Evening star. [volume], September 10, 1905, Page 3, Image 15

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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"Stone 19 tbc ftin^om"
r :
Written for The Stir t>y K*t. Arthur S. John*, Rector of Chriit Protectant Episcopal Church, Soutbeaat.
For Thine I* the kingdom and the power and the
glory for?t?r. Ameo. Matthew yil:13.
In this day and generation when nation
Is rising against nation and kingdom
against kingdom, when wars and rumors
of wars are rife the wide world over. It Is
well to pause for awhile and turn our
thoughts to the sovereign ruler of the uni
verse, God over all. blessed forever more.
We believe that there was a time when
God existed alone, namely, before that "be
ginning" when He created the heavens and
the earth. Then the Infinitude of space
was untenanted save by His mind and
spirit, filling perfectly Its every part. But
He spoke and It was done. Myriads of
worlds moved In their regular orbits thro'
hitherto trackless space, and Innumerable
Intelligent beings began to animate the ma
terial universe.
To whom, we may ask, do all these be
long? 1 can conceive of no claim to own
ership comparable to that of production;
and hence I unhesitatingly ascribe all, un
conditionally, to God alone with perfect
right to "do as He will with His own."
"The earth Is the lord's and the fulness
thereof: the world and they that dwell
therein. Kor He hath founded it upon the
seas and established it upon the flood."
God. therefore, us St. Paul declares, is "the
only Potentate, the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords."
The monarchies of the wor'.d are but
faintly projected 'i m!.>ws < f His dominion,
Rev. Arthur S. Johns.
(1'lioto. by C. M. Bell.)
dependent upon His will for their exist
ence, upon His word for their continuance.
"He setteth up one and putteth down an
other." "The king's heart is In the hand
of the Lord, as the rivers of the water He
turneth it whithersoever He will." But
from time to time men have murmured
against the universal sovereignty of God..
Wlien St Paul, arguing witli the Romans,
contended for this doctrine, he represents
one of his disputants as saying. "Why
doth God yet find fault? For who hath
resisted His will?"
With all the dignity of an Apostle St.
Faul answered. "Nay, but man, who art
thou thit repliest against God? Shall the
thing formed say to him that formed it,
why hast thou made me thus?" Hath not
the potter power over the clay?
And verily "the Judge of all the earth
cannot but do right." His rule, the abso
lute. is strictly consistent with Ills law,
which Is "holy, just and good." "His do
minion ruleth over all, for by Him were all
things created that are in heaven and that
an on earth, vUible and invisible, whether
they be thrones or dominions or principali
ties or ixiwers; all things were created by
Him and for Him, and He is before all
things, and by Him all things consist."
So we may well say "Thine is the king
dom. for ever uii'l ever."
But what Is royalty more than a mere
pageant If It lack the power to maintain its
rights Therefore the almightiness of God
Is connected, In our text, with the recogni
tion of this right to rule?"for Thine is the
power, for ever anil ever."
threat ion abounds with palpable proofs of
God's omnipotence; for He who is compe
tent to the works of creation is adequate
to any act and any effect. We might point
you to redemption and ask you to estimate
the strength of that arm which carried it
Into full and final accomplishment; or.
DOUKHOBORS
ARRIVE IN LONDON
LONDON. September '.'. ? In the early
hours of the morning a band of l*o Douk
liobors arrived at Hay's wharf, Tooley
street, on their way to Canada from Llbau.
About ten years ago the members of this
sect were expatriated to Siberia in conse
quence of proselytlsm. refusal to give mili
tary service and other offenses resulting
from their strange religious beliefs. The
Upheaval In Russia caused by the war with
Japan resulted In their release, which was
(ranted upon the condition that they emi
grate to Canada.
"Canada Is very glad to get them." said
Mr. VV. T. R. Preston, the Canadian com
missioner of emigration. "Their two chief
distingittshlng characteristics are their re
ligious enthusiasm and their vegetarianism.
About 10.000 Doukhobors are already set
tled In various parts of Canada, and more
than i>er cent of them are accepting the
conditions of life in the Dominion and liv
ing as law-abiding citizens.
*
* *
"The Doukhobors dally expect the sec
ond coming of the Messiah, and the ex
tremists have the belief that they must
meet him unclothed. As they have more
than once thought the second coming Im
minent. and have acted up to their beliefs,
troublous times have occasionally come
upon them.
" Two or three year* ago a body of 400
again, to the progress of the gospel In spite
of so many and great obstacle*. Or yet
again to a natural human heart, like that
of Saul of Tarsus, puffed up with Religious
pride and burning with teal against the
sect of the Nararenes, and ask you to esti
mate the power of that God who humbled
the pride and tamed the manners of the
persecutor, transforming him into an ardent
advocate of the faith which once he sought
to destroy.
Or we might lead you to some great city
of the dead, and, In the language of the
prophet, ask "Can these dry bones liveT"
Mark the answer given by Him who la "the
first fruits of them that slept," as He tells
us "all that are in the graves shall hear Hto
voice and come forth." The Lord Jesus
need say no more to teach us what reason,
rightfully exercised and nature In all Its
works and providence In all Its movements
and grace in all its conquests concur with
the angel In the Apocalypse In proclaiming
"The Lord God omnipotent relgneth." Well
might the psalmist exclaim "twice have I
heard this, that power belongeth unto God."
We come now to the ascription of praise?
"Thine I? the glory." In all His acts God
has a special and supreme reference to His
glory. When He spread out the sky and
laid the foundations of the round world it
was that "the heavens might declare His
glory and the fermament might show His
handiwork," while in the revolutions of the
earth upon its axes "day unto day uttereth
speech and night unto night showeth knowl
edge."
His glory Is also the motive for the move
ments of His providence. Does He estab
lish or overthrow nations, casting down
one kingdom, setting up another, visiting
Egypt with desolation and Israel with de
liverance. It is done to make His power
and glory known to the world. But In His
greatest and grandest work, the work of
redemption, God's glory stands forth most
wonderfully and prominently manifest.
In and through this it is that the Son of
God prayed His Father to glorify His name,
and it is recorded that, in answer to Jesus'
petition, there came a voice from heaven
saying, "I have both glorified it and will
glorify it again." Thus we can see reflected
in the mirror of God's natural, providential
and redemptive works the outline of that
glory which we are taught to pray may
continue forever.
Tes, forever and ever. This kingdom and
power and glory not only surpass all others
in magnitude and splendor, but most em
phatically and infinitely transcend them in
duration. God is "the king eternal and
Immortal." "His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom. His dominion endureth through
out all ages." Where now are the great ones
of the earth whose kingdom and power and
glory have been successively the admira
tion and the envy of the world? The glory,
wealth and power of Solomon's kingdom
overwhelmed the Queen of Sheba. yet its
splendor has completely faded from the
horizon of the east.
The mighty scepter of Cyrus the Great
has long since been shivered and his kingly
crown buried in the dust of ages. The
boast of Macedona and master of nations,
he who is said to have wept because there
were no more worlds to conquer, has run
his course and faded from the firmament of
power.
Then, too, that modern Alexander, who
suddenly sprung from comparative ob
scurity, hewed his way through lacerated
hearts to an imperial throne, and waded
through waves of blood to an illegitimate
supremacy!
For a season he firmly stood with Europe
trembling at his feet; one hand grasping
the governments of the east, the other
ready to enslave the infant Hercules of the
west?his glory, power, kingdom apparently
as permanent as the Alps over which he
u-ossed to conquest. But the early years
of the past century have seen his empire
completely shattered, his coronet of glory
torn from his brow, his conquering chariot
exchanged for a barren rock on ocean's
bosom, and. finally, his imperious form con
signed to that narrow cell which awaits
corruptible morality whilst "Thy throne,
O God, is for ever and ever."
Verily, as the voice instructed the proph
et to cry: "All flesh is grass and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the
field. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand
forever." #
of the I>oukhobors in Canada were struck
with tills religious mania and started out
to look for the Messiah. But when the
authorities found that the proves* of strip
ping themselves of their clothing was be
ing Indulged In they sent them home to
their respective farms.
"Last year," added Mr. Preston, "a party
of over tlfty of both sexes acted in the
same manner. The authorities got word of
it and found them making a nude, but ab
solutely religious, pilgrimage. Again stern
measures had to be used before they could
be induced to put on their clothes and be
have in an orderly manner."
PLANS FOR
BIG CONFERENCE
Word comes from New York that the
plans are nearing completion for the great
religious gathering to be held in that city
In November next, under the name of the
Inter-Church Conference on Federation.
This meeting, which Is to be held in Car
negie Hall from November 16 to 21, will be
the first in the religious history of the
United States, to which delegates have bean
named officially by the various Protestant
denominations, previous conferences on mis
sions and other topics having been unofficial
In character. There will be present from
Ave to six hundred delegates, representing
twenty-four religious bodies with an aggre
gate membership of over 18,400,000.
A general committee composed In large
part of leading minister* and laymen of
this city and vicinity Is In charge of the
PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON
HAS CATHEDRAL QUESTION
IMPORTANT SESSION AT VIENNA, VA., NEXT MONTH.
Presbyterians are showing renewed In
terest in the proposition of Justice Harlan
for a national cathedral in this city. The
reason for this is that the presbytery of
Washington city Is scheduled to meet Oc
tober 9, at Vienna, Va., and at this meeting
the committee chosen last spring by the
general assembly of the denomination in
America will present the matter formally
to the local body.
The status of the movement at present Is
Interesting. While it is generally under
stood that the national church or cathedral,
as Justice Harlan chooses to call It, is pro
posed to A made institutional in character
and representative of the denomination in
the United States, yet the organization of
Presbyterlanism is such that a church, even
of this character, cannot be built within the
confines of the Washington city presbytery
without the consent of the presbytery. In
fact, a presbytery is absolute In the con
trol of the churches within Its jurisdiction
and a proposition of this nature must, the
oretically at least, originate with It. The
general assembly recognized this fact when
it appointed i committee to await upon the
local body.
But Justice Harlan, who has long favored
the national cathedral idea, sought to give
it greater impetus by having it indorsed
first of all by the general body. He is one
of the most prominent laymen of the church
and was vice moderator of the general as
sembly at its last session. This fact gave
the proposition considerable weight, and. it
is said, secured for it a more favorable f
hearing than it would otherwise have had. j
The lack of enthusiasm for the project, |
however, was very noticeable and it was
only a semi-indorsement which the assem
bly put upon it. The committee appointed
to carry it before the local presbytery is 1
arrangements for the conference. On
Thursday evening of next week the commit
tee will have a meeting at the Murray Hill
Hotel, preceded by a dinner, and; it is ex
pected that at that time the program for
the conference will be presented. On the
executive committee, which has worked out
the details, are the Rev. William H. Rob
erts of Philadelphia, chairman; the Kev.
Frank Mason North of the Methodist City
Church Extension Society, vice chairman,
and the Kev. E. B. Sanford, secretary of the
National Federation of Churches, secre
tary.
The program will make evident the
fact that the coming conference is in no
sense an attempt to bring the various re
ligious bodies of the country into organic
union. It Is the hope of the leaders of the
movement that the conference may create
a permanent organization of the churches
which shall bring the various denomina
tions into better and closer relations than
have ever before existed; an organization
that will make It possible to voice the at
titude oi' the united Christian churches on
great questions, social, ethical, economic
al! religious, in a way that has never be
fore been possible.
*
* *
During the six days of the conference
there will be heard on the platform of
Carnegie Hall the foremost men In almost
every Protestant religious body in the
country. Among these will be five bishops
of the Episcopal Church, six bishops of the
Methodist Church,, three of the Methodist
Church South, two Moravian bishops and
one each from the United Brethren, Re
formed Episcopal and African Betliodist
bodies.
A number of laymen prominent in public
life will also speak. One of these, It Is ex
pected, will be Vice President Fairbanks.
Others Include Gov. Hlggins, Major Mc
Clellan, Justices Harlan and Brewer of the
United Stales Supreme Court; Secretary of
Slate Root. Senator Beverldge of lndianu.
Judge Grosscup of Chicago, Judge Gray of
the United States Circuit Court and John
Wanamaker. The colleges and universities
will be represented by their presidents, In
cli ding President King of Oberlin, Tucker
of Dartmouth, Faunce of Brown, Hall of
X*i:ion Seminary and Prof. Van Dyke of
Princeton.
There will be an opening session on
Wednesday evening, November 15; three
sessions each on Thursday and Friday; a
morning session on Saturday and various
dencmlnational gatherings in the evening;
a muss meeting of young people's Interests
Sunday afternoon; two sessions on Monday
anil a reception to the delegates on Mon
day evening, and three sessions on Tuesday,
the closing one Tuesday evening. There I*
to be no cut and dried plan for permanent
organization, but It is likely that early dur
ing the sessions there will be appointed a
committee on the subject, and that action
on Its report will be taken either on Mon
day or Tuesday.
RELIGIOUS JOURNALISM.
Different Kinds of Papers Described
by Editor Nicoll.
In an Interview with George T. B. Davis,
for the Interior, Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll,
editor of the British Weekly, expresses him
self upon "Religious Journalism." In reply
to the question as to the aim of a religious
paper. Dr. Nicoll said: "It depend* upon
what kind of religious paper you mean. I
believe In speclllzatlon In religious Journal
ism, and that there Is room for many varie
ties of papers in the broad field of religion.
The common type of journal known as a re
ligious paper is a combination of secular
and religious news and articles. Mr ea>
composed of a number of the leading min
isters and laymen of the church and may
he relied upon to give due consideration to
the importance of the task set before It.
What will the presbytery of Washington
do with the plan? This is the question that
Is agitating the mind of Justice Harlan and
of other Presbyterians throughout the coun
try, especially those who, like the Justice,
are heartily In favor of the cathedral. It is
known to be a fact that Justice Harlan was
not at all sure of the enthusiastic and
"?unanimous support of the presbytery of
Washington for his project, and it is
thought it was for this reason that he
wished to secure an indorsement from the
general body first, to give it an added im
portance and a standing in the eye* of the
country.
*
* *
It Is still a matter of doubt as to which
way the majority of the local ministers and
laymen will vote on the plan. None abso
lutely condemn It?and this is believed to be
in a great measure due to the popularity
of Its promulgator?but many are under
stood to favor going slowly or postponing
it entirely for the present. The main ob
jection to the idea everywhere is under
stood to be that it savors of greater central
ization of authority than the Presbyterians
are able to countenance. The word "cathe
dral" also suggests episcopacy to many
members In entirely too strong a fashion.
But that it will be beneficial to the denom
ination and give it a greater standing in
the country is believed to be most appar
ent'; and this gives it support.
Aside from the general interest In the
proposition, there is an interest which is
strictly local. For some time the problem
of maintaining Presbyterianism 111 the
downtown district of this city has been ag
itated. Evidences of this agitation ara to
be had in the repeated suggestions and ru
ample, my own paper, the British Weekly,
contains not only religious matter, but arti
cles and news concerning politics, literature
and other subjects. It is a family journal,
established to expound and maintain cer
tain definite principles. This is one type of
what may be termed a religious journal.
Another type would be such a paper as I
have long had in mind and for which I
think there Is a distinct demand today. It
would be a religious paper, containing no
secular news or articles whatever. Every
line of the paper would be religious, and its
entire aim would be to stimulate and build
up the spiritual life of the readers. 1 would
have articles, meditations and expositions
by the greatest living religious leaders.
They would be short, but the best obtain
able. I would have no church 11. ws?such
as this or that pastor resigning or making
a change?but it would record the progress
! of the kingdom in all parts of the world. In
this age wonderful things are being done in
both home and foreign missions, and these
would be chronicled In an interesting man
ner. Evangelistic and revival work would
have a prominent place, and notable and
remarkable conversions would be freely re
corded. In short, It would aim directly at
converting men and women, as well as at
building them up in the faith."
Emphasis was placed by Dr Nicoll upon
the fact that there was ample room for
many different kinds of. religious papers.
"At one extreme we find such a paper as
the Independent of New York, which is a
family paper with a strong leaning toward
religion. At the other extreme would be
such a paper as the one wc have just been
discussing. Then, midway between these
two, I would place such a paper as the
British Weekly, which deals largely with
religion and also largely with politics, lit
erature and kindred subjects." Dr. Nicoll
finally outlined another type of religious
journal which lit- believes will be produced
in the future, but for which there is not a
sufficient demand as yet. He declares that
it will be a paper which will record the so
cial and philanthropic side of re Iglon rather
than the distinctly evangelistic and spirit
ual side.
BRITISH MINISTER
ON EXTRAVAGANCE
LONDON, September 0.?The extrava
gance of the rich who spend on a single
dinner or a special train enough to keep
a worklngman's family for a year or more
was denounced recently at a meeting of the
West Ham unemployed In Barking Road.
Rev. De Courcey Ben well said that It lind
been complained that some of the men
made violent speeches. It might be so, he
said, but it was scarcely to be wondered
at if they did. Only the other day, he said,
he read of a dinner given by a rich Amer
ican which cost ?120 a head. He thought
that such, reckless and vulgar expenditure
Is disgraceful?a statement which met with
the unanimous approval of the meeting.
"What," continued Mr. Benwell, amid
sympathetic cheers, "would ?120 In money
mean to one of the men In this audience?
It would keep a workman and Ills tamlly
In comfort for a year and a half, and It Is
painful to think that a man would thought
lessly spend what would keep a number of
other human beings for eighteen months
on giving a single friend of his own a din
ner."
?
* *
Tom Adams referred to the recent arrival
at Liverpool of Mr. Harry Payne Whitney,
the young American millionaire, and his
hiring a special train at a cost of fttO to
m?r? that "><? First Presbyterian Clmrrh
,'he Presbyterian Church
the two downtown" organizations of the
denomination in this city, will shortly loin
forces for their mutual benefit and to' keip
up the work now attempted by both Pres
more and'^more
churches are being built there It is ??7
coming to the minds of many that Jfv i
bSi,?C;??;fo,'"0Per" in He
downtown district and n'Hnr? o
other attractions th? iV! Ji
is?s
stood to be Justice Harlan's reasoning. L*
*
* *
stni fn Ti'rSt and Assemb,ys -churches are
still flirting in a far-away fashion, although
It is positively stated that no definite action
has been taken recently by either toward
r ?"'n Jhe rCCent ann<JUI>cement that
Rev. Dr. George p. Wilson will resign,
which however. Is believed by some mem
bers of the congregations \a be still a mat
ter of doubt, may. if it i, carried out affect
the union movement. .Instead of calling a
new- pastor tlK Assembly's Church m?v
prefer to ask for a union with the First
whose field of work is the same The Pirsi
ftr ,Ch ,?n John Marshall place near C
street northwest, and the Assembly's ?s Ft
both arms, and sleeves rolled up."
take him to a grouse mnr?r
ingStwu1itthheIUXU?- ?f <h.rmodeoWfTra0r.:
^Sn6^"nVe^f T T
Xp relating VrSS^SSS^
to dinner parties of a particularlv
sive character rv,fl v\,l,cuiarl> expen
Ployed workmen carrb?d IV theSe ur,era
euttings around In their
Sleepiness in Church.
From tbe Baltimore Sun.
r?cent '? London of the
bv M n?th ??nKr,'SS a PaPer was read
y Mr. Blizard of the Institute of Civil
Engineers on the relation of ill-ventilated
dteease*" "V"" dlssoml^tion of infectious
diseases and on the cause of sleepiness in
church. According to this authorltv, as re
ported by the London Telegraph, sleep
ne? |n church is not. as a rule, due to the
dullness of the sermon, but to slow poison
ing brought about by breathing over and
over again the air already breathed by
oltvTf m ventilation, therefore, not pau
?!!? ,1 ?" thC P3rt ?f the Preacher or
stupidity on the part of the churchgoer
explanls the drowsiness felt in the pew.
Many tlieories have been proposed to ac
count for the somnolent air of the wor
f^;.r . "J" ^>?nd dispute that persons
afflicted with Insomnia have been able to
get sleep at church when they could get it
nowhere else. Aged pillars of the church
whose ztal could not be questioned have
been found often In the enjoyment of re
freshing naps while the minister was Bet
ing forth some of the most important doc
trines of l lie creed. It has been suggested
that the enforced silence of the man in the
J-ew tends to produce torpidity of the brain
or'^ C?Uld J?ln ,he di^ourse
. ..** ,bfck to tl,e speaker, he would be
?vT to ma,ntaln a waking Interest
P...S " ?55u:~,''i'hr^.,ErootK
alert But"ifp SiF"!! would be on the
?^WiW?-K air
flMpolnt^ Wantlng ln relation of Its
. Blizard strikes a serious note when
he maintains that ill-ventilated churches
theaters and other like places frequented
the an?f ,nu?ber* have much to do with
the spread of consumption. The air within
las?1 laden wlth tho rms of dis
ease, and the want of pure air?secured
ueln &#0<LnV7n VlaIi,15 arrangement??com
InfeeHnnu 2? l? t"ke them lDt? the lungs.
Infectious diseases are thus communicated
obdin^ eBf ,ha/l0n .?f ,the "P?Htual man is
heauHf the ^dy ?' "rlOU8 r,B,t to the
v Op?n-Alr Sacred Concert '
By Naval G. p. Band This Afternoon.
-S /^!b f?e" car* m,lrked FAG going
S5jJ* 12 minutes' rids from tbe Capi
the Stjr the Highlands overlooking
IMbwest (11E Cburcb.
New Structure Nearing Completion on Conduit Road.
The new Northwest Methodist Church, on
the Conduit road. Jusi above Georgetown,
la rapidly nearing completion nnd It l?
expected that within the next few weeks
services will be held In the auditorium.
Work on the church was commenced last
fall, but many unforeseen obstacles arose to
prevent Us completion before the winter
set In. the severity of which practically
stopped all building operations. When the
construction was resumed in the spring,
however, much of the lost time was re
gained and now the exterior Is receiving
the finishing touches at the hands of the
painter, while the Interior Is being pre
pared for the plasterers.
The new church Is located at the Inter
section of W atr??et and the Conduit road,
about a mile and a half above George
town, and It Is the only church betwen
Georgetown and Cabin John bridge. The
site has a gradual slope upward from the
road, which adds considerable to the at
tractiveness of the structure. The main
auditorium has a seating capacity of about
two hundred, with a Sunday school room
adjoining. The building is lighted by thive
large windows, glazed with cathedral glass,
through which the sunlight is pleasantly
diffused by an original and unique color
scheme. The entrance is through the base
of a belfry tower, which rises from the
southwest corner of the building to an
elevation in pleasing proportion to the
height of the main edifice.
*
* *
The church will cost, when completed and
furnished, about end the site cost
J1.100, which brings the toUil cost to about
*4 .600. Tiie funds were obtained through
the sale of two smaller churches, the okt
Northwest Church In Georgetown and the
Canal Road Church, and by voluntary con
tributions. The business interests of the
church are looked after by a board of
seven directors, consisting of Benjamin F.
King, Joseph H. Barnes, Robert P. Tally,
W. E. Plckford, Ira Brashear, G. W. Hav
ener and John F. Green. Mr. Green is the
secretary and treasurer of the board and
NEW NOSTHWES1
* r
SUNDAY MORNING TALK.
r ? v
Bight Proportions and How to Get
Them.
Much of the trouble of life comes from
the lack of sense of proportion. Grotesque
affects are produced in architecture when
the builder goes ahead regardless of the
length of his lines. "That tower is too high
for the size of the structure," you say, or
"What a blight upon the edifice that dor
mer window is!" The feature objected to
does not harmonize with tlie otherwise sat
isfactory general effect. But when a man*
goes to work to build a life how often he
forgets all about harmony and proportion!
Take the matter of Income, for example.
Mostt persons know at the beginning of the
year about how much they will have to spend
during the next twelve months. When the
question of an extra outlay arises for this
or that luxury, "or when the decision Is
being made as to a fixed charge, like house
rent, ought not the expenditure to be con
sidered with reference to the probable total
"outlay of the year? Pefhaps you have
money enough In your pocket at the mo
ment to buy a handsome chair, or maybe
the rent of a very comfortable lioueo would
not exhaust your salary each month, but
the rear point Is: Are you going to be
obliged to deny yourself books and pictures
in order to purchase the chair, or are you
likely to have ?o scrimp your table In
order to live on the avenue?
The way In which people squartder that
commodity known us time often betrays a
painful lack of the sense of proportion. One
reaBoti why rlgjdly religious people some
times protest against card-playing, theater
going and dancing is that so many young
persons plunge Into these diversions so
deeply that their better life Is submerged.
I tremble for the young man who is at the
theater three or four nights in the week.
If moderate Indulgence In this diversion is
an Impossibility for him he .ought to become
a total abstainer. So with a dozen other
Interests Innocent in themselves?athletics,
the collecting mania, club life. No one is
to be blamed for enjoying them In a ra
tional fashion, but when it comes to making
any of them the central concern of one's
days and one's nights the perspective Is all
awry. A good thing indulged In to excess
becomes evil, and we are all liable to be
caught and whirled along In the currents
of modern life that sweep one along to ex
travagances wliloh In our calmer moments
we all see to be Irrational and detrimental.
When It comes to the appreciation and
grasp of moral and spiritual truth we are
all prone to lose our sense of pro|>ortlon.
Religious history is full of Instances of men
clinging to a half truth or a partial truth
as though It were the entire body of truth
revealed to the mind of men. Most of the
bitter controversies in the churches have
been due to the failure to appreciate the
other man's truth, or to the disposition to
hold a truth without regard to its relation
to complementary truths. Here Is the splen
did doctrine of man's free will, of the power
lodgedLin him to shape his own destiny; but
here Is the equally splendid doctrine of
God's rulershlp and control. Why must I
choose between tljem? Bach Is essential to
the building of the perfect temple of truth.
The great remedy for the tendency to lose
the sense of proportion, the great preserva
tive of balance and of poise Is putting the
big things In the center and adjusting
oneself constantly to them. Don't let the
petty and the transient take the ulace of
the great big concerns that make life truly
Interesting, significant and precious. It
doesn't pay the average scholar to spend
the bulk of hU years chasing up the eccen
tricities of the Greek circumflex accent. It
doesn't pay the average boy to know the
pedigree and name of the leading race
horses Is the country. It doesn't pay the
woman to spend one-fcaU of her
also the district steward. The pastor will
be Rev. W H. Black
A new Northwest Church has been a pro
ject for a number of yen re and haa been
eRgerly looked forward to by the Metho
dist congregation residing along the Con
duit road. Some fifteen year* ago Rev.
Dr. Henry R. Naylor. the presiding elder
for the Washington district, found it ad
visable to dispose of the old Northwest
Church, located In Georgetown This was
originally a chapel branch of the Dum
barton Avenue Church, but when the
growth of the congregation made an Inde
pendent organization necessary the name
was changed to the Northwest Church.
The sale of the old buildliig netted about
$1,600. which was held in trust by Rev.
W. H. Black, vntll sufficient money could
be raised to build a new church. The fund
j was added to from time to time hy volun
j tary offerings. These were small, however,
and the fund grew slowly. In the mean
time the congregation worshiped In the
little church near the canal, known as the
Canal Ror.d Church, where I>r. Black rilled
the pulpit. It was here the plans for the
new church hegan to m iiurc. ir.d a propo
sition to Fell the Canal road property was
Anally made to the congreg it'.on This
met with some opposi.lon and c.used a
halt In the plans.
*
? *
A compromise agre. ment was reached,
however, where! v Hie old cliurch was ?o
?be sold as soon as a suitable site for the
new one had been secured. An offering
having been already received for the Canal
ro.'.d property, the ttsk of selecting a site
agreeable to a major!.y of the congrega
tlon was started. After considerable search
ing the W s:reet site was purchased and
the Canal Road Church sold for ITmt. The
s.nle of this church left the congregation
without a place of worship, and to provide
me ins for keeping the Sunday school to
gether a small frame building was erected
on the rear of the church lot. This build
ing was used during the construction of
J M. E. CHURCH.
the new church and until warm weather
set In.
Of the $8,500 required to build the church
all but a few hundred dollars has been
raised, and by the time the first services
are held, it Is. hoped, the church will be
practically free of debt.
waking hours at the dressmaker's. Keep
your senses of proportion keen by keeping
your eyes constantly on the big things, vea
the things of the spirit. THE PARSON.
RAGMEN'S CHURCH.
Organized at Wilmington, Del., Re
cently Amid Enthusiasm.
Multiply the ordinary ragman's cry by
500 and get an Impression of what the
singing is like the new ragman's church
at Cady and Herald streets, Wilmington.
Del. The church is an old warehouse, but
It was dedicated to religious services. Five
hundred ragmen shoulted with Joy and sang
old songs to the tune of "Any Rags. Any
Bones. Any Bottles Today."
Head and front of the movement is Rev.
Frank Robinson, a negro ragman on week
days and preacher on Sunday. He tried to
get up a great open-air meeting of ragmen
to be held Saturday, but found that the
ragmen could not afford a holiday. There
fore, with the assistance of a number of
white men, he rented the warehouse, which
he has named "Christ's Temple of the Will
ing Workers."
He went about the streets Saturday call
ing out the notice of his meeting, and from
9 o'clock Sunday morning he waited in his
church for worshipers. They did not come
until evening, but then they came In hun
dreds, a large delegation being on hand
from Chester and Philadelphia. Most of
them were negroes, but a few were white,
and they were welcomed as true ragmen,
irrespective of color.
In opening his service. Rev. Mr. Robin
son offered a special prayer for the protec
tion and salvation of ragmen, and then an
nounced his text:
"8o Ebed-melech took the men with him
and went Into the house of the king, under
the treasury, and took thence old cast off
clouts and old rotten rags, and let them
down by cords Into the dungeon of Jere
miah.?Jeremiah xxxvlil, 11."
"My friends." said the preacher, "this
will prove to you that our craft is an
ancient and honorable one. Ebel-melech
was a ragman, perhaps the first of them,
the founder of the craft. He rendered a
great service, as he rescued a prophet who
afterward became one of the advisers of
the Lord."
A shout of appreciation followed the an
nouncement, and us his sermon proceeded
on this line the enthusiasm became In
tense. Soon the preachers voice was
drowned by the shouting, and when he
called for the "elect" to come forward
and give Christian testimony, the rejoicing
be came uproarious
Hats On in Charch.
From tbr Ixjndon Cbronh-lv.
A . Cornish vicar has been fulminating
against uncovered feminine heads in
church. What would he have said about
men In hats during service? Pepys has left
on record the opinion of the seventeenth
century on this point or ecclesiastical eti
quette. "To church." he writes, "aa<l
heard a simple fellow upon the praise of
church musique, and exclaiming against
men wearing their hats on In the church."
Later he notes that he saw a minister
"preach with his hat off. which I never saw
before." The hat. Indeed, was then an in
tegral part of both male and female cos
tume. and Pepys ascribes "a strange cold
In my head by flinging off my hat at din
ner."
May Sutton, the California girl srho went
to London and won every tennis match she
played, also won unstinted praise by her
simplicity of attire and manner. Mag
nificently muscular, she cared nothing for
the minor graces, being absorbed in the
game. There was no tripping aftsr the ball
with her, no sfcowing off KMffM.