church and TO Christian life
through reading notices and advertise
ments in the newspapers 1t Is a good
thing and the preacher would do well
to study the methods of those who
have used publicity most successfully
in extending the Kingdom of God"
The Lutheran Church Work and OBJ
server gives the declaration of prin-
ciples of an evangelist who is just
starting out which the editor thinks
contains some hopeful features.
This IL his declaration of principles:
We sell 10 song books-nor any
other book: we are not continually
pulling purse strings; we do not dts
place pastor or oftciary: are not
fanatical on holiness; We deprecate
abusive pulpit uttCranC.S. We believe
the whole Bible and preach whole
gospel; we strive TO make the pastors
work easier
In sixty cities Jewish conferences
have now been formed. looking to ac-
tive preparations for the forthcoming
Jewish congress. This Congress will
try to see how American Jews may
help commissioners who finally adjust
the war in Europe to adjust also the
great Jewish problem of all time. The
American Jewish committee opposed
for some time the calling of this con-
gress. but has yielded in so far as to
consent that il be called but only after
has come to an end. The congress idea
is growing rapidly, and in Boston,
Philadelphia. Baltimore, Washington.
Chicago, New Orleans. ST. Louis, De-
troit. Pittsburgh and other cities Jews
are active in preparation.
\ decision has been reached to hold
in New York within a few weeks a
preliminary congress to determine in
formally some of the things that are
TO come before the main congress, and
if possible SO to adjust matters with
the Jewish committee as now to an
nounce plans and dates for the great
meeting. There is now no question OF
the action Of American Jews to help
il possible the distressed Jews Of Eu-
rope. Twenty-three of the largest Jew
ish organisations in America are now
officially behind the plan.
Me- f,, -k 1A