Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-03

There arc to be no SlackerS in Seventh
Street Christian Church when 1t comes
- meeting the eXigencies Of conditions
forced upon the church by the war.
| Rev. II. d. G. Maclachlan, D. D.. in a
stirring address yesterday morning laid
| special emphasis on this point. urging
| his congregation to be up and doing"
| III meeting tho many new problems at
tendant upon the conduct of the war.
Briefly, he outlined a working plan
| for his own church which will at once
be acted upon. Across the front of the
spacious annex there will be a con-
Spicuous sign placed. Tho sign will
| read: "A Homo Away From Home"
A reading room and writing room
will be fitted up for the use of the
soldiers, and entertainments will be
amusement for the boys in khaki.
While the pastor regards the year
which the church is facing as the hard
est year in her history. perhaps. year
which will tax TO the utmost tho re-
sources of the church. yet with the
wider vision of service. Or. Maclach-
Ian sees in the present national crisis
| the church's opportunity. and it was
this theme which was dominant in his
| address to his people yesterday. From
the fifty-second chapter OF the prophecy
of Isaiah, DIR. Maclachlan read as his
text the clarion call of the prophet.
| Awake, awake; put on thy strength.
o Zion"
CLARION CALL TO CHURCH
TO AWAKE TO SERVICE
DR.. Maclachlan regards this call Of
| God to the captive people of Jerusalem.
| to he equal to the greatest occasion in
their history since their deliverance
from Egypt The day of their political
deliverancc was drawing nigh, and this
unknown prophet of the exile calls on
them to make spiritual preparation for
| the days that are to come. Their cap
tivity in Babylon had been more than
| physical. II had been spiritual also.
Many of them had acquiesced in It..
others had lost their nerve. Still others
had, probably, been glad to exchange
| the provincial life Of a little subject
| state like Palestine for the larger cul-
ture of a great empire. Only rem
nant had remained faithful to their ma
| tional ideals, and they were dumbly
waiting rather than eagerly watching
| for the signs Of their delvcrance.
ITO all OF these, though more cspe-
| cially to the last. said DR.. Maclachlan.
''the prophet addresses this clarion call
| to welcome the rising sun of their new
| nationalism not with the dumb wonder
OF surprise. but with the active spirit
| OF preparation and cooperation. so
that their deliverance may not be spir-
! itually in vain. Awake. he says.
awake: put on thy strength. Zion :"
Taking Zion as type OF the church
OF to-day. DR.. Maclachlan proceeded to
apply the prophets summons to pres
ent day conditions.
! THE church has been. and still is.
in captivity" he declared. 1T has let
the Babylon Of the seen and temporal
invade the sanctuary of the unseen
and eternal. 1t has compromised with
tho world. the flesh and the devil. 1t
| has lost it's vision of God 1t has
acquiesced in the goddess culture of
the most essentially goddess ago since
| Christ died on Calvary.
BLAMEs CHURCH ITSELF
| For GREAT WORLD WAR
1T has. played for place and power.
1t has forgotten to be the champion of
the poor and oppressed. Growing in
numbers. it has not grown in spiritual
power. 1t has side-tracked its com
mon fight against the devil for internal
strife and UNCONVENTIONAL rivalries 1t
has thrcshed the old straw of theology
when men and women were asking for
the bread OF life. 1t has had no clear
message for the times-no note sound
ing above all the babel of earthly
tongues. which men would hear and
say: This is the truth Of God"
| Proof OF this fierce arrangement Of
the church. DR.. Maclachlan claimed
| w" 'he war, llseii as inc most con-
| fincing condemnation of its faith
lessness. Had the church been doing
| its full duty" stated Dr. Maclachlan
| with conviction, had IL been doing
even little OF it's duty during the
last fifty years. this war would never
engaged in 1t is a nominally Chris
tan nation. For decades the states
men and diplomats of all the European
capitals have seen this thing coming
| with them 1t was only a question Of
the day when it would come. Yet the
churches. as whole. raised no warn
| ing voice.
| DO not blame merely the Christian
| people of Germany. who as we now
| Know. were hypnotized with tho dream
OF German Kultur and world empire
| and whose pastors were virtually court
tuhctionaries twisting the worship Of
| the NaAarene into that of Thor and
odin. blame hardly less the Chris
! tians of all other lands who made lii
ne or no effort to fraternize with their
orethren across their frontiers. or to
reach some common Understanding
with them on the basis of q comn,,,s,
ialth. and SO build up Il great spiritual
ihternationaltsm mightier far than the
EXPLODED dream-at least. for q time
Oh International socialism.
EFFORTS TO GET TOGETHER
CAME TOO LATE TO MEET NEED
There is no more pathetic reading in
all literature than the report Of the
commissioners sent by the American
churches TO the International Peace
conference scheduled to be held in Ge
neVa on what proved to be the very
eve or the war. 1t never met, though
most OF the commissioners were still
on their way to Geneva. The storm
broke and sent them scurrying home
Tor shelter. The world was pitted
against the church and the world won.
The clerical broom could not sweep
back the tide Of militarism. 1t was for
ever too late. Instead OF echoinE to
the strains of 'Blest Be the Tie That
Binds, the soil Of Europe was already
rocking with the tramp OF armies bent
on mutual destruction and Hymns OF
Hate seethins in war-intoxicated
brains.
Had the church people of all the
countries gotten together before this;
had an international conference been
already an established custom: had the
prayers of the church universal for
peace been more united during the
years since the Franco Prussion War:
had an international church conscience
been thus developed strong enough to