Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-29
GRANT breaches
Continued from Page One)

oryWhcre." before congregation that
packed his church. an army" of nine
unemployed sandwich men, marshaled
by Urban IcdouX-thc Mr.. Zero of the
1921 unemployment crisiS-paraded in
a driving snow storm before the edl-
fee with placardS about their necks
calling on the church TO espouse the
cause of the unfortunate.
"Bishop and rccotorp read one. "why
bubble about the garment? Both UNI
flock and give US tho naked truth"
Another. with the text of Dr. Grants
ser,non-"C ndcr the Surfacc"-b!aZon-
Cd in big black letters across the top,
read:
III thou wou!dst Ne perfect, go sell
that which thou hast, and give to the
poor"
Il was a stranger and yet took mo
not in" read another. solution of the
economic productivity thriSts advice
10 the rich young men," said still an
other.
DIR. Grant incorporated thc pickcts
in his sermon, referring to them as
those bitter minds that have como to
walk before this church, from, no one
knows whore"
"Thcsc fellows outside say we
asked for bread and YOU gave us noth-
ing Are we likely to give them more
by shutting up the churches and ST.
lencing voices that are directed beyond
the churcheS:
DR.. Grant began his sermon with
the assertion that it seemed worth
while to call attention to 'other sides
of the present interesting discussion
than those one secs in the newspa-
pcrs or gets from ecclesiastical per-
sons
"There is a great deal below the
surface Of life" he said, "but some
pcople seem to live on the surface.
They are not always supcrficial-they
are sometimes naive-sOmetimes not
aware of what is going on below the
surface" -,
Mentioning for the first time publ
CITY given his twice divorced fiancec,
Mrs. Philip Lydig. whom Bishop
Manning warned him he could not
marry without violating church
church canon, DR.. Grant said:
"Another point of view taken by
some of my critics is that my posi-
ton is affected by a certain personal
relationship. That is absurd Tor
have been saying the same things
for forty years"
4 laugh swept the congregation
as he added:
FORTUNATELY for the other person
involved. the matter has not been oil
forty years standing"
Mrs. Lydig. who usually occupies
a front pew of the church. had taken
a seat near tie rear before the ser
mon began.
We've got to live more by the
laws Of reality" Dr.. Grant SAID.
We've got to got ct the truth. We
can't go on c2moufiaginG.
take the matter of marriage ana
divorce. There is a play on Broad
way dealing with that subject. 1t
keeps the audience laughing because
of the absurdtics of the subject.
Will the church be able to withstand
that laughter indefinitely?
women are rising. demanding a
change i'll te marriage laws. They
would broaden and unity the divorce
laws. And they are the ones inter
cstcd, for two thirds Of the divorces
are granted at the request of women
You can't stop the stage from say
ing what 1t thinks. You can't stop
these two millions or more of cdu-
Gated women. Why stop the voices
IN the church that are simply point
ing out that we are living in a hu-
1ranistlc aSc-that we are irving to
prepare for life-and that we want
10 lind out how to live before we die ~
pr. Grant dcclared that since the
controversy over him had arisen. he
could not walk a black on the street
without having people ocmc up and
say pleasant things"
ihcN say, "Wc want spiritual and
ln'cilec1ual emancipation he declar-
ca. There are millions of such.
rms is a time of wonderful liberia
ton. L don't regard myself as only
a Protestant Episcopal minister. I
san say all | want to say on a street
corner.
Il said to Bishop Manning the other
day that | have treated my concre
cation as if they were members of
the Century Club-and that is a
pretty highbrow club | never preach
GOWN to them. | preach no kinder
2aftcn STUFF. | take myself seriously
as n preacher.
The church is not little club. It
is a great and inclusive organization.
With little stations into which il can
bid and call the multitude. And that
the only Kind of n church we wan,
today. SO far as | can see. if is the
only Kind that has any excuse for
being. Unless YOU lead YOUR snirituaI
lie with Nigor, the spirit within you
Wiihers.
let us take the true gospel OF love
from jesus Christ and try to make
"I this an Abraham Lincoin's Amori
ra-an America that loves the
people"