Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-03

|
mature years and assumed decency
show no Judgment or discretion?
| When the pace is so swift that it I'M
| dermines the physical shall we be
amazed when the moral discloses
| weakness and decay?
Corruption Of the Young.
Much of our literature and drama
| are freely and flagrantly exploiting
| the lowest and coarsest in life, garnish-
! ing 1t with the most insidious if fasci-
mating forms OF expression. The erotic
| play that portrays the indecencies OF
life and that does violence to the most
| sacred of all human institutions is
| generously patronized by those who
profess decency and responsibility In
the corruptlng atmosphere Of such
| scenes as the stage has presented
within recent months can we expect
anything other than moral degeneracy
| In those. young and old alike, that
| witness them? What do selfish play
wrights or producers care what results
accrue to their sinister and corruptinE
dramas when their patronage comes
| from those who boast refinement and
| responsibility
| IF parents have no concern for the
| things that are pure and of good re-
port, If they feel no responsibility for
guarding their children from the
| leprous and the unclean, why should
they care who profits by their indiffer-
| ence?
Can brief weekly hour Of worship
| cleanse hearts and minds that have
! been filled for six days with the I'M
| wholesome and the unclean? Can
any religion, Christian or other. have
| any appeal for those who have felt
and responded readily to the call Of
| the world, the flesh and the devil?
| There can be no Sunday for such, no
| day of hallowed associations. with
| reverence and worship and soul Gull
| ture. In the face of such conditions
the church may issue it's call, but it
| will not be needed. 1t may employ
| every artifice, but It will have no
| adequate answer. One wonders If we
| have come upon a time when the
! church has no message, no voice that
| will be heard Yes, one wonders at
its silence and indifference, and now
and again Is amazed at it's acceptance
OF a situation it seems either power
less or unwilling to boldly attack.
Church Retreating and Receding.
When we come to study fairly and
| without bias the attitude Of the
| church. what do we find? Among
! other things we discover the loss of
definiteness of teaching, issuing in re-
| Taxed ideals. For a generation the
| church has been in the process of
| retreating and receding from one
| position to another, until 1t is diff
| cult to know what its reasonable and
sound and logical stand is on any
! question affecting conduct and belief.
A spirit Of compromise has seemed
to seize it. This, with Individuals
| tic conceits and consequent loss of
/
that the people themselves are con-
| fused and bewildered. Accommoda-
ton to local conditions and q con-
veniently flexible standard, easily
adapted to varying needs, have char
acterized much of its ministry.
| Once we frowned on indulgences,
but too often they are granted today,
and from unworthy motives. The
practice Of religion has been made so
| colorless. that to the reflective it
makes no appeal. We have largely
substituted systems and forms and
organizations for deep seated, life
controlling religious convictions. A
so-called comfortable gospel is out
Of consonance with that given to
| men by Jesus Christ.
, AT such a time as the present the
very security of the church as an in
| oeAIoSAoAA Az iiipCi lieu, dHU ITO
| conceit or assurance can save 1t from
loss Of prestige and power The de-
mand for more and better preaching
! is urgently recognized. The hour
hats struck for an aggressive crusade
for Christ and His church,
Fellowship Displaces Strife.
Within the church itself, Bishop
| Freeman said, spirit Of partisan
ship and party strife has given place
| to concord and fellowship, and he
| thought no general convention Of the
| church has been characterized by g.
| finer fraternal spirit than the con-
vention of last year
| Faith and order have become the
watchwords Of the church today" he
said. faith unmoved by either funda-
nentalfsm, or modernism, and order
that maintains in the face Of 4 dis
cordant and disorder1y world, the
| finer and nobler traditions and dignity
of a system that will not yield to the
passing fancies or capriciousness Of a
hectic and unstable age
The bishop referred to the many
changes that have occurred in the
personnel of the diocese clergy dur
ing the year, the losses by remova
and death, he believed, exceeding
those of any other year. He paid
tribute to the members Of the clergy
hox h.