The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-21
The Rev. DR.. Shipman
Finds Good in Young
Generation and
Thinks 1t and the A.
E. F. Are the Hope of
Our Country

is doing. It is not only working hard but
it is trying to work efficiently. It uses
means that at one time perhaps seemed
beneath it's dignity. The best sign of the
vitality of the Church to-day is that it stands
on no dignity and Is seeking to meet the
people as man to man.
II have seen in the last year more evil
dences of the living Church than had wit
messed in several years before. It goes into
the home. into the business. It seeks the
intimacies of both.
Rife as irrelgious thought may be- or as
it is said to be, there is in every community
of our nation, and in this great community
as well, strong undercurrent of belief.
The Church knows this and feels no dis
couragement. I had an example Of how
firmly this feeling Of religious belief is i'm
bedded in our men when the service was
held in the Union Club concentrating the
members who lost their lives in the war
and placing tablet to them. 1t was pro-
foundly moving service and I saw tears in
the eyes of men whom I had never sus-
pected of a capacity for deep feeling of
any kind.
THE Church idea is still predominant and
the activities of the Church are as strong
and diverse as ever they were. To him who
says they are not the wish is father to the
thought
Nothing in social conditions so far as
they are revealed to me in this congregation
would lead me to criticise severely the
younger generation. They are still amena-
BILE to discipline by their elders and I be-
lieve it is very promising generation
1T is different from the preceding gen
erations as they were also different from
those that had gone before them. The war
made the difference more than ordinarily
perceptible. 1t took girls and young women
over to France and threw them in many
cases into intimate relations to men, It is
wonderful to me how splendidly in almost
every instance this work done together
turned out. The men looked upon the
young women sisters and the latter re-
garded the soldiers boys of their
families. It was helpful to both and made
better and wiser men and women of them
There were sporadic instances where the
relationship was not so admirable Women
went to France who were not wanted there.
but they were of kind that is not wanted
anywhere.
i've nothing to say about the modern
dress of women. guess as I'm not yet
approaching hundred years of age that I
am not old enough to have worth while
Sopinion.
Cannot See Why Some Are Printed
Some of the modern books which are
usually specified to prove that all modern
literature is decadent have come under my
notice. I do not know how these books
come to be printed. They can only do harm
to very young intellects and the youth OF
either sex would not be attracted to them.
Where, then, do these books find a public?
As a matter of fact such publications are
rare; kept under If for no better reason
than by the small sales"
DR.. Shipman offered a straw that he
thought showed tho prevailing current OF
thought lay toward philosophy. economies
and religion rather than erotcism among
readers. This had been furnished him by
certain statistics of librarians who presented
them to show that such books were In de-
mand in quantity enough to deserve almost
TO be called popular books.
Strange as 1t may SEEM" said the rec
tor, "the librarian of famous club, the
name of which don't wish to give. said to
me that the books being taken out of the
club for reading were at this time mainly
religious books.
Religion of Some kind Is o necessity of
the people in times like these. I am far
from saying they are not troublous times.
My optimism isn't blind. I see that forces
are at work to destroy the world and society,
but contend that religion has Joined hands
with good citizenship to combat these forces.
so long as the partnership persists there
need be no fear for the country. Sane re-
ligious beliefs are more powerful than senti-
mental ones. The latter come to surface in
moments of excitement and exultation: the
former arc always at work and I'm evidence.
II do say. too, that changes, many and
varied, are coming. The Church expects
them and Is preparing to meet them in
amity and cordially IL they are of the sort
that merits that kind of reception and in
battle II the changes are for evil and should
be extirpated.
"The present moment is not, however. In
my opinion, when TO take stock. Too many
things are inchoate and formless. Let us
wait until they take shape. When they do
l think the good things that have come TO
the world from the war will have time to
assert themselves triumphantly.
Society Needs a Calming
Influence for It's Neurasthenia
I'VE are now in a state of nervous tepsion.