The New York herald., 1921-09-19

NARRAGANsETT PIER, Sept. 1S.-"This
present world" is place where 1t Is
not easy to live the sober. righteous aHi
godly life. the Rev. Paifrey Perkins OF
the First Parish of Weston. Mass. de-
clared to-day In a sermon, The Con-
secrated Life" preached in the Casino
before ESQ delegates In attendance at
the national convention Of the Unitarian
Laymen's League. He reminded thesc
delegates from thirty States and Canada.
assembled to counsel together apart froia
their ministers for the religious welfare
of North America, that Christs injuuc-
ton was to Overcome" the world, not to
"fiee from" It.
"As we look around" he added. "all
up and down our social scale we ses
sehshness, Indulgence, lawlessness, friv-
olity, cyn!cisnl. The fast, furious. fash
ionable life of to-day seems to be en-
tirely lacking In moral tendencies. To
multitudes OF people life is an amuse-
ment their fellow men are playthingS !;
and the danger OF this platitudinous ami
cynical attitude OF mind to the social,
political and moral health Of the nation
when such influences enter by the door
of the home the very heart OF the nation
Is in danger.
World OF Business.
Again, this present world is place
where it is not easy to live the righteous
life. Take, for instance. the world of
business and its constant temptation to
unrighteousness. Think of the evils that
are done for the sake of money----the
jerry built tenements, the yellow jour
nails. the degradation of the arts, the
trafficking In the very souls and bodies
of our youth for the sake of profits n
war time.
Think of the dsillusionment OF
countless young men who enter business
ife with high ideals and chivalrous
impulses, and who find themselves in
VOWED in a struggle between those
ideals and the facts Of business life,
bei cen the teachings of Christian
ri hteousness and the conflicts OF the
economic, world,
Three results OF this struggle are
possible. Either the young man be-
comes ap9wedly selfish or he under
takes to fellow a double standard, one
for his home and his church, the other
for his business activities. with conse-
quent disintegration or his life; or else
he is stricken with moral blindness and
sees nothing wrong In the prevalent
selfshness and unrighteousness of the
business world.
There remains another world. 'godly,
which reminds us at once of the cen-
turies old misconception about religion.
The godly life has traditionally been
thought Of rs the life withdrawn from
the world. On the contrary, we see to-
day that the godly life ia the life which
Is most helpful in the world. The
godly life is the life which meets the
chief test OF Jesus Christ, namely, use
fulness. There was nothing he hated
more than uselessness. 1t called forth
his emphatic condemnation.
scrviceabIe Religion.
Ellis religion must meet his test.
Though 1t have wealth and prestige ana
learning, it is nothing unless 1t be ser
viceable To be godly in this present
world ia not to be unworldly. but to be
better worldly. The worldly man says /;
Let the world do as 1t pleases. Leave
It alone, with all its evils and wrongs
The unworldly man says Come out
of the bad and cruel world into the
realm of peace and love- The better
worldly man says: For Gods sake