The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-16
CIVILIZATION IS BASED ON BIBLE SAYS DR. STUART Christianity Will No More Fail Than Will Civiliza- tion-Ignorance of Bible Where Failure Lies" AMERICA" SUNG BY GREAT CONGREGATION All Men and Women Urged to Join Teachers Training Class
 So As to Learn to
 Teach

Singing America over 2ooo voices at the First Methodist church yesterday morning presented a most patriotic ana Inspiring spectacle prior to the sermon by Dr. George R. Stuart, the pastor, who preached in behalf of the teacher train ing class. which is in line with move- ment of the nation to enroll thousands Of men and women into the training classes in order that they may be able to lead, and to teach the Bible in the Sunday schools of the country.
 Dr. Stuart spoke from the subject: will Christianity Fail-Why and Where?" and the church was taxed to capacity. A beautiful duet was rendered by H. J. Posner, bass, and J. D. McGill, tenor, the offering being ''No Hope Beyond Dr. Stuart spoke from the subject, "Nil description of the human body-its well jointed mechanism making it perfectiy harmonious in action, and contrasting the stiffness or the inactivity of any joint making 1t impossible to move or straighten the member affected.
 ASTIFF JOINTS IN CHURCH 'Eyery joint in the organization of this church supplies something, but there are so many of you who are just stiff joints II might say three -fourths of you-that you have no movement. call upon you, but you fail to respond. I ask you how many of you are teaching someone, are showing them how to do something??
 At this iuncture someone in the audi ence asked Rr. Stuart to put it to test, | to which he replied in his, usual good humor: '.No. I don't want to embarrass the majority of my audience; it wouldn't t be right to do that, as I don't want to make any of them feel that bad. l want them to all feel tolerably bad before l get drought, but not that bad.
 Because l am a preacher l have no priestly order that you have not. 1 am | just set aside for this special task, this specific duty. An apostle is one who publishes first the teachings of Christ gospel. Paul was an apostle. prophet l is one who tells forth the gospel, as on the day of Pentecost Peter told it forth. So I am a prophet as Peter was l tell forth the gospel. We have different gifts, all of us, but it is all in the same spirit. l ssTnere are 5000 drafted men from the state of Alabama who are unable 10 read
 and write They have Just been picked I out of the hfiis and put into the army. l was told recently by one of the religious directors in an Ohio camp that they had
 son1e men there from Alabama who not only did not know how to read and write, 1 but they were unable to go to the post office and buy stamp, put it on the let I ter and mail it, as they had never had such an experience before, and did not know how to do it.
 Christianity won't any more fail than civilization will fail. Ignorance-that IS where the failure comes-ignorance of the Bible, a lack of preparation. These ig- norant preachers who tell you that God l fills their mouths generally prove that 1 it is filled with wind, and mighty bad wind at that Recently young man came to me and told me that he felt called to preach He was employed here 1 in the city, but he was very iliiterate ana l ignorant. I told him if he felt that way about it that. the thing for him to do was Ito go and prepare for it-that was his first duty in answering the call. to get ready for it.
 DAY OF PREPARATION ..This is a day of preparation, no mat ter what your calling is. You must pre- pare, you must train, Take man Tn the army, he wants to go to the training class, to the officers training class, so that he can learn and prepare to be a leader, to know all about this war and how it is being carried on, for he wants to be able to handle his men and know what to do when the time comes. Prepa- raion--thats the thing.
 Every little bone in the body. in your hand, is in its place and fulfills its pur- pose. You are put here for purpose, and you must fulfill that purpose. This Bible is what makes America the greatest country on earth. It's hope is founded on it's knowledge of this book. When Germany put her doubt in this book she placed the first rotten plank in her plat l form that broke down her civilization l and upon which she is falling today. "When you take your business off this Bible you will fail. It Is important to every business. It is important to every l business man to know this book and see I that those around him know it. There was a young man from the country who went to New York to get job. When he opened his grip and drew forth his let l ters of recommendation, a book fell out on the floor. Whats that?' asked the man to whom he had applied for job. l Its a Bible my mother gave me when l I left home and I promised her that l would read a chapter in it every day, he replied. Just put your letters up, said
 the boss; T will find something for you to | do: your Bible is enough recommenda- ! tion for me- and he went to the execu-
 tive chair before he stopped in that estab- l llishment, carrying that Bible ana ms knowledge of it with him.
 .'The Bible makes community sa1e.