Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-06
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Going to Church In q Theatre---Eth.
lcal Culture and Felix
Adler
BY SARAH u. IOwRIr
MY FELLOW CRAFTSMAN. viii

MY FELLOW CRAFTSMAN, William
A'A Shepherds, pointed article In the Au.
gust Harpers WHAT is the Matter With
the Chuch|' or words to that effect---led to
some rather candid admissions, as well az
circles
What struck me at the time was what he
did not say In his frank and judicial state
meat OF statistical facts, and that was, why
ne lid not 10 70 church
There are dozen real reasons--srfic
reasons that is--why one does not 20. One
is lazy, bored, annoyed, has another engage
ment; is tired, golf, week ENDS, journeys.
offended, mad. forgetfnl, oblivious, out Of
is whv Shepherd does not 90, or, II he does
20, why he goes
The chap who divided all religious adults
into two classes-vig., the ones who 20 to
who go from pleasure--did not quite count
heads.
How about the ones who are T., religious
to go to church,
TNHOSE groups Of serious minded mortals
l. that satisfy their religious interests by
forming cults, and who meet at appointed
times and with an evpurgated u ual OF '"o-
cecure, and who organize their benevolences
and corporate community action under some
name that is their creed and confession Of
faith In telegraphic code. thnv arc many
and various! From the Holy Rollers to the
Ethical Culturist they are religious. But
have never found any OF them who did not
make q religious point Of being set free from
the church,
1t Ia hard for less scrupulous outsiders
mere lockers on--to understand.
! go occasionally for instance. 20 "look
on at the Ethical Crlturists. went the
last time Felix Adler was In town to listen
and to observe.
THERE were little men who came in late
L and sat on biggish seats on a platform;
there was paid music provided, there was
reading Of some poetry and some prose,
followed BY, notices of weekday activities,
with slight tone Of urgence' and a
slight tone Of reprooch; there was a SER
mon listened to with varying degrees OF
rest'essness, and there was--embellishe6 by
rendition by the paid musicians--n collec-
tion: MI AZ in some of the churches of or
thodox denominations. In the Ethical Gull
ture theatre service there seemed, to my
casual observation, to be more freedom of
departure before the collection. almost
stampede, than in the churches where the
congregations sat tight and produced small
change with the air Of benefactors.
On the other hand the music was better
In the theatre. more simply offered. than I
have encountered It in some churches.
THE pipe. organ and choir are an anach-
L ronism in n Calvinistic setting. They
were evolved to celebrate the ritual of the
maze and the evangelical, muai' of un-
ritualstic services is, to the obseryer--or
rather to listener like myself-poor
art The Schmidt Quartet. unobtrusively
playing In the right stage box at the Ethical
Culture service. made one forget the un-
lovely and shabby theatre, the lines Of
prosaic occupants Of the cramped seats. and
even the mental fatigue Of the somewhat dis
cursive sermon, and remember high things.
For the moment it was like the opening Of
door through which one heard sounds
from another state OF existence.
THE mere fleeing possibility that there is
i another state Of existence Is a spiritual
test md mental stimulus that tastes
mighty like religion to me.
Perhaps DR. Ad'er's sermon gave some Of
his crlturists just that. As a preacher--or
- h" o" Il like to tc '.'led = tcor'"r he
seems always to be skillfully looping of the
whether it be his half bitter. half tender
'nminiscences Of orthodox Judaism. or his
'ndi"ial and a|oof analvsis .of orthodox
Christianity. the philoSophic crust he offers
synthetic tang about it which makes one
wonder IL his cult will outlive Its founder.
T HAVE an idea that it Is his society. not
i his ethics, which has created his cult.
His values are all more palpable at close
VuuEtttS Inc icbb
ment of conversation. His spiritual essence
intellectually spiritual rather than bencv-
N'entNv spiritual. In snite of his capacity
for affairs--is very marked In conversation.
The curious egg shaped head, the odd mark
'nps md omissions in his face. hi gcs-
lures the faint accent, are discounted on q
near contact by something supremely kind
n his attitude Of Doiscd judgment and
amused comprehension.
TT IS this poised Judgment and witty,
i genial responsiveness, his cool vsluing OF
'acts-- socio'0riral. scientific. artistic or
ethcal--or whatever is brought to his con-
sideraton, as to a Solomon for judgment,
that make DIR. Adler in q personal contact
4 finished master OF the situation, born
arbitrator between the old and the new, the
demagogue and the capitalist, the crude Of
the coming generation and the crude OF the
passing.
So well does the rrle of an arbitrator be-
come him that he loses something as
dogmatist, which is what preacher is fateG
to be.
As long as Felix Adler lives he will have
the open sesame TO ardent, young minds by
his personal contact. When he becomes a
tradition his power TO found n cult will be
difficult 10 explain. The blend Of Judaism
and Christianity and his revolt from the
tvrann" If orthodoxy with the Eragcdv In.
yolyed in that revolt. the Teutonic environ
ment OF his student affiliations. and the bril-
liant artistic potentialities Of his contacts
have ~ gone to the making of a unique
personality.