Evening star., 1934-04-01
Continued From First Page.)

| une people generally nave SHOWN al
increased interest in the deep thing
of religion. 1t is conspicuously tru
that wherever strong preaching mark
the church's administration there j
no diminution of interest.
THE many letters that come to m,
desk from people of every sort ant
kind indicate an increasing demant
for spiritual truth, a widespread hun
| ger of the human soul.
In my personal Judgment the op
portunity of the church has neve
been greater in my generation thar
now.
In my experience as bishop I not,
an increase in those who are cominl
for confirmation. Without examining
records I would say that in the par.
lshes of this diocese this increase /.
notable. especially among adults.
so far as the Cathedral is con.
cerned. if it may be taken as an in.
| dex of the deeper interest in religion.
matters, the great congregations thai
| meet here from time to time certainl,
confirm our Judgment that one of tn,
results of the widespread depression
is finer interest in what the church
represents and stands for"
People Trying to Live Better.
The same general view is held b,
Bishop Freeman's friend and col.
league, Rev. DR.. Charles T. Warner
who says.
MY experience in this infinitesti-
NAL part of Gods universe known as
st. Adams parish is that men and
women. boys and girls, are trying to
live better and cleaner lives, and the
spirit of sacrifice, as exemplif1ed by
Calvary's Cross, is being demonstrated
in many lives.
To my mind the reaction from the
postwar days, with their orgies OF
living and spending. is very percepti-
BILE. Humanity is face to face with
the fact that in every life there is a
turn in the road, and We have come
to that turn. The new deal, SC
called. is, l believe, but return to
that faith in our Government and
fellow human beings which We had
before the world went awry. 1t all
bolls down to the fact that there is
more to life than We thought. There
is a God to be reckoned with. and
the fatherhOod of God and the broth
erhood of man are not mere ideals
but facts that we are faced with"
Most Rev. John M Mcnamara,
Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore. speaks
to the same end. Il would say" he
writes from st. Gabriel's, that many
people feel today as did the prodigal
son when left alone with the husks
and swine, and as did the great St.
Augustine Of Hippo when failure to
satisfy the hunger of his soul with
things of earth forced from his heart
the cry, Thou hast made us for Thy
self. o God. and our heart is restless
till it rests in Thee"
Catholic Churches Crowded.
Specifically. Bishop Mcnamara
suggests: You may observe for your
self that all the Catholic churches in
Washington are crowded to capacity
several times every Sunday. You may
observe also that quite a number of
people visit the churches daily for
private or public devotions. Since the
church was founded to save sinners,
there is no claim that all who occupy
the pews are saints. The fact, how
ever, that a person is willing to in
convenience himself in order to at
tend religious services would indicate
that he is not altogether indifferent
to the STRINGS of conscience. The
great majority of worshipers are,
without doubt. making an honest ef-
fort to exemplify the teachings of the
gospel.
Economic reform demands sacrifice
which is inspired by faith and trust
in God, The encyclical quadragesimo
ammo, which refers to the sacrifices
that must be made in the interest of
social justice, is, so I am informed
by the Catholic Welfare Conference.
in great demand by study clubs
throughout the Nation"
Rev. Father John K. Cartwright, di-
rector, Washington Catholic radio
hour. meanwhile anticipates an inter-
national new deal which may not be
economic. industrial or political in
character. but which will signify
more definite spirituality. definite re-
ligious practices and definite beliefs.
When these things do increase. the
moral. political and social health of
the Nation will immensely benefit
From Rev. Dr. Joseph R. Sizoo.
minister, New York Avenue Presby-
terian Church, comes restatement of
the problem in the words: The
dominant issues in spiritual recovery
at Easter time turns on the question:
Religion has had a Calvary. Will it
also have a resurrection
The hopefulness of today" con-
tinues the pastor of 'the Lincoln
that the world is getting sick of its
philosophy of secularism and misdirec-
ted materialism 1t has been disil-
lusioned by exploitation and greed.
That philosophy has brought only
tears and sorrow. The continuance
of that philosophy will bring only dis
illusionment, no matter what Congress
may do or who is President of the
United States.
Nation Has Taken Step.
"I think the Nation has determined
that that philosophy is impossible for
the future. Insofar as that is true.
the Nation has taken the first step to
spiritual recovery.
Il think it is safe to say that we
are less selfish and less sordid and
less concerned about getting rich to-
day than in previous years. The
sense of compassion and of good will
is coming to the fore. There is a
desire to live, to let live, and to help
to live. There is a real emphasis
upon the leadership of Jesus in terms
of compassion and good will which
He emphasized and which motivated
His life. People today have little re-
gard for ecclesiasticism and quarrel
ing controversy, but wherever some
one stands up to point men to Jesus
way of life, there religion gets its
hearing.
1T is my experience that there is
a deeper spiritual wistfulness this
year than in any of the previous 10
years of my ministry in Washington.
There is larger interest and attend
ance at the worship services of this
church than in any preceding year."