Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-04-26
LEST WE FORGET
BY WILLIAM H. BAwDEN
A CHALLENGE

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According 10 our 1913 directory
there are tw~enty-nine church or reli-
g1ous organizations in Perth Amboy,
eight of them being English speak
ing Protestant, line foreign speaking
Protestant. one English speaking Ro-
man Catholic. four foreign speaking
Roman Catholic, four foreign speak
ing Greek Catholic, and three Jewish
s~ynagogues. However, large and
strong they may be individually, and
however great may be their individ-
ual influence on the city life. as a
united force i'm behalf of the religious
and moral life of Perth Amboy their
Influence is exactly nil. Only once
during a decade has there been any
attempt at concerted effort, directed
toward a Go-to-Church Sunday five
years ago, and that was a comparative
failure, resulting in but a quarter of
the population attending church on a
fine. clear day.
So far as the Protestant churches
are concerned. about one-half of them
unite annually On Thanksgiving Day
I'm a patriotic service. Scattered
through the years there have been
spasmodic efforts to unite them. now
in evangelistic union services, now in
vacation union services. These occa-
slona successes serve only to accen-
tuate the barrenness of the years when
there has been no united effort. Pre-
sumably the only reason for the ex-
istence of our churches is to hasten
the full establishment of the Kingdom
of God among men. But appearances
would indicate hat each church is
selfishly individualistic, thinking al
most exclusively of its own welfare.
That they all should serve the COM
munity and in an effective way~can do
1t only through united effrot, seems
to nave dawned on them.
The world is passing through the
greatest crisis in its history. A terri
bly, cruel war has been fought to a
finish. In order to save themselves
from dire disaster, men of different
nationalities have pooled their all.
Men have learned that through united
EFFORT alone may life be made worth
while, may big things for the bene-
Mt of mankind be accomplished. Have
the Christian churches learned the
lesson? Some of them have. and else
where churches are beginning to un-
derstand thier vital solidarity. Not so
in Perth Amboy. Here we stand as
aloof as ever, to our everlasting
name. Only once, and that when the
armistice was signed. did we come
together. Unless Protestant churches
learn that the things that unite them
are far greater than those that divide.
Protestant Christianity in Perth Am
boy is doomed; and well IL deserves to
be.
The Committee on the War and the
Religious Outlook a been requested
by the Federal Council of the Church.
es of Christ in America and the Gen.
eral Wartime Commission of the
Churches to conduct an inquiry into
the religious outlook as influenced by
the effect OF the war on people at
home. Here are some of the ques-
tons asked: ITO what extent has the
spirit of service and sacrifice in the
war been definitely associated with
Christianity, and can 1t be carried over
into the social tasks of the church?
What effect has the war had on
church unity? Have such factors as
cooperation of the churches in war
work. union religious services along
patriotic lines, and emphasis on ma
tional unity a any appreciable inf1u-
.ence upon the cor. lotion of the desir
ability or possibility of greater church
co-operation 2"
What answer would o give?