Evening star., 1954-08-20
Presidents Talk at Council
OF Churches in Evanston

Here is the tert of remarks by
President Eisenhower yester-
day at the World Council OF
Churches assembly, as tran
Scribed By stenotypiSts:
Your grace, the archbishop,
President Miller. members of the
clergy. my fellow citizens and
friends:
There are many good reasons
why I am so delighted to meet
with this assembly of the World
Council of Churches on this
beautiful campus in this charm
ing city.
I think it is very fitting that
one of the great universities Of
our country should be the host
to this wonderful body Of world
representatives.
> Now, I should like to emu
merate a few of the reasons why
I believe that I speak for the
American people in saying that
we are proud that this assembly
has chosen to meet here.
First of all, the citizens of the
United States feel highly hon.
ored that you have chosen this
country in which to hold this
second assembly of the world
churches. because you are a
world body of spiritual leaders
here in this land, where we
sometimes are thought to ad-
here to and to place our trust
in material values.
Now it is true that in today's
world of risks and alarms we
must, and we will remain strong,
and seek to make our good
friends strong in all those scien-
tific, material and military
means that insure or enhance
our safety, and discourage ag-
gresSion against us or against
our friends.
No Cure in Guns.
But we know that there is no
true and lasting cure for world
tensions in guns and bombs.
We know that only the spirit and
mind of man, dedicated to, justice
and right, can in the long term
enable us to live in the confident
tranquility that should be every
mans heritage.
We are likewise delighted that
your conference, representing 48
nations and 1853 groups, spiritu-
ally brings the world to the CEN
ter of the North American con-
tinent.
However worried citizens of
this Nation may be about our
own country-and we are-all of
us realize that the problems and
hopes before us today are world
problems and world hopes.
More and more we understand
the prophetic wisdom of John
Wesley's statement. "The world
Is my parish"
Again, you call yourselves a
council. The term suggests that
you accept the injunction,
Come, let us reason together" I"
Deliberations such as yours, in
volving long term as well as i'm
mediate detectives, can lend
depth and distance to our own
thinking.
International-political confer
ences deal habitually with crises
and their results often are little
more than a series Of improViza-
tions. ss
Indeed, responsible officials
have no opportunity to deal with
a matter until it becomes a
crisis, Woodrow Wilson COM
planned, 'By the time anything
gets to me, it is a problem"
We in the Government today
often feel the same. In many
respects we envy the G. ance
of the members of this great con-
vocation to meet and plan on
a positive basis for the world
in the years to come.
Body of Believers.
Still another reason for cur
qualification in your presence
among us is that you are coun-
Gil of churches. You represent a
vast body of believers. of men
and women who know the power
of believing. You are custodians
of a definite faith and confidence
in an age of uncertainty and
bewilderment. n
Many of you have what the
Quakers call concern. Your en-
ergies are pledged.
You are committed to a pro-
gram that involves personal re-
sponSibilities for the general
good. 1t therefore heartens us
to have an assembly of this sort
in the United States of America,
and on our part we think it
fitting that you meet here Al
most anywhere you turn in this
country, you will find a conf1u-
ence of religious forces produc-
ing a person or an institution
with service to others, as an OBJ
jective. Moreover, we are Ma
tion of many people out of many
lands. Practically every national
group is represented in all
branches of our Government.
With our diversity, if you
could look at us from afar, we
would be theoretically impos-
sible. But we do exist, and in
reasonable harmony.
Thus, we meet the variety of
this great assembly with a va
riety Of our own, and with q
feeling that we can understand
something of your hopes and
aspirations. So even as you
have announced your aims, we
as a people have put our ideals
on record. We have chosen to
state these ideals for all the
world to see.