South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-07-25
The Lnter-Chur h
World MOUement
DESCRIBED to Fail
BY DIR. MILAN I. ELLIs.

AZ three o'clock Of a recent ar
ternoon the Inter-Church world
Movement voted 20 discontinue most
OF It's activities: and by i've o'clock
hundreds OF its employees. mostly
clerks and stenoEraphers. had been
discharged.
II heresy trials 80 fashionable
nowadays. ant II The lnter-cEurch
officials were lespousble 20 ans ec-
clesiastical body. that action clearly
called for n hercsy trial For 10
a fat and shameful repudilitnO
ST. the doctrine and spirit OF y , IS. =
or al the inElorious phases ~ -
end OF the graudiose Inter-church
Movement, which. by the application
OF the methods Of big business .
was going 10 show the church how
10 do its aEeless task. this was the
most reprehensible
Tho extravaganza. tho lack Of
preparation and sound principals for
the enterprise. the boastful and un-
warranted claims made in the Law
ish publicity. the Abandonment OF
the movement at the hour OF disas-
ter by the most prominent oficialsI
responsible FOR its anairs-au this
coming in for sharp and deserve
censure at the lips OF men ~ thN
rank and file OF Christianity in the
United States. But worst of all the
offendings OF the movement was this
sudden and panicky action toward
the employees.
II revealed the absence Of the very
Coro of the Christian religion from
the shell OF the enterprise.
COmmonest and simplest Christian
ethics called for a fairer. humauer
and more brotherly treatment Of the
4. n -
real burdens Of the organization.
Some OF the clerks were thrust
into grave economic difficulties hy
being thus thrown out OF employ
ment. without warning or extension
OF salary.
Their lot. however. is less 20 he
pitied than the state OF mind u The
so-called Christian leaders who
would perpetrate such an injustice.
True. these eminent cEurChmeu
and leading laymen' were IN a state
Of blue funk. Their magnificent
scheme TO show the churches how IL
ought 20 be done had collapsed about
their ears. a vast deficit staL.-
them in the face-the money hIf
been borrowed. not i'm the names II
Mr. Rockefeller and his distinguish
ed associates. but upon the faith OF
the banks in the honesty of the rank
and file OF Christian people. Criti-
cism was ringing around the heads
Of the committee Hurt and dis
tracted 70 stop the outgo by the cas-
lest channel. the pay envelopes 81
the unknown office workers.
Bitter as are the structures that are
being passed upon this action there
is one saving phase 10 the situation
the severcst critics are the church
people They feel that their honor
and reputation and character have
been betrayed What the Inter-
church committee did Is not charac-
teristic OF the way the churches do
things. however IL may represent the
ruthlcssness Of practical leaders
in big business.
a contemporary incident Is illus
trative one Of the denominations
had decided 10 reduce 10y moro than
half its budget for an expansive
forward movement" But IL gave
every employee two weeks notice and
added a months salary onto this,
with the understanding that further
provision would be made should any
one fail 20 ind employment during
.he four idle weeks u!der salary.
That was practical Christianity:
what the Inter-church Movement
did was something else.