Evening star., 1923-02-19
|SMALL TOWNS HIT
/ BY REV. DR.. GRANT.
Aroused by 'UnliberaI Views
He Predicts End of Coun.
try Papers.
UNKNOWN MAN STRICKEN
Collapses Near End of Sermon.
Bishop Manning Stresses Need
for Belief in Christ.
UNKNOWN MAN STRICKEN
Ft the Associated Press.

! i'y the Associated Press
NEW YORK. February 19.-Bshor
| William T. Manning Of the Protestan,
Episcopal diocese Of New York and
the Rev. DIR. Percy Stickney Grant OF
the Church of the Ascension yester-
| day again came to grips over Chris
| tian doctrines.
| DR.. Grant. preaching on "The Re-
| attitude OF the American email town
toward the controversy which broke
out between him and the bishop Aft er
| the rector in a sermon had questioned ID
| the deity of Christ. The small town
! he asserted. was narrow in believing
/ that the doctrines of the Christian
! church comprised 4 clear cut and
! dried Dropos; tion.
RishopN Manning preaching at the
Z Church of ST. John the Evangelist on
| Called into the Fellow ship OF His
! Son Jesus" declared that doctrine
was not to be pooh -poohed."
Says Press Was Fair.
Referring to newspaper accounts of
his controversy with the bishop. and
! the editorial comment thereon, DR..
Grant said he had found the press for
the newspapers of the country for
"the intelligent manner in which the
| matter has been treated"
But, said the rector. he was sur
prised to find that comment which in
dicated a narrow and unliberal view
| toward religion came mostly from
smaller places.
Referring to the small town, DR..
Grant continued:
Nobody cares about the theology
of ministers It's their economic opin-
ions that count. Under these circum-
stances, what the small town needs is
the fresh air of independents thought
THE country stores are complain
ing that their business is being taken
away by the houses that Sell goous
by mail: the country ministers are
complaining because people would
rather stay home and listen to a SER
mon by radio.
The country newspapers may like.
come when the city newspapers may
be delivered by airplane TO every
country town.
For the most part these small
newspapers are stand-pat papers con-
trolled By the interests that control
time will come when the news will be
transmitted by radio. 1t ought not to
be so difficult, because after all it's
only a few columns"
Unknown Man stricken.
Just at the end of the sermon an
unidentified man in the congregation
was stricken with apoplexy and re-
moved to a hospital.
Bishop Manning in his sermon de-
clared that being Christian means
more than being philanthropist or a
hun1anita rian."
Its nonsense. the talk we hear of
doctrinal belief" he said. Truth is
important as It is the very Lord him
self If we are to have an intelligent
religion, we must know what we be-
lieve and why we believe in 1t. Doc
trine is not to be pooh-poohed. We
need to think more carefully about
Jesus Christ.
while doctrine has its necessary
place, 1t is not the whole of being a
Forms and ceremonies have their
place in religion but that is not all
religion means. All should be follow
ers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"To be a Christian one must have
faith in Christ. knowledge OF Christ.
fellowship with Christ and obedience
to Christ. Without prayer no one is
in relation with God. Prayer is SIM
ply speaking to God right out of our
hearts.
"All should worship and pay public
tribute. One Of the great helps OF be-
ing a Christian Is the help OF the sac
raments. Another Is the holy COM
munion These things are the gifts
Of heavenly help"