The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-08
The Religious Rambler
By w. T. Ellis.

school? His job was to give the whole
community a lift.
An interesting fact reported by the
Sunday School Union is that these back
ward communities are all eager TO rise.
They are glad to get any sort of liter
ature, no matter how pious II may be.
In the case of the communities of for
eign-born, their thirst for education Is
pathetic.
A Power for Patriotism
In this respect the Sunday School
Union is doing real work of patriot.
ism. AT the present time, naturally, 1t
is supplying wholesome literature for
distribution among soldiers and sailors.
Its real work. however, is to proclaim
and preserve the standards and ideals
of Christianity amid the communities
that, somehow or other, have been pass.
ed by in the march of other Christian
activity.
There are forty million persons, ac
cording to the unions statement, i'm Am.
erica at the present time, who are un.
reached by any form of religious in.
struction. These constitute national,
as well as a religious problem One of
the vice-presidents of the American Sun.
day School Union, James Pollock, put
the case rather stirringly:
There is a national Christianity, an
American conscience, a great American
heart. That heart. that conscience, must
be touched and lightened by the truths
of the Bible before they can feel and
know the responsibilities they owe their
country. American! Every association
that surrounds that name pleads elo.
quently the cause Of the American Sun.
day School Union"
The famous rural commission Of Pres
ident Roosevelt reported I'VE miss
the heart of the problem If we neglect
to foster personal character and neigh
borhood Righteousness. The best way to
preserve ideals for private conduct In
public life is to build up the institutions
Of religion. The whole people should
understand that it is vitally important
to stand behind a rural church to help
1t to become great power in develop
ing concrete country.life ideals"
The printing press has the longest
arm. The printed page goes farther
than any missionary on horseback or
in automobile can travel. During these
hundred years the American Sunday
School Union has issued more than ten
million dollars worth of literature,
which it has either given away or sold.
Last year alone, it published more than
two million copies Of its periodicals. In
addition TO lesson helps. and illustrated
papers. and monthly magazines, II has
put out an extensive series of boks.
ranging from the old fashioned Sunday
school story book to a modern scholarly
work on archaeology.
What Hundred Years Have Seen.
The century Of activity of the Ameri.
can Sunday School Union has witnessed
transforming changes in the religious
life OF America. When II began there
We're no Y. NJ. c. AS. no W. c. T. U's..
no Christian Endeavor societies, no
Brotherhoods, no Laymens Movement.
no Men and Religion Movement. no In.
stitutional churches. At that time some
OF the present denominations were un.
born. Others were in their infancy.
WHOLE vast reaches OF present Chris.
tian teaching were then unsuspected.
Prevailing forms OF church work were
then unknown. The foreign mission
enterprise was only AT its beginning.
There were practically no inter-church
OF Importance. except the
Sunday School Union itself. Railway
transportation and other methods OF
were then on the shad.
ow side OF the present era. Printing
was relatively backward art. Mission.
aries moved about equipped with "A few
precious printed pages. either afoot or
on horseback or by canal boat.
Yet, after all. II is a question whether
there is any more Christian devotion in
the land today. or any more enterprising
service than was rendered a hundred
years ago by the first missionaries OF
The American Sunday School Union.
which is today one OF the institutions
" the nation.