Evening star., 1953-06-20
The Human Side Of Religion
Group Hears Bishop Describe
His Conversion From Atheism
By cospor Nonnes

By Cospor Names
Religious News Editor Of The Siar
From atheist to bishop is a
far cry and a person who knows
the final story wonders how the
first steps were taken.
The Right Rev. William Crit
tenden, Episcopal Bishop Of
Erie, Pa. revealed his conversion
to a seminar group at Hood Col
lege of the Episcopal Church's
Province of Washington.
"I was a charter member Of
an atheist club when I was in
college during the '20s," he told
the gathering. Through read
ing I turned to the church in
what was at first predominantly
an intellectual conversion"
Bishop Crittenden revealed
later the intermediate steps.
After graduation from college
he went into business, and was a
personnel consultant to young
people for a large industrial firm.
The young men and women who
came to him for help all had one
trait in common-a lack of pur-
pose and philosophy Of life.
The youthful adviser. still an
atheist. decided he needed more
information to do his job prop
erly. He started reading. AS he
read, the spiritual side of life
started slowly but surely to gain
the upper hand. The final result
came when he decided to- enter
the ministry. So, from this most
unlikely beginning, bishop was
born.
+ 4 II K%
The conference, fourth at
Hood in more than 25 years of
existence, attracted more than
400 persons. Washington had
78 persons there. Delegates came
from the province States Of
Pennsylvania, Delaware. Mary
land Virginia, West Virginia and
the District Of Columbia, with
visitors from Florida and Ohio
present.
The week-long meeting was
one of fellowship, fund and food
for thought. The fellowship was
present on the 24-hour living
together. The fun came in skits
delegates put on for the group.
and in r0creational events held
during the afternoon free peri
DDS. The food for thought came
during the lectures. seminars
and workshops each morning
and the speeches at night.
The. spiritual side was con-
tanned in the inspirational serv-
ices conducted by DR.. Theodore
o. Wedel, warden of the Coll
lege OF Preachers, Washington
Cathedral.
II X y II
1t is always a pleasure to see
a thing we'll done, and the man.
ner in which Prof. Reuel L.
Howe of the Virginia Theolog-
ical Seminary, Alexandria, Va.
handled a seminar was a delight
to observe.
To keep 25 men and women
talking steadily for nearly an
hour without wandering from
the subject at hand was Prof.
HoWe's problem.
Al first no one wanted to
speak. To get them started, the
leader posed one or two ques-
tions, based on the lecture they
heard the previous hour by Mrs.
Dora p. Chaplin of Greenwich,
Conn. Her talk emphasized that
love and discipline are the two
great needs of people through
out life.
Mr.. Howe's questions were pro-
vocative enough to have one or
two persons speak up. Slowly
the numbers increased. Then
four or five seemed to do all the
talking. At this point, he
adroitly pulled others into the
talk not by asking them directly
but by varying the questions.
When the period bell changed,
hands were being waved wildly
throughout the room for permis-
sion to speak. 1t was a wonder
full demonstration of leadership
with tact and patience.
~
Getting ready for a conference
of this type is an an-year job,
the Rev. Warren Mace of Epiph-
any Episcopal Church, Wash
ington, in charge of adminiStra-
tion, admitted. It was his job
to see that all the arrangements
with the college, reservations
and similar details - were in
order. To do it properly re-
quireS planning throughout the
year. The smooth way the meet
ing ran 'atteSted to how good a
job he did.
\ y
A comm iSsioner to the recent
General Assembly of the Presby-
terian Church, U. S. A.. revealed
this week at the Washington City
Presbytery meeting that going
To the no tinnal cnnclaue WAS not