Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-15
Presbyterians In
Europe Need
Help From America

protosta ILL., rep. lift the
; 4, Church of Europe is to aid
~, 49, 'ne renanilltation of that continent
| ~ usI help them to do it-they are
orc, t MstN 70 40 1t themselves. The
slsatest mission field of our churches
,,,;sa ;, neAe 10 our foreign and home
~. To - the continent of Europe
.no,,o ines !. Good. of Philadelphia
tho N Illus Illus To-Day IN report made to
tn ny conference OF the World Presby
.1rian Aiilance, now in session here
Mr.. Good is secretary of the Conn,it
tee on Work in Europe.
The religious condition Of Euro,e
IS very much the same as vep,
ago. DR.. Goods report GOES IN -
say. There is the same story nj
need everywhere. The need of MONEY
ior church buildings is increasingIv
Imperative. This is true in France
ana Belgium. but especially so in
bohemia. 1t they are to be heIned
our churches must do it. And what
is done must be done quickly.
several new needs are becoming
more prominent. The first is the
need OF supporting their students for
the ministry. There is a lamentablc
uearth or ministers in those lands,
eAcet In Germany and Hungary
proper. Only four ministers to al. OO0
nltnuanlans. only five ministers to
-V'oVo roles, Bohemia could use SO
more ministers than she has. Tn
Jugoslavia more than a Quarter of
tilelr congregations are vacant. and
there is danger OF disintegration.
Some of those Churches will die out
unless they get more ministers
Then, too. three of those European
countries have no theological schools
Tor the education Of their younc
candidates. They are Lithuania. PS
land and Jugoslavia.
so finally plan has been evoi-cd
by your Committee on Clothing for
Europe. They sent an appeal to
each of the Theological Seninaries
OF our family Of churches in America,
asking them to take at least one
continental student. educate him. nav
his necessary and travelling expenses,
and send him back TO work in those
churches. Four of our Theolosical
Seminaries have already done this
princeton has four. Lancaster three,
Central mas two. and Western of
Pittsburgh has one-ten foreign
students in all. Five more Theo-
logical Summaries are now ready to
take student. Louisville. Union
Seminary of Richmond, Columbia,
the United Presbyterian Seminary
or Pittsburgh. and the Dutch Re
formed of New Brunswick
still another need is also cmerc-
ing-the. need of theological books
Tor the libraries of their Theological
universities. One of the Theological
professors of one of the oldest of the
Hungarian universities, Saros- patek,
said to us last summer: I have
not bought new book since before
the war. How can l prepare my
lectures on dogmatics If | do not
keep myself abreast with the times.
Another bright young privatdocent in
budapest said to me: Unless we
get books for our libraries, we are in
danger of cultural declension and in
tellectual starvation Can not some
plan be devised to satisfy this ire
mendous book hunger over there ?
"A third and last new feature of
the present is that the field is en-
larging. because Russia is just COM
ing into the range of our vision.
Last summer we We're told in
Lithuania that there We're 100000 OF
our faith in Russia. We also learned
that they did not have Il single pas
tor. as all had left the country. We
also learned from the congregations
in Moscow and Odessa that they were
starving and wanted food drafts