Evening star., 1942-01-01
Capital Leads
.0bservanceo Of
Day Of Prayer
Roosevelt, Churchill
Attend Services
For New Year


NEW YEAR EVE revelry finds
spirits high; only siren greetings
are omitted. Page AZ
Led by President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
of Great Britain, Washington joined
in national day of prayer this New
Year Day, confident that the Nation
fights in righteous cause, but
soberly rejecting on the kind Of
world that should be built after
the war.
Thousands thronged churches this
morning, while others engaged in
quiet talks in the family circle at
home, discussing the grave events
of today and their effect on the
| future.
In accordance with a suggestion
by the Washington Federation of
Churches, many families said spe-
cial prayers at the breakfast table
and the grownups explained to the
children about President Roosevelt's
proclamation setting aside the day
for prayers.
Churchill Returns to Capital.
Mr.. Churchill returned here from
Canada this morning. 1t was not
disclosed what church he and Mr..
Roosevelt attended.
At o'clock this afternoon angelus
bells will ring in the city's churches
in fn ci1n
prayer to every one wherever they
might be. Dr. John Rustin, vice
president Of the federation, will
speak over radio station WMAL at
that hour in connection with the OBJ
| servance.
Today's period of prayerful re-
| Election came after night of revelry
that was somewhat less boisterous
| than the usual New Year celebration
because Of the grim war in which
the country is engaged.
A number of churches marked the
arrival Of 1912 with night watch
services.
Several prayer services were being
held at the Washington Cathedral
today after the first New Year watch
| service in the 35 years of the history
of the cathedral was held last night.
The Right Rev James E. Freeman,
Bishop of Washington. conducted
the prayer and sacred song service.
Two gatherings for prayer today
were held this morning, another at
noon and the fourth is scheduled for
( o'clock this afternoon.
Rites At Wilson Tomb.
The special services in the Bethany
Chapel in the cathedral will have
particular meaning. 1t is there that
the last World War President,
Woodrow wilson, lies buried.
In that chapel, too, is the tomb Of
Frank B. Kellogg, time Secre-
tary OF State, who thought when he
had won to his peace pact the
signatures Of Germany and Japan,
among other nations, that the world
would never again be at war.
Nearby Is marker that reads:
George Dewey. 1t was Admiral
Dewey. who as commander of the
United States Asiatic Fleet. won
the Philippines for the United
States.
That victorious event was Al years
and five months ago to a day-and
now the Lord Mayor of London is
broadcasting words of cheer on New
Year Day from the bombed city of
London to the bombed city Of
Manila.
At the Calvary Baptist Church,
DR.. w. S. Abernethy closed his 20
year pastorate with a sermon in
which he declared that ito bring
the full impact of the Christian
message upon the problems of a
world engulfed in misery is the task
before U.S."
Assails Exclusiveness.'
Calling for readjustments within
the church, he said:
"Sectarian eXclusiveneSs has been
the curse of Professionalism, and
something must be done about it
or our efforts will become increas-
ingly fruitless. One of these days
the war will be over, and the church,
es of America will be thinking Of
taking up their work again in Ja-
pan, where we have had flourishing
missions. Whether we do go back
or not depends very largely on what
happens during the next few years.
But if we do return it will not be
as Baptists and Presbyterians and
Methodists. 1t will not be as North
ern Baptists and Southern Baptists.
1t will be the Christian church of
America that will go back. And
what will be true over there must
be tried out here at home, and 1 am
convinced that the exigencies Of
this new day will demand it.
1T has been all too apparent to
me that we have been spending q
major portion of our time on the
things that divide us as religious
bodies and not enough on the things
that unite us. Not how much water
is necessary in baptism, not whether
the Episcopal or the Presbyterian
or the Congregational system Of
church government is correct, not
how many people there are in hell
or whether Christ may come be-
fore the millennium. These ques-
tions sink into insigniflcance beside
that of making Jesus Christ reg
nant in the world and retaining
lives that are manned and broken.
To bring the full impact OF the