The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-06-22
Delegates to 22nd Annual
State Meeting Hear Some
Notable Addresses.
ANNUAL REPORTS ARE
GIVEN BY OFFICERS
Rev. Mark Freeman, Re-
turned Missionary, in Stir
ring Talk Last Evening.

Rev. Mark Freeman, missionary to
the East Indies, who Is now in this
country for the first time since he
crossed the Pacific in 1911, expressed
his views on the spiritualism OF Amer
lea as 1t appears to him after his six
years absence. to delegates at the
twenty second annual convention of
the EpWorth league at the First Meth
odist church last night Mr.. Freeman
was the principal speaker of the even
ing, which was given over to the mis-
sionary work of the league. Mrs. +.
-. Valiant, state second vice presi-
dent in charge of the work in Montana
Tor the league, gave her annual report.
This included letter from Grace
Clark, the leagues missionary to At
rica.
Bitterly AssaiIs Americans.
DIR. Freeman's views on religion in
America as it now appears to him were
not entirely complimentary to the
American people. He bitterly assailed
them for their attitude Of self salts
faction with religion here. He declared
that the school system needs an up
hcaval to awaken school authorities
to the needs of our time. He as
tIle uttte IlHtl, lHe InOIIOn DC
turc which emphasizes sex questions,
and other features of American life
as vastly harmful to our spiritual de-
Nelopmcnt as u nation.
Rev. John X. Ross pronounced the
invocation at the session. Then came
Mrs. Valliants report and, after solo
by Mrs. W. n. Hassler, report of
Italian mission work in Butte was
given by the Rev. Mr.. Trappolini. Mr..
Freeman was next introduced, and he
spoke in part as follows:
THE sights that meet you as you
go from place to place in America
show that from IA religious standpoint
the American people are as i'll prepared
for the work before us as the nation
was unprepared from "a military stand
point year ago. ! am speaking from
what | have observed since ! came
back to this country from Banka. in
Netherlands East Indies, last Novcm-
ber. | say to you that the trouble is
that the provincial nature of the Amer
lean affects his religion.
Dances Beat Sermons.
Suppose a group of religious work
crs, some of them men who are inter
nationally known, have u meeting in
some small city some evening. The
meeting is poorly attended. we ask
why and we are told that there is a
dance in town, or that some motion
picture dealing with a Sex question
OF with birth control is showing for
one night only
"ln 1900 miles of travel in tho
United States with "a distinct inter-
est in church affairs always uppcrmost
in mind ! have found the greatest lax
ity in vital spiritual matters. Suppose
we go into the homes in the evening
what do we find? Eighty per cent OF
the children of more than IL years
are not at home at all, but some
where on the streets. The dance, the
vile motion picture, the pool room
these all combine to ruin the morality
and spirituality of the child at a time
when it should be most carefully cul.
turcd.
Dances Cause immortality.
Il have learned that in questioning
100 women of the underworld, 72 pc
cent of them admitted their first fal
was due to the dance or to the hilar.
ious joy ride which followed it. An,
if there had been no dance there prob
ably would have been no JOY ride.
Look at the schools. l know tina
many teacher is longing for som
great upheaval which will call to tn
(coptipad m papa SnyenA