New-York tribune., 1918-03-14
Religious Riualry'
A Plea for a Union of Y.M
c. A., K. of C.. and
Y. NJ. Fl. A.

1mes @ IS a" open letter to Bishop Lutb..
B. Wilson, of the Methodist En;..f Eef
Church, from Mr.. William J. Guor,, ,'pa' :
many years press Representative ~ !o'
Metropolitan Opera House. y 'ss
My Dear Bishop Wilson:
You and | have known each o+h..
boyhood. Your honored father wac ;. s.oee
mental in bringing my father '.u'
Wesleyan Methodist preacher, tho ','sa rs
Thomas Guard, to America in the e.r,. -. .a'e
Your father was one of my long.d.s.'O w.
fathers closest friends in Mount v. 'So
Place Church, in Baltimore, and Wa,
less were to no small extent ;ns.;N p'-
enter the ministry by my father,s ~. 70
ances from the pulpit. A''er'
ouch being the case, I feel 1 am tal;.
no undue lloerty-even though to-dav ss n4
and | may not be quite in HARMONY ~ s0u
ion as to so-called "orthodox tbeo,o...rp pa'
appealing to you to take a step which ~. ~
be IN consonance with your broad ou,., su'a
your Wilderness of religious view and
unquestlonable catholicity of sn;r;. ''ur
would be step which would redon.,
the honor of the American Mot.N,'o 70
Church, OF which, | am proud to f''u's' foo, m
are one OF the most deservedly dist;nan;;. !. you
representatives. u'sned
"The World Is My PARISH
And no one who has any historic ...
can ignore the fact that tho NJ, sense
Church-and l say this as nerhss s"oa'ss
hereto" from the point of view ~ ''ps ~
called orthodox Methodist-the Ch,.'' 80.
John Wesley, whom we rank with sn ths =, oi
brew Daniel, the sanity Francis Of s.. ne.
and the fearless John Huss of Rohon":' ss'si
John Wesley, who declared that "tbo "en.a,, ND,
IS my parish"-has been one of the oro,..'a "..'u
clvlllzlng agencies in American Efe ''sss ="
the old Circuit riders" service to bnn.S.a van
ever be overestimated, and did NOT a,a'',y tho NV,
1ashloned camp meeting perform q so.:u, w.
as wen as religious function that no cvn;.a VIA
criticism eyer can deprecate? '"''a
therefore, it is to you, my dear old t.;
mat appeal to make a move n .a, 'enu'
distressing sectarian scandal land :, 'ne
know now else to characterize itl th.t w"
resulteo from the rivalry in war ser,;..a "as ~
tne ioung Mems Christian Association ~
nh,ghts OF Columbus and the Yonno N.Y. wy
1reDre" @ ASSOCIATION. 1t is to Won R;sh.s
~lison' or the great Methodist En;scnna, ;vp
ohurch OF America, the Church whose a,as
seliclsm yields to no other Christian ohws.r
oneanlzatlon IN simplicity of doctrine .sa
oi 1a1th-the Church Of all so-cal]ed oxth. dau
ooX churches that prides itself on H. nv
crafty Oh opinion and true spirit ~ ~
,"ocracy-to use your great Influence y.
D-ine ABOUT such a rational unsectar;on
"s,eeinene : between these different orpan;.
"',OhS' whose ultimate object presumahlv
10 .he same that they shall cease to nra
s1n1 s1i: 10 'he world at large, and our beloved
na;ss.., =" france and Italy especially. the
Paihlul spectacle of organized sectar;os ;as
rivalry. 'e''arian
Let Us Scrap Bigotrv
we are bending all our efforts ~ =.
oluihate our physical forces in ordar ~
WIN the war and make the world = hot...
napier place for the common man WI.
should we not coordinate orr moro, .aa
splrltual forces, which are even moro =.
sentlal to the accomplishment Of tbs ~
sired result? Why should these sn;r;.us, us
and moral forces be hampered hv ,.sta, h;aotr,
and ecclesiasticism," two relics of Nd;
@vallsm that should be "scrapnedn with an
tocracy and class privilege?
Surely, my dear Bishop. Won 80 I'll
Americans, who have been "at tho fror,r
ana ought to know, are in an excentional
positlon to help consolidate the "uplift" or.
ganizatlons into one great organization for
.ne ABSURD rivalry must be as painful to
you as 1T is to thousands of us Motbo.
o,st preachers sons who want to sea tbe
church of our fathers adjust itself to The
spirit of the new heaven and new earth
winch the world war must usher in. With
such an organization, the Protestant. lew
ana Catholic may find fraternal shelter on
lofe'gn soil and each may worship in turn
under the same roof according to dictates
ol MS conscience l am quite sure our old
former fellow townsman, Cardinal Gibbons
would cooperate heartily with Won and that
Raobl stephen S. Wise also would promptly
ana enthusiastically lend helpful hand.
Let us face the Hun a nation united in
oooy' soul and spirit! Then we must and
shall triumph w 7 GUARD
New York, March g. 1918.