The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-08-26
BY w. T. ELLIS.

There is a tragic likelihood that the
church will lose in spiritual and numeri
cal strength unless she awakens to
realization of what is happening.
For two years | have listened to OPP
timistic ecclesiastics speak in joyius
tones of "the great revival" which, they
say, will follow the world war. Where
upon they have adopted policy of
'watchfully waiting" for that revival
The ten foolish virgins also INDUCED
in "watchful waiting" so did the ten
wise virgins but they had oil in their
lamps.
But there are those in the church
watching for the great revival" seem
ingly without effort to prepare for it
or to realize the opportunity which has
been theirs for months, and which Is
theirs now For three years they have
been passing resolutions and writing
screeds on the evils of unholy war.
They have contributed few pennies,
relatively, to relief where the need was
sufficient to touch icy hearts And all
the time they have kept on looking for
rainbows in the war clouds over Flu.
rope.
The world will turn toward God
after the war;" they have told me, SIT
ting the while with folded hands com.
placently waiting for "the world to
turn"
The church is in tragic danger of los.
ing her strength and many of her fol.
lowers unless she stops looking for rain.
bows and looks, instead, for umbrellas.
She has sacrificed and will sacrifice her
men in battle, of course, but she has
also sacrificed and she is sacrificing
them in the battle with the forces Of
evil for the dominion of their souls.
When men go to war the church must
follow them if it would retain It's in.
fluence.
Spiritual ''Red Cross" Needed.
Yet during the three years of war,
who has heard Of efforts in America
to lend hand TO the church Of Europe,
struggling to keep in touch with It's
men at the front, its man power so
ized relief committees to and lie
churches Of England France, Russia,
Germany, which surely must be weak.
ened by the blows Of the war club Have
we sent them any spiritual Red Cross 8"
so to speak, to bind up their wounced
spirits, mend the broken ties. .rehabn.-
tate consciences shattered by war
Now that we are in the war, wnat
is the church in America doing 70 guard
its frontier from invasion by hostile in
fluence, born OF strife, nurtured in shift
ing political conditions and ,clnumic
upheaval? Or, 10 put it more directly.
viii the church in America exert any
Of its power to retain its inflence over
men suddenly transformed from church
ushers into warriors, and transplanted
from pews to trenches from choir loft
to the deck Of battleship?
| put this question the other DAY 90
a nationally known clergyman. Fortu.
nately. perhaps, for our peace OF mind.
this clergyman happened to be actively
engaged in the work of the national
service commission Of the Presbyterian
church, the organization born on q tie
of patriotism into the General Assembly
at Dallas, Texas, last May, and giving
promise Of making the church strong
where she appeared TO be weak
This clergyman told me Of pre-
tentious program, some Of il now in
action, which is reassurng in its pros.
pect OF its possibilities and strong in
its organization one phase Of its pro-
gram proposes that where the American
sailor or soldier goes, in camp or in
the trenches, the church will follow him.
In fact. the church is there with him
now. And this clergyman told me how
in "A few summer weeks the national
service commission by intensive activity
has atoned for the months and years
lost in passing resolutions and "waitins
for the great revival"
Keeping Tab on the Christian in Khaki
The Presbyterian church is enrolling
the names of its members as they enlist
or are called into the national service
stupendous task in itself. The roll
will contain the home address of each
enlisted member with the branch OF
the service to which he is assigned 1t
will be indeXed and kept on file at one
Of the offices OF the commission.
Copies Of the list VIII be furnished
army and navy chaplains, Y. NJ. c. a
secretaries and Presbyterian minister,
who are cooperating In the religion,
activities In the army and navy
Through Il the commission will follow
the recruit to the training camp th'
cantonment, even TO the battle line
The workers at the front, in turn, viii
keep the home church and the com
mission posted as TO the welfare Of tn,
men.
In cooperation with the Pocket Testa
ment league. which has performed ad
mirable service for the soldiers in Eu
rope. the commission is putting a copy
OF the New Testament in the hand o
each recruit as he leaves his owl
church. Where. possible, the hom
church Is being urged TO provide thes
Testaments; otherwise the commission
is supplying them.
Churches and pastors are being In
spired 20 keep in touch with the en-
listed men through personal letters 81
that the service men who lack hom
connections will nevertheless be linke
to home church Groups are beinl
4 1.