THE SUNDAY OREGOXTATT, PORTXAITO JANUARY 7, 1917. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH NOTABLES TO GATHER HERE Conference Will Be Held in First Church January 17, 18 and 19, With Bishop Matthew Simpson Hughes Presiding:. 10 ONE of the most important events of the early year in Methodist Church circles of " the Pacific Northwest will be the conference to be held January 17, 18 and 19, with Bishop Matthew Simpson Hughes pre siding and all the district superinten dents of the area and other notables In attendance. The meetings will be la the First Methodist Eplscipal Church. Bishop Hughes will have as his truest his brother. Bishop Edwin H. Hughes, now resident bishop of Boston and for merly bishop of California. The visit ing Bishop Hughes will give one of the principal addresses of the conference, lie will speak'on the opening evening. Dr. Joshua Stansfleld, pastor of First Church, will welcome the superinten dents and all the prominent visitors. Ministers and laymen may attend the meetings. W. W. Youngson, superintendent of the Portland district, will be among the speakers. Another who will par ticipate will be Robert Hughes (no. re lation to the bishops), who will repre sent the Pacific Christian Advocate, of which he is editor. Superintendents will be here from all the districts of Oregon, Washington and all the area over which Bishop Hughes has super Vision. Bishop Edwin Hughes will stop here en route to Pasadena, where he will visit relatives. The choir of the Rose City Park Church will sing on the onenihg evening. "Westminster Presbyterian Christian Endeavorers' third "at home" is sched uled for Friday, January 12, from 8 P. M. to 11 P. M. This has come to be an annual event In Westminster, looked forward to by all the young people of Portland who are the guests of the evening. The guests include the Chris tian Endeavor, Baptist Young People's Union and Epworth League members of the city. The special feature of the programme this year will be the music by the Al bany College Girls' Glee Club, which Is coming to Portland for the "at home." This Is a social event and there Is no charge. Miss Effie Mae Baird, 834 Halsey street, is the president of the society. After a short rest for the holidays the T. M. C. A. gospel team will start its Hew year's campaign with a rousing meeting Sunday night at the United Evangelical Church, Ockley Green. This team has a strong appeal for the young people and short, gingery talks will be given by E. EJ. Swarz trauber. Henry Ford and Eugene H. Lederer. Song services will be under the di rection of Mr. Zimmerman and special eolo by William Grier. Christian Endeavor Union Workers at Banquet. Third Congress Meeting Attended by 10O Vonng People and Work Is Dlscnssed. have been appointed to this depart ment: Chester V. Jones, as scout di vision superintendent, and - Roland Davis, as routing and dates division superintendent. Miss Frankle Coykendall reported on the social committee. Her report dealt with the expert efficiency socials and other minor social work. Miss Violet Johnson made a report on the Junior committee and gave out the fact that an expert class of seven members has been organized among the Juniors, and she Is making an effort to organize more societies of this kind. Report of the press committee was given by Miss Josephine Sandle. Miss Mildred Mcin tosh, of the introduction department, gave the following report: Twelve telephone calls made, four societies visited and several letters received and sent out. Report of the missionary committee was given by Miss Ellanore Ewing. Lloyd R- Carrlck Speaks. Lloyd R. Carrlck, state president, ad dressed the congress on the progress of the twin convention. Walter M. Harrington and Fred Nelson, also made short talks on the convention. Mr. Nel son announced the poling rally to be held February 19. Miss Montague mad an announcement of the "At Home" to be held at the Westminster Church, to which all young people are invited. Mr. Simpson, from the state of Washington, gave an interesting talk about his ex periences among the logging camps of Washington and of his evangelical work done in these camps. The evening was closed with a stere opticon lecture on "South America," by Miss Ewlng, which proved interesting and educational. Christian Life Warfare, Says Minister. Rev. Harold H. Griff Is, of First Christian Cbnrch, to Speak on "The Fight of Faith." THE third congress meeting of the Multnomah Christian Endeavor Union was held Tuesday night, Janu ary 2, at the First Christian Church, Park and Columbia streets. A banquet was served at 6:15 P. M. and about 100 young people were In attendance. After the banquet the meeting was opened with a short talk by David M. Jack, Multnomah County president, dealing with the "Campaign for Mil lions" and its outcome. Mr. Jack said that Multnomah County stood sixth with a fair chance of gaining a higher percentage by the next congress meet ing. An appeal was made for all so cieties to call upon the union officers for Information In relation to the '"Campaign for Millions." Efficiency Committee Reports. The secretary. Miss Beatrice Brown til, read the report of the efficiency committee, by Miss Helen Orr, received at the congress in the form of a tele gram. Miss Orr gave a report of her efficiency campaign, which netted 74 experts, and expressed herself as being proud of the outcome of the campaign. Ehe is at work now in the effort to start several efficiency classes in the different societies throughout the city. The lookout committee, under the direction of Emel Swaason, reported six meetings led, two conferences held, two Installation services held, answered 122 telephone calls, made 149 telephone calls and wrote 72 letters. This de partment has been doing splendid work and is perhaps one of the most impor tant in tho union. Two new worker? THAT the Christian life is essentially a warfare, Rev. Harold. H. Griffis. pastor of the First Christian Church, will endeavor to show in his sermon this morning, the topic being "The Fight of Faith." In the evening Rev. Mr. Griffis will speak on "A New Tear's Inventory." The quartet choir will render the following selections: Morning An them. "Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace" (West). Evening Anthem, "Repentance" (Gounod). Contralto solo by Miss Dorothy Smith, "Charity" (MacDermidO. At the midweek service Thursday night Rev. Mr. Griffis will begin a series of devotional studies on "The Parables of Jesus in Their Application to Modern Life," the first study dealing leadership. Of these it will be possible to take only two, including that con ducted by Dr. John H. Boyd, which is to come at 9:15 o'clock, after the other classes have been dismissed. Dr. Boyd's course is to consist of a series of travel talks on "The Capitals of the Great War," illustrated with lantern slides. The other leaders and their courses are: Mrs. Helen Ekin Starrett. "Con temporary Literature"; B. A. Thaxter, "Studies in Shakespeare"; Estes Snedecor, "Current Events Week by Week"; James F. Ewing, "The His torical Roots of the Great War." The courses are open to all who wish to spend Monday evenings In self-lm provement. The first meeting for registration and explanation of the courses will be held Monday, January 8. After the pre liminary work is finished the classes will meet together to hear W. L. Fin ley, state biologist, give a lecture on "Bird and Animal Life In Oregon," 11 lustrated with moving pictures. The name of this new departure In church, activity is the Monday Evening: Club. m m m In the recent election held in Ore gon Conference of the United Brethren Church, the following members were elected as delegates to general confer ence: Ministerial Superintendent, G. E. McDonald, of 590 East Taylor street, Portland; lay delegates. Professor E. H. Castle, of Philomath, and Mrs. W. O. Zeigler, of 1074 Belmont street, Port land. The general conference, which meets every four years, will be held at Wichita, Kan., In May. Important changes are pending at this session and It is looked- forward to with great I interest throughout the home and for- I eign fields. If - tf? W i i - - 1 11 " - 111 1 t " t ' " J I 1 1 "- A I l, f -w i 1 1 f ' ? 1 ! - ' "I H I 1 rt. - ' ll I - AS " -M I It; 1' - hhV ' J 58 1 --1 mjw. r r i m will meet at their hall and proceed to the- church in a body. Dr. Bishop, pastor, who is a member of the camp, will preach a special sermon suitable to the occasion. Tuesday evening, January 16, the Men's Club will hold their monthly dinner, following which State Biolo gist William L. Finley will present his moving pictures of animal life. This occasion is to be made a special one for the boys of the church and their friends and an invitation to all boys in the Hawthorne' and Buckman dis tricts is extended. W. O. Munsell is chairman of the committee having the entertainment in charge. The Rev. Thomas Jenkins, of St. David's parish, is preachingduring the month of January a series of sermons on the following topics: "Jesus Christ the Door of Opportunity," "Jesus Christ the Way of Fulfillment." "Jesus Christ the Truth Infallible," "Jesus Christ the Life Eternal." The night sermons will be on "Some Les sons of the Epiphany." Sacrament to Be Observed at Services Today. Horning Ceremony Is to Be of Spe cial Importance in Firnt Presby terian Church. memorated. as fittingly Introducing the New Year. New members will be re ceived at this service. Tuesday even ing at 8:30 tho "Men's Community Club" will hold Its first 1917 meeting and dinner. This is to be an open meeting at which the women are ex pected to be present. The men of the club will prepare and serve the dinner. The programme will consist of music, an open parliament on our city public schools and the proposed "tenure of office" bill to come before the Legis lature this Winter. Superintendent Alderman, members of the School Board and members of the teaching force of the city will be present to discuss the subjects. Rev. E. P. Lawrence, of Roswell. Idaho, will preach morning and even ing this Sunday at tho Kenilworth Presbyterian Church. Lawrence is pas tor of the Sterry Memorial Presbyterian Church of Roswell. where he has had a successful ministry during a number of years. m rwv .-y sssjys-. -wv '", V - v-"- -'mr'Vm,ry-yym- KimnfQ fTri IMnnassM " '-"-i I Ml ' - I - . , II f i ; - P i f X. ' " . I vfl - J '(? :: : fflr-f. . i El? .- f " - . i frirrnTiii ijiiniiff -rfii" rtHmmir inrYi-rir -r fiit"V''v ' " ' " Su pe?r'n -Z e 7t2 en i TODAY will be a day of special Im portance at the First Presbyterian Church, corner Twelfth and Alder streets. At 10:30 A. M. Dr. Boyd, the pastor, will preach on "The Breadth of Christian Fellowship." and the sac rament of the Lord's supper will be observed. About 35 new members will be received into the full communion and fellowship of the church at this hour, and an opportunity is offered for the baptism of children. This is the annual mid-Winter communion service, and marks the high, tide of the Winter's work. From now on all ef forts and Interests will be turned to ward the Easter season. At 7:30 P. M. a sermon of extraordi nary interest will be preached by Dr. Boyd, his subject being "The Moral Duty to Be Intelligent." The thoughts covered by this sermon are most per tinent to the times and have a strong appeal for the thinking public. The First Presbyterian Church Is about to enter on special educational work in history and literature for those who wish to devote themselves to the study of these subjects. This will be held Monday evenings in the church-house, corner of Aider and Thirteenth streets, during Janu ary, February and March. There will be five courses offered with competent with "The Parable of the Sower." mm llev. W. E. Brinkman, pastor of St. James' English Lutheran Church, will speak this morning on the topic, "In Remembrance," and tonight on "Things of Incalculable Value." The Holy Communion will be admin istered at 11 A. M. There will also be METHODIST-EPISCOPAL PRELATES WHO WILL TAKE PROMI5ETT PART IX FORTHCOMING COSFERESCB. reception of new members Into union . with the church at the morning serv ice. Each member Is requested to , bring a special communion offering. Central Presbyterian Churun will celebrate communion service this morn ing, when new members will be re ceived into the church. An Invitation has been extended to and accepted by Multnomah Camp, No. 77. Woodmen of the World, to be the guests of Central Church at the even ing service Sunday, January 21. The Woodmen, their wives and families Rev. Alexander Beers, pastor of the First Free Methodist Church. East Ninth and East Mill streets, plans to commence 1917 by giving the best serv ice possible. The morning sermon for today is regarded by the pastor as one of the most important to Chris tian people, the subject being "The Bible Christian, or Christianity Stand ardized." In the evening the theme will be "The Three Crosses." Mrs. Beers will conduct tho young people's meeting at 6:30. mm Young women from J. J. Ross Sun day school class of the First Presby terian Church will have charge of the Y. W. C. A. vesper service Sunday after noon at 4:30. Special music will be given. Short talks will be given as follows: "Child Welfare Work." Mrs. I. M. Walker; "Work of Open Air Sani tarium," Miss Mary Campbell, super intendent; "Mission Bands," Mrs. F. L. Phlpps, and social hour. 5:30. All girls are welcome. First Unitarian Society to Celebrate Anniversary. Fifty-First Annual Meetlns; Will Be Held Tuesday. mHE golden anniversary of the Church Xof Our Father (Unitarian) will be an event of this week. The First Uni tarian Society 'will hold Its 51st annual meeting on Tuesday evening. In addi tion to the general reports the meet ing will be in the nature of a 50th an niversary of the life of the society, which received its articles of incorpora tlon In July. 1866. Preceding the an nual meeting is the usual annual church supper which will be served by the women's alliance assisted by the Young People s Fraternity. Professor Joseph Schafer, head of tho department of history in the state University, will Bpeak at 7:45 tonight at the open forum held In Unitarian chapel, Broadway and Yamhill street. His theme will be "Historic Ideals in Recent Politics." He proposes to con slder, among other points, the land problem and our National isolation, The question will be open for general discussion under the five-minute rule. Dr. A. L. Hutchison, pastor of Pled mont Presbyterian Church, will taK for his theme tonight the film "In tolerance," now showing in the city. Service at 7:30. In the morning at 11 o'clock the Lord s Supper will be com Oregon Endeavorers Plan for Big Convention. One Section Will Meet In February at 1-a Grande and Ono at Salem. Scotland, and who has filled pulpits In London and South Africa, will preach at Vernon Presbyterian Church, both morning and evening. The morning sermon will be appropriate to the new year and tho theme will be "Leaves From Abraham's Diary." In the even ing the subject will be "Drifting From Christ- Convocation to Meet at Good Shepherd Church. Northern Episcopal Session Will Open Thursday Mornlns; In Portland. THE Christian Endeavorers of Ore gon will hold their annual conven tion In February. This year It will bo In the form of a "twin convention" tho Eastern Oregon section at Grande, February 16-17-18. and the Western Oregon section at Salem the following Friday. Saturday and Sun day. Each section will havo practically the same speakers and as much the same programme as oosslble. The com mittee to handle the convention has been divided into three parta tho Cen tral committee. Salem committee and the La Grande committee. Walter M, Huntington is the general convention committee chairman. He heads the central committee, with headquarters in Portland. Clinton Os- trander. of the Salem i. M. C A., neaos the Salem end of the work. Mr. King manages the La Grande end. Good Speakers Obtained. The committee has been fortunate In securing speakers. Daniel Poling, as sociate president or the united society of Christian Endeavor, is to come from Boston, Mass., expressly for the Ore gon convention. C. C. Hamilton, field manager of the Christian Endeavor World, will also be one of tho speak ers. Miss Louella S. Dyer, president of the Washington State Endeavor Union, will be present from Seattle. Oregon has had no centrally locaieu endeavor convention for about two years, so large delegations are ex pected at these conventions. Salem ex pects 600 Endeavorers. i-a uranat win entertain about 150 delegates. The La Grande convention will bo the first Christian Endeavor convention ever held In Eastern Oregon, so it is looked forward to with much interest. Last year's convention was held at rtrants Pass, and this convention Is ex nected nearly to double the size of that one. Special Trains to Ron. Mr. Huntington, in charge of the transportation., has arranged for at least three special trains to leave fort- land for the Salem convention. One will leave Portland rTiaay nignt. ono Saturday morning and one Saturday at 6 o'clock P. M. There wm also do a special train to Salem from Southern Oregon. The First Christian Church or Salem has been chosen as the convention church. It Is centrally located and is convenient. Many features have been planned for this year s convention. The convention will conduct Its own Sunday school, with the different Endeavor leaders as teachers of the classes. All day Sat urday will be given over to conferences. Saturday night will be devoted to ban queting. All delegates will be cared for by tho Salem and La Grande Endeavorers, who have already begun preparations. The subject at the First St E. Church. South, this morning will be "In the Beginning;" with reference to time and other things. Reception of new members and baptism of children will be a part of the programme. The sacred concert last Sunday night was a musical treat and it is the plan of the music committee to have another as soon as it can be arranged. . . Rev. R. W. Farquhar, of Aberdeen, THERE will be a meeting of the Northern Episcopal Convocation in the Church of the Good Shepherd. Gra ham and Vancouver avenues, Portland. January 11. The opening service will be on Thursday at 8 P. M. and will be In behalf of the church pension fund. The clergy are requested to bring vestments and to sit In the choir. Special speakers from among the lay members of the diocesan pension fund committee will speak by appointment of the bishop. The offering at this service will be for the convocation expenses. Convo cation will convene Friday morning with a celebration of the holy com munion at 8 A. M. followed by break fast furnished by the women of the parish at 8:45 A. M. After the saying of matins at 10:15 A. SI., the morning session will bo devoted to considering "How to In crease Attendance at Evening Prayer on Sundays," presented by Dean SIc Collister and discussed by speakers under a five-minute limit. Luncheon will be served at 11:30. The afternoon session will be at 1 o'clock to consider the subject, "What Can Be Done to Meet the Missionary Crisis in the Diocese (a) Financially, (b) Co-operation In ServlcesT" Tho clergy outside of Portland will havo their traveling expenses paid and will be entertained while at convocation. Rev. John Dawson Is dean and Rev. Frederic K. Howard Is secretary. New Pastor to Be in Pulpit at Westminster Today. Dr. Edward II. Pence Will Be Wel comed by Preabytcrlan Congrea-a-tlon at Morning Service. R. EDWARD H. PENCE, the new pastor of Westminster Presby terian Church, will be In his pulpit this morning, and will be welcomed by his congregation. Dr. Pence has been in charge of the Fort-street church at Detroit for about 17 years. He Is one of the leading men of his denomination. When Dr. J. H. Boyd was in Detroit he and Dr. Pence were great friends. Rev. J. M. Skinner, of Rose City Park, is another Portlander who knows Dr. Pence and will welcome him here. At the White Temple Dr. James S. Kirtley will occupy the pulpit. His morning topic will be "The Path of Victory" and In the evening he will speak on "Bodily Benefits of Faith In Christ." The Temple Quartet will ren der "The Lord Is My Light" (Salter), and as a morning offertory. "He Knows the Way" Briggs). In the evening tho anthem, "The Radiant Morn Is Passed" (Woodward), and as an offertory, "God of Our Fathers," bv DeKoven. Sunday Church Services AUVKNT. Advxnt ChrUtlsn, 438 Second ntreet, ner Hall Btreet Rev. J. S. Lucas. pantor. PreacUlnr. 10-30. Sunday school. 12; Loyal Work r, :M; preach ins. 7:-0; prayer meet. Inc. Thursday evenlnc. 7:80. ADVESI1ST. Central, East Eleventh and Everett streets p. c. Haward. minuter. 10, babbata chool: 11:15, church service: prayer meet lnr. Wednesday. 7:ai; Young; IVjople's So ciety, Friday, 7:"0. Tabernacle. Writ Side. Knilthts of Pythias Hall. Eleventh and Alder Sabbath school, 10; preuchlng, 11; preaching- Sunday even ins. 8. Montavllla. East Eightieth and Everett treeto J. b Batty, local elder. Sabbath school. 10; preaching, 11. Youn People's meeting. 4: prayer meeting. Wednesday. 7:iO; Helping Hand Society. 1:S0 Tuesday. Lent. Ninety-fourth street and Fifty eighth avenue Southeast L. J. chltwood. local elder. Sabbath achoot, 10: preaching. (Concluded on Page 11. CHRISTIANITY OF PRESENT DECLARED INCOMPETENT FOR TASK Dr. Boyd Says Church Does Not Realize Importance of Era and Problems That Face It in World War. The Tragedy of Spiritual IMscfrnmrnt Jeaua answered and said unto them. When it la evening ye pay. It will be fair weather, for the heaven la red. And In the morning. It will be foul weather today for the heaven la red and lowering-. Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven, but ye cannot discern the elgna of the times Matthew xvi:l-8. BY REV. JOHN H. BOYTX I AM going to speak to you this morn ing -concerning certain religious conditions at the close of this year of unrest duo to political discussion and foreign warfare. My message Is suggested by an Intense conviction that I have that the most Insistent duty resting upon you and me at tho pres ent hour Is to open our eyes to see and to try to under stand the meaning of the great events occurring around tis. There are Just a few great eras in the history of our race when events are so enormoutl and so vital that out of them are generated influ ences which trans- Dr. J. H. Boyd, form tho civilization of the world and give new direction to human move ment. All life becomes transformed under tho touch of these Influences. Such a time, we all believe, has come upon our generation. There have been other eras like It. Such a one was that which gave birth to tho religion ef Jesus Christ, and the consciousness of the Man of Gallllee is surcharged with , the momentousness of the hour In which he lived and all the writers of the New Testament understood that some stupendous meaning lay within the commonplace events of that hour. Such an hour came with the activity of Martin Luther and the great-souled monk himself believed, when he saw the horror of the warfare which had broken out and all the earth trembling In the presence of the stupendous up heaval, that tho very end of the world Itself had come upon that 16th century. The generation living In the latter nart of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century understood that It be longed to an era of new birth. When the King was sitting listening to the cannonading In the t'lty or .fans, rnurtier came In and told him that all Paris had uprisen and that the Bastlle had fallen, the King dropped his head This is a revolt." The cour "Nay sire, this is a revolu- and said tier said, tion!" Present la Foil of Meaning. And far away, up among the English lakes, that quiet-souled poet who lived nearer to nature than all others, under stood the meaning of the French revo lution, and you find him writing like this: Blessed was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young waa very heaven! O times In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways of custom, law and atatute took at once The attraction of a country in romance " Not favored spots alone, but the whole earth. The beauty wore ef promise. Now I say that the men and women of these transforming eras of the past were conscious of the stupendous meaning of the hour that was upon them. And it. is the supreme duty of you and me, children of tho early part of the 20th century, to open our eyes and try to see the meaning of that which is occurring around. Not only Is this warfare altogether the most stupendous in magnitude and the most horrible in its waste and slaughter, but the vibrations of it reach into every part of the world, un like any other cataclysm in the history of mankind. There is not any inter est or relationship in all the world. there Is not an obscure community nor an humble individual whose life Is not In some way touched by the awfulness of this event. Wo know perfectly well that on one side of this warfare lies a world that Is now dying and on the other side, in that dawn for which wo are earnest!) yearning this morning, lies another world with other interests and other thoughts and other ideals. The world is being transformed under our very eyes I Wo ourselves In America, remote from the warfare, have passed through a year of political controversy, where the very foundations of our Govern ment and of democracy and the Ideals and Interests of our public life have all been opened up and scrurtinized and our minds have been saturated through long months with tho most momentous problems which have ever confronted us as a people and a Gov ernment. And no sooner Is the Issue of the election made known than we come out, not into places of Quietude, but into places of larger restlessness and anxiety. One morning the President sends a letter of significance to the , nations at war, Tho next morning brings the declaration of a Cabinet of ficer that we are rapidly drifting to ward war; the next morning the chief of the staff of the United States Army declares that ,3,000.000 of men are needed at onfce to meet a possible com bination of enemies that may invade us! The industrial world is all anxious and restless and our awn community stands at this hour before an ominous situation. Effect on Religion Considered. What does It mean? It means that we are In the presence of awakened and active forces such as no genera tion for over 100 years has seen. It means that something of stupendous import is occurring, when all the foun tains of the great deeps are broken up, when everything is becoming fluid, and the recrystallizatlon of the future will give to the world a new aspect. We are concerned this morning not with the industrial aspect of this question nor primarily with the polit ical, but let us think .for a moment of the religious aspect. What does this mean to Christian faith and the infi nite significance of the religiou of Jesus ChrlBt? Indisputably the last two years have seen a stupendous accession of reli gious thought and religious feeling. There can be no question about that. Those who ore habitually religious have found their piety and their earn estness deepened. Those who had been careless and had dismissed the con cerns of religion from their minds find themselves strangely turning to thoughts of the Divine and wonder at the stirrings within their own soul and heart. This is so marked In the nations that are at war that it constitutes a virtual revival of religion. In Scotland and England a new literature is growing, profoundly spiritual, sweetly and ten derly consolatory. There, amid the bruising of myriad hearts and the des olations of homes and that awful fear and anxiety resting upon them, the heart is trembling toward the Eternal as the needle turns toward its kindred north. The heart of the people is turning in that direction. Religions Literature Increase. A letter from a friend of mine in the East during the past week, a publisher, tells me that religious literature is increasing mora rapidly than all other literature. And it is literature for the laity. The common man and the common woman of the pews are turn ing to religious books of a deep, earn est and most serious kind. I do not forget for a moment tho thoughtless and materialized atmo sphere that' lies over the prosperous East and Middle West. I do not for get the questionings which go on within men's souls, but what I am try ing to say is that unquestionably. In connection with the industrial and po litical unrest, and all the vibrancy of this awful world upheaval of warfare, men are feeling their souls. From mys tical deeps there is welling up some thing from out of tho center of their nature and they ' are turning toward new thoughts and new considerations: asking old questions over again. The soul of man Is astir in the landl In other words, beloved, there Is the possibility of a vast spiritual revival which will recover to humanity a lost sensibility of tho soul, when old reali ties that have lain covered up or which have been deliberately dismissed from the thotfght and the interests of life, may bo recovered. That Is the situation of the nour in which we are now standing. Now I am going to ask a wonderfully significant question: Is organized Christianity, is the Church of Jesus Christ as we know it. aware of this spiritual phenomenon? Has it its eyes open? Is it trying to see and to know this great reality and to understand it? Is it getting ready. Is it preparing to respond to tho stupen dous responsibilities and opportunities of the hour? H. G. Wells, in the current number of the New Republic, answers my question with an emphatic no. Recog nizing tho deep, profound. Infinite movement within the souls of men, he yet says that in England and on the Continent the Church of Jesus Christ is not seeing and is not understanding. He cites this as proof of what he is thinking: That the bishop of London (Bishop Ingram, one of the really great soults of the world) mads an address at Tower Hill recently and the whole address, says Mr. Wells, was taken up with a discussion of the necesslsty of his having a larger income than $50,000 a year for tho necessities of his see. He made another address In Piccadilly more recently still and tho subject matter of that address was the sex problem. He 'dealt with such things as are being represented in the mov ing picture shows and theaters in the problem plays and in the cheaper nov els of the hour. Then the bishop speaks of the decline in the birth rate himself a healthy celibate. This was his message to the English people at this great time! When their heartli -were bowed down with an lnH nlte burden of anxiety, when millions of hearts are riven with sorrow, with souls anxious and yearning because of their sons upon the fields of Belgium and French warfare! Tet one speaking as a representative of the church dis cusses the budget of his see and the problems of sex! Church. Declared Silent. The other specification of Mr. Wells concerns the Vatican. Note this: The only church which claims to have an direct, authoritative voice to speak in behalf of Almighty God has been ab solutely silent Concerning the moral Issues engaged in the war of Europe. With treaties broken, cities burned, women violated, children killed and starved and Innocent citizenship de stroyed by the violence of fiendish war, the Vatican has sat silent not a pro nouncement upon the moral values concerned in the war! The Pope, the vicegerent of heaven, the vicar of Christ, the representative of the Eternal Righteousness and Love. has been absolutely mute in the pres ence of it all, when muteness was high treason against right and love and human brotherhood! I agree with Mr. Wells when he says that it's the most stupendous abdication of noble func tion known to the history of mankind! Now will the Indictment hold with our American Christianity? Have we been silent? Are we falling to discern tho signs of the times? Are we talk ing about financial budgets and sex problems in the midst of an hour when the great soul of humanity is turning Itself and stirring after the lethargy of past decades? I will not answer my question by specifications, but by asking another question. Have you, my hearer, ever attempted to conceive of the church faithfully declaring its essential mes sage and performing its supreme func tion and have you ever tried to formu late what that message would be to the world? If the church could see the essence, could discern the signs of the times and speak to the great heart of the age In which It lives, what would be the message that that awakened and purified and ennobled and faithful church would send forth? I have tried it. And If the church had discern ment, it would do four things: First It would discover and declare the actuality of God. the great enfold ing spiritual Infinitude, so far as we t-tt n know him. and would nolnt out his relationship to the world and interests of men as made Known in the revela tion of Jesus Christ. Let your mind rest upon that for a moment: If the , church could conceive and understand the essence of its high office. It would proclaim tho actuality of 'God and point out the meaning of his relation ship to man's life as revealed in the work of Jesus Christ. Effect of Ideal Pointed Oat. Second It would note the influence of that sense and knowledge of God upon the spirit and the character of the individual man and recreate an ideal of individuality so large, so win some, so strong and compelling as to set all the fires of noble yearning burn ing in . men's hearts to fulfill them selves according to the revelation of God In Jesus Christ. Third It would show the effect of such character and such thinking and such relationship and such sense of God, upon the actual life of men, the relationships of the commonplace world, to neighborhood and business and family life, until a programme of high, noble, redeeming conduct should be marked out with an ethic, clear, en nobling, according to the mind of Christ, until every soul of man would hear ringing through the prorunclities of conscience the duties of life ac cording to the relationships which we sustain to God and to one another. Fourth It would mark out the final Issues of our Individual living and our social movement. Where are we go ing? Toward what are wo to aim? What are we to accomplish? What is to be the final denouement of history? Where Is the world moving? "And when we once saw the end of life and caught afresh the idealism of Jesus and saw a kingdom of order and peace and brotherhood, it would become the su preme passion of the soul to realize that kingdom, to bring it to pass. Bickerings Mast Be Forgotten. Imagine a church which would drop Its petty eccleslastlcism. turn away from its lnflnltesmal struggle after mere livelihood, quit its bickerings and con troversies and discharge into the souls of men the tremendous message of God and of life and of brotherhood and of destiny! What a world it would be! What a church It would be! What mag nificence and splendor in its vast Bcheme would be revealed! Such is the high calling of the church of Jesus Christ. Now my question is answered by con trast. You know that the church of today is a petty, little thing that is dealing with creedal distinctions, or ders of clergy, forms of baptism, mis. arable, contemptible rivalries upon the village streets, with overcrowding in city centers until the thing in the eyes of the world is contemptible in its amaiUiess. Men and, women, followers of Christ, are small minded in their thinking. The Infinite measurements of the great task and meaning of the age Is unrevealed to the consciousness of the followers of Jesus Chrust. I say It with all deliberation, my hearers, that the Christianity of the present hour, as organized and as taught. Is Incompetent for the task of divine largness which this awful age Is thrusting upon us! Did you catch my sentence? I am willing to repeat it: That the Christianity of the present hour is so small In its thinking. In its organized life, that it is incompetent for the magnitude of the vast task which the changes in the world are to impose upon It. I stand here, with tho old world dy ing around us and the new world com ing through the gates of birth, with all freshness and glory, coming toward us with hands stretched out with op portunities, and I say this:"That men and women who live In large times like ours, when God is approaching through the judgment and smoke of warfare, when the human heart is stirring tre mendously In the unrest of the hour, men and women of thought and of feel ing and of earnestness and of action, as we are. ought to be infinitely larger than we are ought to have a deeper discernment of the signs of these great times and a stronger passion to meet the responsibilities and opportunities which lie before us. My exhortation is that when you pass through the gates of tomorrow the prayer may be upon your lips that God with take each of you. a child of the 20th century, born in an era when the world Is remaking, and make you large enough to see and broad and deep enough to feel the Infinite, divine significance of the present hour and strong enough to do your part in the great tasks before us. The Bible "Owned is riches Studied is wisdom Trusted is salvation Loved is character Obeyed is power." What better book to get? What better to give t me Devotional Book Department., Balcony Floor. Third and Alder Street"-