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VOL. LXXXIV. RICHMOl
Cbtto
ENGLISHMEN' who come to this country t
sometimes have queer ways of showing i
their ignorance. Archdeacon Cunningham re- 1
ently visited the United States, and on re- <
turn to tne university town of Cambridge, he <
undertook to tell of what he had seen, lie in- i
formed his hearers that in America he had dis- i
covered "a rather curious thing," and that is 1
that "religion in America might be said to be ]
wholly in the towns and to be almost unrep- ]
resented in the country districts. There are no 1
village'churches or missions, or so few that they 1
may be neglected. Through the whole rural '
area of America people are in danger of relapsing
into practical heathenism and nobody
seems to care. It is an extraordinary thing
about the Church that there is such complete
indifference to the practical heathenism of the
large rural population among whom no religious
ordinances exist."
We want to olVer our sympathy to the great
multitudes of Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans,
Disciples and others who have built and worship
in so many churches throughout the country
districts, and to ask their sympathy for
us Presbyterians, as it seems that we all can
scarcely be distinguished from heathen. Or
had we not all better join in a union prayer
meeting and pray the Great Head of the Church
to open the eyes and heart of the archdeacon
t hat. he may be able to see that there is some
religion outside of the Church of England. We
are thankful to say that we do not believe that
he will find many sympathizers in the Episcopal
Church of this country.
+ + +
A WRITER in the Christian Standard
writes on the union of the churches and
professes to have the hope that this will be accomplished
in the not distant future. One of
the signs of the coming of this Utopian period
which he mentions is "the present plan for
the merging of the Presbyterian Church, South,
with f }lo Nnrtliprn ProoKwtoniono " W? J
not understand how this writer could find out
about such a plan, when no whisper of its
existence has reached this office. If any of the
brethren are in possession of this plan or of any
knowledge on the subject, we call upon you to
present it to our readers at once.
4* + +
MOTHERS are more afraid for their sons
and wives for their husbands of demon
urn than thev are of the snins of tb^ir conn
try's enemies. In Canada a monster petition,
signed by 64,446 Canadian mothers of Ontario
Province alone, has been forwarded to Sir
Robert Borden, premier of Canada, asking that
in sending forward contingents of Canadian
soldiers to Europe, the Canadian Government
6rst seek and obtain the assurance of his
majesty's responsible ministers that the wet
canteen will not be established or permitted in
the ranks of the Canadian troops. Upon pre
IggD
W. NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, AUGUST 25
rial Jgoteg anb Com
mentation, the speaker told the premier that
most of the signatures were gathered in four
weeks; that the time of the year made a really
extended canvass impossible, owing to the condition
of the roads; that 110 petition circulated
in the last twenty-five years had been as readily
?igned; that had unmarried women been permitted
to attach their names, the number of
petitioners would have been trebled. The
premier promised to look into the matter and
to forward to Lord Kitchener the protest of
the sixty-four thousand mothers and wives of
Ontario.
*5* ~r -I
I A Kngland, too, the mothers shudder most
when they think of the great danger to
which their sons are exposed from liquor. A
mother who has two sons at the front, and
another just waiting for his eighteenth birthday
to go, sends this letter to a London paper:
"Speaking at a recruiting meeting last week,
Lord Derby said, 'One thing that kept men
back was the reluctance of mothers to let their
sons go.' Yes, he was correct; mothers are
keeping their sons back, but not for the reason
Lord Derby assigned. I have discussed this
matter with many mothers, thoughtful. earnest
women, and we all agree that while we are
willing to give our sons to our king and country,
we tremble at the unnecessary temptations
that surround them while in training. The
beer flows like water in the canteens, and hundreds
of boys who left home sober and cleanliving
are to-day neither one nor the other, because
the drink habit has taken hold of them.
Oh, Mr. Editor, could I show you a tithe of the
misery of mothers over this very thing, you
would not rest until you had banished the drink
from the canteens. I feel I can give my last
son to God and his country, but I cannot, no.
I cannot, contemplate his becoming a drunkard.
Tie is but a lad, and so easily led. Apart from
training my sons to be abstainers. I take shame
to myself for not having interested myself in
temperance matters until war broke out. Why
will not government do something to safeguard
the boys who are giving their lives for
their country? Who and what is this sinister
power that will not lift a finger to help the lads
keep straight and strong? Looking back over
the last nine months, I think mothers have
been very quiet. We go down to the gates of
death to bring our children forth, so only God
kijuws wimi 11. costs us to give mem lip. Why
is it made so hard for us to say 'Go' to the
hoys that remain?"
+ + +
PREACHING and practicing Christian unity
does not seem to go together, if we are to
judge from the papers of various denominations
that eome to our office. For many years
the Episcopal Church has been discussing this
subject officially. They say there should be
only one Church. But it turns out that the
SM&N
westernPrESBYTER/am
al Presbyter/an e
-hern Presbyter/an
?, 1915. No. 33
ment
one Church must he the Episcopal. This Church
only in the very slightest degree gives any
recognition to any other branch of the Church.
Probably the Church which has most to say
about Christian unity is the Disciples of Christ,
popularly known as Campbellites. Its writers
are very earnest in deploring the fact that
there are sects and divisions in the Church,
ignoring the fact that while their founder
preached loudly in favor of all Christians getting
together, in reality he went against his own
nrenchinc hv pstuhlifihincr nnnthoi* eont TI\o
position taken by each of these Churches is
practically, "Let all the Churches come to. us,
and then we will have only one Church, and
so have Christian unity." These Churches seem
to fail to realize, what most other Churches
hold, that there can be real unity, without
organic union. Union without unity is far
worse than division. If union is desired by
these Churches, let them show the spirit of
unity. Then, it may be, they will see that union
is not necessary to the carrying on of the Lord's
work in the world.
+ + +
? T TORKING girls in the larger eities present
W one of the serious problems which confront
those who are interested in social con*
ditions. The educated girl, the teacher, the
high class office girl, makes a salary which
enables her at least to provide herself a comfortable
home. But such girls are in the
minority. The vast majority of the girls in
the cities, who have to work for their living,
are to be found in stores and factories, doing
what is really unskilled work, and getting very
small wages. Many of these girls have come
a mi i ?
ii inn me cuumry. 1 ney must pay tneir board,
as well as meet all of their other expenses.
When they get only five or six dollars a week,
and many get even less, they cannot afford
to pay much for board. The family that will
take a girl at such a low rate is not likely to
afford her the home she ought to have. Its
hygiene, its food, its social atmosphere is likely
to be very far from what is desirable. But
what is the girl to do? The problem bas been
solved for about 600 girls in Boston. A hotel
accommodating that number has been in operation
for twelve years. It furnishes everything
Vioi o ?;..i *.~.i 1 *
...... .. gin nccua limit*i' moM iavoraDie conuitions.
This is not a charitable work, though
it is a noble cbarity in the best sense of the
term. The girls pay three dollars a week for
table board. Rooms vary in price, but all are
low. But these payments cover all expenses
and leave a profit, which is to be used in enlarging
the building so that it may accommodate
more. Such work should be multiplied
many times in every large city. What is needed
is that Christian people shall provide and equip
the building. Under proper management it will
pay all running expenses. Such homes will
save hundreds and thousands of girls from diseoiiifort
and from temptation.