Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-04

- n severest critics.
LEIGHTON PARKS Leighton Parks.
rector of ST. bartholomew Church in
New York, says, in 'tThe Crisis Of the
Churches (Charles Scribner's Sons
that the church lacks the spirit Of fell
lowship. that sectariarism is magnified
and that the spirit Of unity is belittled,
II not lost sight Of. He finds that
Christianity has spread beyond the
church doors and that its essential
teachings are practiced by, men and
women who have nothing TO do with
organized religion 90.
The Gentleman With II Duster, in
Painted Windows" &C. y. Putnam 8
Sonsl. book in which he examines the
belief and teaching Of a group Of Eng
lish religious leaders, bewails the chaos
Of opinion which prevails. Even the
Anglican leaders do not agree among
themselves, and the dissenters are each
following different lines.
" they Wcre conretging hpes the
SitUuti0n rould not be so deplor-
able. out rhen they are not parallel
they are direrging. ororing farther
apart as they increase IN length.
THE Gentleman with a Duster re-
i marks that "it Is impious to think
that Heaven interposed in the affairs
Of humanity to produce that ridiculous
mouse, the modern curate.' And DR..
Parks says that lit, is the pettiness OF
the ministry. not its poverty. which
chilis the enthusiasm Of youth. The
Englshman writes about Bishops Gore
and Henson and Temple. Archbishop
Davidson. Dean Inse, Canon +. w.
Barnes, Dr.. l.. p. Jacks. Bramwell
Booth and several others, and he does il
without the brillance displayed in '"The
Mirrors Of Downing Street" but with
clear theory that something is lack
| ing in these men. He asks. us it not
possible that the Church might see the
I trivial unimportance Of oil those mat
ters which at present dlsmember her
/ il she saw the supreme Importance OF
, Christ as a Teacher" And the Ameri.
! can. after discussing the crisis in tkt
| churches from various points Of view
says in his concluding chapter that
The underlying cause Of the failure o
| the modern church to fulfill the tasl
| and mission committed to it by its Di.
vine Master is due. l believe. TO thu
fact that fellowship has not been th'
goal which it has sought to attain.
| 1t Is only the church which can con.
vince the world that It's misery is th'
result of the violation OF the funda
mental law of human brotherhood. y.
! Each o} these men IS feeling after
! the great fact that an organisation
/ founded on u sublime truth gradually
! loses sight Of its basic purpose be
| cause Of the occupation of the mind
with the machinery of the or9ani:a.
! ton.
YTNHE ancient Hebrew prophets with :
i fine perception of spiritual truths
denounced the church of their day ant
! its stress on ceremenials and sacrifices
With fue Indignation Micah the Nor
asthite wrote: "Will the Lord b,
pleased with thousands of rams, or will
| ten tnOuSdHNS OL TiNeES VI o'i' oHdh
give my first born for my transsression
the fruit of my body for the sin Of m!
soul? He hath showed thee, o man
what is good: and what doth the Lor,
require Of thee but to do justly and t.
love mercy and to walk humbly with th!
God?'
Jesus Himself hayed the church OF hi
day, calling its leaders whited sepul
chres and denouncing it for insisting
on this form or that ceremony, ant
He summarized all Of religion in th
formula that it is to love God with al
the heart and to love ones neighbor a
ones self, which is but a statement il
different words OF Micah's formula.
The church today, according to mel
like DR.. Parks and the Gentleman will
q Duster, is hindered from doing it
work by the attention which it give
to superficial things, the stress whicl
it lays on one form Of organization o
another. on the apostolic succession o
its clergy or on the nature and sig
niHcance of the sacraments. He nigh
have mentioned also the insstence OF
q certain view Of the nature OF the Bibl