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The Presbyterian of the
Vol. 96. No. 28.
RICIIMOrTO, VA.
July 12, 1922
..A
SUMMER is a busy, fruitful season in liis
church, writes a pastor in a large Southern
city. Why should it not be ? The churches,
in large number seem to think that work must
l>o practically given up when the weather gets
warm. Except schools, practically nothing but
churches stop work in the summer. The ex
planation usually given is that so many people
are away that the work cannot be carried on.
We wonder how many times an effort has been
made to find out what proportion of the mem
bers of a church is actually away from home
at any one time. We believe that very few
churches would ever find twenty-five per cent
of their members away from home at the same
time. The question arises, whether the ab
sence of twenty-five per cent, ought to deprive
the seventy-five per cent of their privileges
and responsibilities. We recognize the fact
that some summer Sundays are swelteringly hot
in some places. But we have noticed also that
some winter Sundays are cold and rainy and
disagreeable. In either case, there is some dis
comfort in going to church. But men and wo
men do not stay away from work or pleasure be
cause of the weather, except in extreme cases.
Places of amusements are well patronized all
the summer. Crowds flock to the parks on hot
?lays and evenings. So the trouble cannot be
that it is too hot to leave home. The same
means employed for going to places of amuse
ments and to the parks can be employed for go
ing to church. If the churches are not as com
fortable for the people who attend as the
theatres are, they ought to be made so. With
proper ventilation and a wise use of electric
fans, a church can be made as comfortable as
any other place. If it is known that the church
will be found comfortable and cool many will
attend who will not otherwise. But ought God's
people ever to stay away from God's house be
cause of a little or even great discomfort? A
business man or corporation would not long
employ a man or woman who would say that
the weather was too hot to go to work. Ab
sence of some from the city may reduce the
amount of work done by the church, but it
need not stop it It does not stop the devil's
work.
0 TRIKES are serious tilings and often cause
^ suffering and engender hard feelings.
1 he great coal strike now in operation involves
probably as many men and as many problems
difficult to solve as any ever called in this coun
ty. The Federal Council of the Churches of
('hrist in America, in conjunction with the Na
tional Catholic Council and the Central Coun
cil of American Rabbis, has taken up the mat
ter. They have presented to President Ilard
,ng a petition, which is almost in the form of
?'? demand, that the Government of the United
States shall take the matter in hand and settle
the strike. It presents plans by which it is
aimed that this can be and should be done.
^ hether intentionally ot not this paper really
places the blame for the strike upon the opera
tors. There are some things about this action
the Council that strike us as peculiar for an
"''ganization representing the Churches of
( hrist in America. Who gave the Council
w isdom enough to say that the Government has
the right or ought to settle strikes ? How comes
't that it knows just how the Government ought
*? handle the question, if it should undertake
to settle the question? The CoiS^^BBI
its petition that much information must be
acquired before responsibility for the strike
can be definitely placed and an agreement be
reached, and yet the petition has a decided lean
ing toward the miners as against the operators.
This looks as though the Council had decided
views on the subject, although the Government
has not yet information enough to act upon.
Whence did the Council get its greater informa
tion and its superior wisdom? We are de
cidedly anxious to see this strike settled. But
there are many difficult questions involved and
many different opinions are held by honest men.
There is a great difference of opinion as to
whether the Government ought to undertake
to settle strikes, as there is difference of opin
ion as to whether the Government has the power
to do so. Men in the Church differ on these
subjects, as well as those outside. Some opera
tors are in the Church and some are not, and
the same is true of the miners. Neither the
Church nor its representative has the right to
pass judgment on any but moral and spiritual
questions and then only after the fullest in
vestigations and giving all parties concerned an
opportunity to be heard. We believe that the
Council in this matter has gone beyond any
authority, granted to it by the constituent
churches.
ATTENDANCE upon all of the sessions of
the General Assembly on the part of its
members has often been seriously urged by that
body. More than once has it urged Presby
teries not to appoint any as commissioners, who
will not be able to be present at the opening ses
sion and stay through to the last. Twenty-four
hours or more before the last Assembly ad
journed numbers of the members began leav
ing. Two hours before the final adjournment
a counted vote showed 50 present, though the
enrollment had been 258. That some were
providentially called away there is probably no
doubt, but the Lord must have had a very poor
opinion of the value of the more than 200 and a
very high opinion of the value of 50, if He
called so many away and left His work in the
hands of a few. During that last twenty-four
hours, indeed during the last two hours very
important matters were acted upon. How many
of the actions were adopted by a real majority
of the Assembly it would be hard to tell. We
have known of a Presbytery that paid the
traveling expenses of those members who nt
tended its meetings, but paid only those -who
remained to the close. We would hate to a?e
such an action taken by the Assembly, but
something ought to be done to insure a full at
tendance of those who are intrusted with the
solution of the great questions connected with
the work the Church is doing for God.
LAWS are made by the legislative depart
ments of the national and state govern
ments. Their enforcement is entrusted to of
ficers elected by the people or appointed by the
executive departments of the government. Each
of these officers is sworn to enforce the laws
as they stand upon the statute books. Gen
erally this is faithfully done. But there is a
growing tendency on the part of certain offi
cials to say that certain laws are not to be en
forced, or at least to fail to enforce those which
they do not care to enforce, and these officers
frequently require their subordinates to act
'"-cng to their wishes, instead of carrying
out the law. Recently a deputy game warden
undertook to enforce the game law of the State
which prohibits the sale of the plumage of apy
except game birds. He seized some of the pro
hilm^d plumage and reported his act to his
superior. He was immediately discharged from
the force i>y the gaimv warden, who simply told
him that 1& did not i^end to have any of his
deputies try to enforce that law. The matter
was taken to jtlie State's prosecuting attorney.
Although the 'law seemed perfectly plain, and
he had'^worn to enforce it, he would do noth
ing^ until, under heavy pressure from others
who had become interested in the case, he agreed
to refer the question to the Attorney-General
of the State. This was done and that official
said that the law was very plain and must be en
forced. What will be the outcome yet remains
to be seen. What we are especially interested
in is the fact that this deputy who was trying
to do his duty was dismissed without having
the courts decide whether he was right, and
without even being given a hearing by his su
perior. If law is to be enforced only according
to the wish of some official, then the country has
come to a bad state, and if a man is to be sum
marily dismissed from office for trying to do his
sworn duty, what is the use of having laws?
Faithful officials should have the support of
good people.
HARD indeed is it for a great many people
to learn some of the simple facts about
the Presbyterian Church. In one of the cities
of the South a reporter for a daily paper was
recently writing up the leading Presbyterian
church of his* city. Referring top the bulletin
published by the church he called attention with
surprise to this statement which appeared
in it: "It (the Presbyterian Church) re
cognizes the validity of the orders and sacra
ments of other Christian churches." He adds
this comment: "The world moves." He
seems to think that he had made a most re
markable discovery, that this church was tak
ing an advanced position in liberality that puts
its far ahead of any other Presbyterian church.
The fact is, as every well informed Presby
terian knows, that the Presbyterian Church is
as liberal in this respect as any other church
and far more liberal than most churches. All
that the Presbyterian Church requires for
church membership is faith in the Lord Jeeus
as the Saviour. The consequence is that this
Church receives members from any other evan
gelical ohurch, merely upon evidence that they
are members in good standing in some other
church. For entrance into the ministry through
ordinary channels of education and prepara
tion a very high standard is maintained. But
when a mnistcr of another church wants to be
received into' one of our Presbyteries, and
brings credentials to show that he has been or
dained in accordance with the provisions of his
church, the Presbytery does not examined him
as to his qualifications, but receives him, though
his preparation and education may fall far be
low the usual requirements of the Presbyterian
Church. His ordination is accepted, just as
though he had been ordained by another Pres
bytery. He is only examined to see if he ac
cepts the doctrines of the Presbyterian Clrarch.
This is necessary, because he is to teach these
doctrines.