Evening journal., 1921-10-24

At the meeting OF the Baltimore
Synod of the Presbyterian Church,
which will convene in West Presby-
terian Church this afternoon. and
continue tomorrow and Wednesday.
Religious Education" will be the
keynote.
Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts. Of Washing
ton. d. c.. addressed the congrega-
ton Of Hanover Presbyterian Church
last night and that OF West Church
yesterday morning as prelude to
the Synod meeting. DR.. Crafts
spoke on National Perils and
Hopes"
Thirteen "perils" he pictured as
clouds in the national sky, in groups
Of three. In the first group he
named divorces and increasing
juvenile crime and vice. all closely
related he said THE divorce rec
ord OF our Protestant Americans has
been long the worst in the world"
he declared averaging one divorce
to every ten marriages in the coun-
try at large. And this year. in the
so-called wedding month Of June,
there were fewer marriages and
more divorces than in previous
years. 1t is but small comfort to
say In explanation that American
women will not stand as much from
abusive and adulterous husbands as
women OF other lands. and that the
divorce record OF Delaware, Mary
land and the District OF Columbia
Is not as bad as some others. The
district has the best record Of any
commonwealth, due to Congress
adopting the Reform Bureaus di.
vorce bill. which is the law OF
Christ, with divorce only on Scrip.
tural grounds. In the national
capital there are only 10 divorce,
per 100000 net population, while
the average for the whole country
is 1875, and the highest figure 3,
Nevada with $50. Maryland has 81
and Delaware ia, which Is far too
many.
Dr. Crafts saw new era growing
out OF present conditions:
THE New America that is t.
emerge from this reconstruction err
will be free from some flaws tina
marred the old America-fron
twelve evils that have stalked thi
B continent that are now dead or dy
o ing; piracy. dueling, slavery, polyg
amy. prostitution. pugilism, lotteries
race gambling. the opium traffic
the saloon, autocracy. Bolshevisn
, Some OF these are squirming, noisly
but It is their death struggle.
"In order to bring in the Ne'
. America. not only must twelve flaw
OF the old America be permanentil
barred out, but three lost are or IN
/ old America must be revived; name
ly. family worship. the Bible in tn
e schools and the American Sab
3 bath"
''Not alone our church leaders bu
. our most thoughtful statesmen an
! editors have sounded the slogan
/. Back to the Bible
). Careful observers are recognizin
?. that the same sort OF selfish foreig
% forces that are overthrowing law an
- order in the interest OF one elias
?. with a view TO social revolution an
n confscation for their own profit, al
j. battling determinedly to capture n
l. American Sunday for Commercial
,. lied amusements.
r. The business world, regardless
\. the religious views OF some OF
R. people. expects the Church to pr
4. vide good citizens. who will neith
y, sell votes nor steal goods. II u
s. boys OF today are to be made in
~ such citizens. there must be a di
u, in which to do 1t. and il is not in d
Y. interest OF religion any more than
e. business and OF patriotism, that q
ID day should be segregated from q
tide OF selfshness. Indeed, the o
thing that needs TO be emphasiz
above everything else in the defen
Of the Sabbath is that the hum
At race. and especially Americans, ne
n more than over in the past o
quiet day. II only TO save tn
nerves; and one altruistic day,
A. only to prevent a degrading absor
N ton in selhshness.