Imperial Valley press., 1923-06-26
SPIRITUAL REVIVAL
GREATEST HOPE OF
COUNTRY HE SAYS
Most Active Evangelist
in U. S., Rivals
Sunday
WANTS REAL THING
Religious FervOr Pleases
the Hard Boiled
as Well
WANTS REAL THING
By LAWRENCE MARTIN
Copyright 1928, by United Press)

WITH PRESIDENT HARDING,
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 26.
President Harding has replaced
politics with religion. Mr.. Harding
is today one of the most active
evangelists in preaching the doe
trines of Christianity. His progress
across the country offers the re-
markable spectacle of the ruler of
a nation preaching, like a circuit
rider preacher, the gospel of Jesus
Christ as the greatest remedy for
modern economic, social and politi-
cal evils. national and information
al.
In every speech he has delivered
thus far Mr. Harding has mention
ed, not casually, but with emphasis
his conviction that what America
and the world needs is good old
fashioned Christianity. He speaks
of God frequently in all his talks.
He does it reverently and sincerely,
for President Harding, the evange
list, believes most earnestly just
what he is telling the American
people-that what they need is not
a political, social or economic re-
formation, or revolution, but Il
spiritual revival.
If the preachers of this country
would follow the lead being set
them by the man whose spoken
word commands more attention to-
day in the United States than that
of any other, there is no telling
what wave of religious fervor might
not grow out of : Mr.. Harding's s
evangelistic efforts.
Wants Old Time Religion
The president is honestly convinc.
ed that he personally needs the old
time religion about which the
Methodists sing. He is not asham
ed of being religious and he sin
cerely wishes that the American
people would get back to the old
time spiritual plane upon which
lived the men who founded the re-
public. Upon that plane, Mr..
Harding believes, the nation will
find calmness, strength, publication
and renewed faith.
While ho has become the national
Billy Sunday - though entirely
without the bizarre methods of that
preacher-Mr. Harding is attempt
ing in his own handling of great
governmental problems to apply the
rule which he is urging his hearers
in every speech to apply to their
personal affairs and to public ques
tions also. The Golden Rule, MIR.
Harding firmly believes, is going to
be recognized one of these days as
the hope of harried world. All
other remedies have failed, he says
and the time is coming when, in
desperation almost, the world will
turn to spiritual things for guild
ance.
Pleases the Hard Boiled
The president s deeply religious
attitude, his reiterated strcssing of
the spiritual need of the country,
his open evangelism, have made n
deep impression upon his audiences.
Even hard boiled politicians have
greeted this phase of the president 5
developmert with pleasure, for they
have already sensed q strongly
vorable public reaction. A repub-
lican national committeeman said
that "people like their president TO
be Il man like that, even if they are
not religious themselves.
This committeeman saw in the
Harding evangelism certainty of
popularity and votes in 1924. But
the American people can take this
for fact: President Harding is not
talking religion to them to make
votes. He is preaching what he
believes.
The president S party detrained
at Ogden early today aud boarded
motor ears for three hour run to
Salt Lake City over dusty roads
Tomorrow will be devoted to re-
creation. The president may 90 10
the Zion National Park or play
golf and make short side trip into
the mountains.
Following an auto tour Of Salt
Lake the president received hun.
dreds of Salt Lake City citizens NJ
a public reception, then played n
round of golf ON the Country Club
course.
Tonight in the Tabernacle he will
deliver his formal speech on taxa
tion and at | p. m, according to
present arrangements the special
train will leave for Cedar City, on
the way to Zion National Park.
The plan is TO spend tomorrow I'M