Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-21
DEAN BROWN OF YALE
 GIVES AMERicANIsM LEcTUFE

JEAN BROWN OF VALE
 GIVES AMERicANIsM LEcTUFE
 We are praying that this nation may show itself good enough to have a large and honorable part in that great work of world renewal, political in- dustrial and moral, which lies before us said Dean Charles R. Brown of Yale university in his lecture on The Call of the Hour in Social Rebuilding Tuesday evening at the Community House on Church street. This was the first of a series of three lec- lures on Amer canisrn under the auspices of the Mems Brotherhood of the United Congregational church
 The main floor and gallery of the Rev. Alexander H. Abbott, pastor of the United Congregational church, was Chairman. Rev. Joseph H. Selden, D. D., of the committee who secured Dean Brown as the first of the three lecturers, told of the Brotherhood's de- sire to carry on welfare work in the community. Dr. Selden spoke of plan soon to be announced, which will impress all and which will be con spicuously for the benefit of the chill dren of Norwich. pr. Selden also call ed attention to the annual meeting of the Unite2 Workers which is to be held next Tuesday evening in the town hall.
 Dean Brown was then introduced to the large audience by Rev. MT. Alp bolt.
 Dean Brown in his lecture said
 We have received all sorts of heir looms from the great war. Huge na- tional debts on which our great grandchildren will stilf be paying in- teFesti Hard tasks of reconstruction in the devatated area! Problems of stateeraft which baff1e the leading sta tesmen of earth! Hundreds of thousands of young men maimed or blinded or weakened by the wari The industry and commerce of the whole world deranged by four years of ca lamityi A spirit of unrest and often times of unreason among the working people of all lands! The high cost of living which has cut the incomes of many well nigh in half! All this has come to Us as a huge and difficult in- heritance from the war.
 But it has not been all loss and no gain. We have received assets as we'll as liabilities. We have not been over come of evil-we shall overcome evil with good.
 We have seen the passing of a wicked political system in the down 1 fall Of certain royal houses. We have | seen a fresh manifestation of the es- sential soundness of the moral ele- ment in mankind-the human race by and large means right and not wrong.
 The Longer, Harder Victory. When we sung our war song we promised that we would not come l hack until it was lover over there'' It is not over over there and it is not over over here. In certain aspects the l Gt e n oh 1if4or na of critical stage. The victory of phYsi- cal force has been won by superior pewer-superier in amount and vastly superior in moral quality. We come now to the lenger, harder. higher vic tory of the spirit.
 We are called to spiritual leader ship for the building of a worthieF na tianal soul in this land and in other lands. The most frightful thing the world saw in Germany was not the cruelty inflicted upon helpless Bel gians and others-it was the decay e1 a great national soul. The frightful- ness and treachery were the outward symptoms of moral decay within.
 This nation cannot stand aloof if il
 would. It cannot say in selfish fash ion, Safety First! Let Us mind our cwn fusinessi ] ct us look out for number one, if we do not, vine will.' We have had thrust upon Us certain moral responsibi,i i,ities for the welfare of the world which cannot be refused
 Guard Against, Moral Re- actions. We are here to guard against un-
 worthy moral reactions now taat the
 .ictcry of physical force has beer won. There is an awful plausibifity about outward and material euceesa 1t is frightfu1ly easy for an indiYid- ual or for a nation to gain wealth ana
 then to say, "Is not this great Baby
 ion that I have builded," mistakthg i
 for the Holy City, the ideal social or
 der which ought to descend out O
 heaven frem God.
 How much it would mean, as Dr
 Merrill has said. if that Fifteentl Psalm, read alike by Hebrew, Protest
 ant, and Catholic, could be chanted il the terms of national and 1ntePna tienaI morality! Lord, what natioI shall stand in thy presence or dwel
 in thy holy hill? The nation tha
 walketh uprightly. that seeketh jus : tice first and speaketh the truth il | It's Eeart. The nati-n that sender eth net it's 9eighbor, nor setteth spie upen one another nation, nor cherish eth a gruase against any people. Tn . nation that sweareth to it's own hur
 and changeth not, in whose esfes :,
 reprobate nation is despised. The na
 ten that useth not it's strength to op press the weak or to destroy tn helpless The nation that doeth thes things shall never be moved. , If the nations of the world coul be awakened to chant these sacre, words not only in terms of a persona } and private morality but in terms c naticral and international righteous ness, we should again hear the mora ling stars singing together and all fh 7 eons of God shouting for joy.
 The second number of the lectur l programme is to be held in February date tosbe announced, and the lecture l CT will be It, Cs. G. Edward Bux
 tap.x treasurer of the Providenc