Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-14
REV. DR.. EDWARD YATES HILL
On the Social Gospel

t0NHE church must have more than four
J. walls, church bell and formal card
in the newspaper in order to fulfill its
highest function
This is the opinion of the Rev. Edward
Yates Hill pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church, on Washington square, who has
been endeavoring to put his ideas into con-
crete form during the last few years.
THE emphasis of the church in the past
declared Doctor Hill, was on individual
salvation. Religion was private matter.
and the soul was all that was involved. If
q person lived within the law, paid his debts,
supported his family, contributed occasion
ally to charities, was pure in morals and
attended church fairly regularly, that was
enough.
''The church was self satisfied club of
congenial people, but in recent years that
conception has been undergoing change.
1t is now realized that life is made up of
network of relations, and 1t is the great duty
of the church to see that those relations are
made Christian, and to do its work for the
system, rather than the individual.
"All the churches in the country, ire.
spective of creed, must give every effort they
are capable of to bring about this new ideal
relation They must work for political
purity, economic justice, educational oppor-
tunity. the privilege of recreation and the
best conditions of health.
"All these, of course, are new concepts
for the church, but they are just as i'm
portapt today as the actual workings of
religion.
Summed up in a brief phrase, para
mount duty of the modern church, working
through its ministers, is to create the right
public oItinion, and to breathe out such an
atmosphere that it will make it harder to do
wrong and easier to do right an atmos-
nhere in which crime is smothered and op-
nression by any class Is disgrace.
Social Agencies Of Church
"Especially is the local church responsible
| for it's own neighborhood, despite some nee
| essary limitations such as too great dis
| tapces. lack of funds or race prejudice. 1t
| is M to the downtown church to live un to
| it's ideal that of being a light set in that
| particular neighborhood.
.'peoplr are not interested in direct re-
lipious propaganda The human heart finds
Christ first of all source OF discomfort,
because His lovely character rebukcs them
| constantly. Nearly everybody comes to
| church for some other reason than religion,
| very often mere curiosity, but the important
! thing is that, once they are brought to
| church their interest is aroused.
"And here come to the agencies by which
| the chu rh can. and should. draw its ncople
| closer to it, They are the parish house,
club gymnasium, social life, entertainments,
musical programs and many of like nature.
| These agencies form the medium by which
people are first interested in the church, and
then in the deeper things that the church
stands for.
THE other necessity Of the modern church
is that it should go out and show interest in
its people, for, after ali, the church is for
them to share. There is no service that one
friend can perform for another that cannot
be performed equally well by the church
which should parallel the life of Christ.
1--WE do not realize the circumstances OF
the average man or woman on the street
| because he or she does not show what is hid
den in the heart. There are not many
towards, and they make their fight in silence
But if we could examine into their most
intimate life, we would find that many OF
them are half educated, that they can af-
ford nothing but the bare necessities of life
and that they see eXtravagant wealth on ali
sides They feel that something, they can
not say just what is wrong. Then. thew
become radical and God knows the end
Church Stands for People
1T is not that the radicals are teach
ing people something that they don't know,
nut rather that something that has long been
in these pcOp!c'S minds finally breaks to tho
surface because Of Il period of suffering IN
such o troubled time the people need the
friendship of the church as never before.
u do not say that the church should be .