Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-27
SHALL SPIRITUAL AID
COME FROM EUROPEANS!
Noted Church Executive Compares the Spiritual Note Sounded by
With the Apparent lreverence
Which Many Americans Manifest Daily
by
Rev DR. Charles s Mcfarland, General Secretary
Of the
Federal Council Of the Churches Of Christ in America

Shall we look TO Europe for our
moral ideals and for Our spiritual re-
sourees7 I have begun TO think that
this is not an unreasonable conaid"ra-
tion.
AT n recent public gathering I'm honor
of the new Anbn ssador from Italy. for
some reason which | do not understand.
the customary prayer Of gratitude TO
God on such occasions WAS eliminated
! suspect the omission was on the as
sumption that any religious touch 10
the occasion might possibly be often
sive TO n foreign Ambassador. II SO, IL
must have been with some surprise that
his address was listened TO. replote as II
was, not only with deep religious spirit
and reverent tone. but with discerning
quotations from the Holy Scripture and
touching reference To the religious life.
The newspaper dispatches nearly
every morning contain. In connection
with our foreign correspondence.
references to impending dangers threat
eninE American rishta." and american
interests. The various trade Journals
constantly hcmoau our economic and
business conditions. The Wall street
Journal pleads with pathos for the re
duction Of wage scales 10 save us from
impending poverty.
Meanwhile. strangely enough. the
most bouyant notes of faith and hope
come from the devastated regions of
France from turbulent Italy. Their
messengers never utter note of com
plant, they do not come TO beg. they are
reserved and dignifed and. deapite all
their vicarious suffering. they have no
micn of pharisaiHtn They often make
fass ttf hn grttfrh ia tFHnFCnt
In the moral tone and the spiritual
foroe of their message.
vislani's Spirituality.
There ave three Of these nesreueers
whose public utterancea ! have heard
and with whom have had tho privilege
Of some some personal conference Rene
Viviani spent a little time the other day
with the Federal Councils Commission
on Relations with France and Beigiun
NJ Vivlani IS not DISTINCTLY church
man indeed there are those who have
counted him among the unfaitbful be
caus of his attitude many Years ago
on the relation between the Church and
state Rut the burden Of his utteraneo
was that Of gratitude for the moral
and spiritual help of otS churches. with
out which. according viviani. Our
material help would have availed litile
Speaking of the attitude ~ his coun-
| try toward religion he said
| Refore tho war there were those
who thought that we were light
| hearted, Hkcpticai superficial
| tion, without spiritual force. with
ont moral inspiration The true
! nature OF our people came ont IN
! tho war and the world realized that
France had twenty centuries in
which she has stood for the rights
and libcrtiea Of mankind
| our nation Is a country of tnler-
ance. but also OF profound faith To
/ ua has been given the privilege Of
/ aufTering FOR mankind. II WAS one
! of our great statesmen. who WAS also
an llustrioua poet. IamartiuT. who
/ characterized France aH 'fhc Christ
of humanity" Hls word II true ia
a deep and rcverent SOME France
/ has suffered for the Raka II tine
/ world 1t Is Etiil her miaHion - alif-
/ fer. and from YOU above all things.
she seeks moral and spiritual help
| in praverfuIiy and revercnuy faI-
uIing her mission.
She means not only to protect,
but 10 respect religious faith. She
believes in Christianity.
Again. perhaps one would not look {
4 lawyer and diplomat coming from
| italy. for spiritual ideals. but the rec',n
address Of Vittorio Rolandi Ricci wa
n most unusual diplomatic utterance
II was somewhat different from wha
we are used 10 hearing from foreign