The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-07-21
Rev.Kempton
Gave Fine
T ak at Rotary
Spoke of Present
Challenge To Democracy
And The Church
NO RECOMMENDATION
Said We Must Take
Personal Responsibility
To Maintain Ideals

Rev. L. E. Kempton, of Portland,
Oregon, former rector of the Epis-
copal Church in this city, enjoying
a vacation from his duties in the
Western city, spoke to the Rotary
Club at dinner Tuesday noon. Rev.
Kempton was a member of the club
during his residence in this city.
He gave an excellent talk and we
attempt herewith to publish it in
part.
Rev. Kempton spoke of the
changing trends Of our time, and as
his topic took the threat to democ-
racy and the challenge to the
Church. He said it is not as easy to
analyze the trends of today, econom-
ically, socially, industrially, etc., as
1t was years ago. New points of
contract among people, faster news
service and other scientific advance
ments have deprived us of the iso-
lation we enjoyed years ago, and
with them have come new frictions.
It is not surprising that more things
happen in the world today, as the
world Is smaller, so different, even
our own country is different,
Years ago when men became dis
satisfied they took their families
and moved westward, and settled in
the Ohio Valley, then the Middle
West and then the Far West. In
1890 the u. s. Government stated
that there were no more frontiers,
and the so-called safety-valve was
gone. The Twentieth Century saw
the passing Of the Indian, the pass
ing of the buffalo and the passing
of the buck. Rev. Kempton review
ed the opposing ideas of govern
ment Of Alexander Hamilton and
Thomas Jefferson, the latter who
believed in complete democracy.
Democracy was responsible for the
breaking up of large farms, so that
more people could own property,
and he stated, nothing sobers man
SO much as to own something.
We have reached a new era, that
situation which Jefferson foresaw,
said Rev. Kempton, and he contin-
ued that every 500 years the world
has experienced an upheaval of this
kind. He reviewed these upheavals
and continued that we are now
again in a period Of great change,
and that there is always danger of
selling upon new ideas which may
not solve our problems. Old sys-
TENS are overthrown and new ones
must be worked out. In the midst
of all this chaos and confusion, GER
tain ideas, ideals and institutions
are struggling to maintain them
selves. Two ideals have been chal-
lenged, the first Democracy as
against fascism and communism.
Democracy has been challenged as
never before and several have fall
en-. Fascism and communism are
the greatest challenge to democra-
tic government, as both stand or
fall on RECOMMENDATION Of the human
soul. Too many Of us live In a
fools paradise today and we do not
see the trend Of times, the threat
against democratic government. We
must have people who have the
nerve to stand up for these ideals.
Too many are afraid.
Not only democracy, but the
Church is also being attacked, said
Rev. Kempton, and he explained
that he not only meant one church,
but all churches. The Church in
common with democracy believes in
the individual freedom of man and
that the individual is not to be ex-
plotted, but has been placed on
earth to develop. He stated that
Church is opposed by fascism and
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